The Promise of a Waitlist
Every indie hacker has experienced the same enticing thought: “I’ll create a landing page, add a waitlist form, and voilà, I’ll instantly know if my idea has demand.”
At first glance, this approach seems brilliant. It appears to require minimal effort, offers instant validation, and doesn’t necessitate any coding skills. If people sign up, it suggests you’re on the right track. Conversely, if interest is lacking, you can pivot quickly without losing much time or resources.
However, the reality is that most waitlists fail—not necessarily because the underlying idea is flawed, but because the waitlist itself often does not fulfill the expectations of founders.
Why Most Waitlists Flop
1. They Collect Interest, Not Commitment
Signing up for a waitlist is a low-commitment action. Clicking “Join the waitlist” costs nothing, and it doesn’t guarantee that someone will ever pay for your product. In many cases, individuals sign up out of habit and then promptly forget about your existence.
2. They Assume Distribution Exists
A waitlist is not a growth engine; it is merely a container. If you lack established traffic sources, your waitlist will remain barren. Without the momentum of existing audiences, your waitlist may not yield the desired results.
3. They Create False Signals
It’s easy to feel like a genius when you accumulate 200 signups, but the reality often starkly contrasts with this illusion. When you finally launch, you may find that only a handful of people engage with your product. This disconnect can severely dampen motivation and momentum.
4. They Delay Real Feedback
While a waitlist can seem like a form of validation, it often postpones the more challenging yet valuable step: putting your product in front of actual users. Real feedback is essential for growth, and waiting for a list of email addresses can stall your progress.
The Psychology of the Waitlist
The appeal of a waitlist for founders lies in its perceived safety.
- It creates the illusion of traction without exposing you to risk.
- It provides a sense of progress without the need for actual product development.
- It generates numbers that you can proudly share on social media or within your community.
However, in many cases, it simply becomes a procrastination tool that feels productive without delivering real results.
When a Waitlist Can Work
Despite their pitfalls, waitlists can be effective in specific scenarios.
Hype-Driven Products
If you are developing something with viral potential, such as AI tools, consumer apps, or gaming platforms, a waitlist can generate curiosity and encourage sharing.Exclusive Communities
Waitlists can enhance credibility when access is intentionally limited. For example, Clubhouse successfully employed this strategy in its early days, where scarcity created heightened demand.Existing Audiences
If you have an established following, newsletter subscribers, or loyal customers, a waitlist can serve as a targeted funnel to prepare for your launch.
How to Make Your Waitlist Useful
To ensure your waitlist serves a meaningful purpose, consider these strategies:
- Ask for More Than Just an Email. Include one or two short questions, such as “What is your biggest pain point?” or “How would you envision using this product?” This approach transforms mere curiosity into valuable insights.
- Segment Your List. Organize signups based on roles or specific needs to facilitate personalized communication later on.
- Engage Regularly. Keep your waitlist warm by sending regular updates and sharing behind-the-scenes progress. Engaging communication prevents potential customers from forgetting about you.
- Measure Engagement. Monitor open rates and responses to assess genuine interest. If your audience is responsive, it indicates real engagement; if they ignore your messages, it may have only been vanity.
The Better Alternatives
Rather than relying on a waitlist to magically validate your idea, consider adopting alternatives that can reveal real demand.
- Sell First. Offering pre-orders or paid beta spots provides the strongest validation—payment signifies commitment.
- Ship Fast. Even a minimally viable product (MVP) can yield more insights than a cold email list ever could.
- Engage with Users. Five genuine conversations will provide more valuable insights than 500 signups that never respond.
- Conduct Small Tests. Utilize ads, social media posts, or direct outreach to gauge whether people are genuinely interested enough to click, engage, or pay.
A Personal Story
I have created waitlists that garnered hundreds of signups. Each time, I celebrated, convinced I had achieved validation.
However, when launch day arrived, I was confronted with a harsh reality: very few converted into actual customers.
While the waitlist had given me a false sense of confidence, it did not translate into sales. The real turning point came when I began actively engaging with signups, asking questions, and sharing prototypes. That hands-on approach transformed feedback into tangible traction.
The Illusion of Numbers
As founders, we often fixate on numbers. Ten signups can feel like a victory, while two hundred can seem like an unstoppable momentum.
Yet, numbers devoid of context are meaningless. A waitlist boasting 1,000 signups who never engage is far less valuable than a handful of individuals eager to pay and test your product.
True validation stems from behavior, not simply from form fills.
How to Decide if You Should Skip the Waitlist
Before committing to a waitlist, ask yourself three critical questions:
- Do I already have an audience I can direct to the waitlist?
- Will I actively engage with those who sign up, rather than just collecting their emails?
- Am I using this waitlist to learn from users, rather than merely seeking validation?
If your answers lean toward “no,” it may be more beneficial to skip the waitlist and move directly to building a prototype or pre-selling your offering.
The Bottom Line
A waitlist is not a magical tool for validation. At best, it serves as a means to engage an existing audience or create buzz. At worst, it devolves into a vanity metric that hinders the essential work of understanding what potential customers truly want.
If you choose to implement a waitlist, do so with clear intention. Focus on gathering insights rather than merely collecting emails. Keep your audience engaged, and filter for genuine interest.
Remember, signups do not equate to customers. Don’t be misled by numbers into thinking you have achieved validation.
True validation arises from real users engaging with and paying for the products you create.
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