Websites · Glossary
What is a waitlist page?
A waitlist page is a web page that collects the names and email addresses of people who want something before it is available, such as a new app, product or service. It often shows each person their place in the queue and gives them a personal referral link that moves them up when friends join, then invites people in order at launch.
A waitlist measures demand before there is anything to sell. The queue position and the referral rule are what make people share it, and they are also the parts that get gamed if nobody designs them carefully.
Indunil Asanka · Co-founder
6 min read · Published
| Question | Waitlist | Newsletter | Pre-order |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the person gives | Name and email | Payment and delivery details | |
| Money taken | None | None | Now, in full or as a deposit |
| Promise made | An invite, in order | Regular emails | Delivery by a stated date |
| What they see | Their place and a referral link | A thank you | An order confirmation |
| Strength of demand signal | Interest | Interest | Payment |
What a waitlist page does
A waitlist page has one job: turn a visitor's interest into a name on a list the business can contact at launch. The simplest version is a heading, a sentence on what is coming, and a form asking for an email address. Most add two things. A confirmation that tells the person where they stand, such as "You're number 128 of 2,040", which turns an abstract sign up into a place in line. And a personal referral link, so the person can move up by bringing friends. Behind the page sits a list with each entry's email, when they joined, who referred them and how many people they referred. At launch the business works down that list, inviting people in batches. A software product invites the first hundred to try it; a restaurant invites them to opening week; a course invites them before public sales open.
How queue positions and referrals work
The queue position is usually join order adjusted by referrals. A common rule is that each friend who joins with your link moves you up a fixed number of places, such as five. The calculation should happen on the server, so a visitor cannot change their own position, and the status page should never reveal other people's emails, only numbers. Each person gets a short code in their link. When a new visitor arrives with that code and joins, the referrer's count goes up by one, and the new person is recorded as referred by them. A few rules keep it fair: joining twice with the same email returns the same code rather than a second entry, a person cannot refer themselves, and the page states the rule in one sentence so people know how to move up. Separately, a tick box asks whether the person wants launch emails, which is the consent the later email relies on.
When a waitlist beats a newsletter or a pre-order
A waitlist fits when the launch date is uncertain, the product is not finished, or access will be limited at first, for example a beta with room for two hundred users or a venue with a soft opening. It creates a clear promise: you will be invited, in order. A newsletter fits when there is ongoing content to send and no single moment of access. A pre-order fits when the product is defined, the price is set and the business can deliver by a stated date; it takes money now, which is stronger evidence of demand but also creates consumer law obligations if the date slips. Many launches use two of these in sequence: a waitlist while the product is being built, then pre-orders offered first to the people on the list, which rewards early interest and tests whether the interest turns into payment.
Common mistakes
Running a waitlist for so long that people forget why they joined, then emailing them a year later. Not asking for consent to email at launch, which in Australia and the UK makes the launch email itself a compliance problem. Showing a queue position that never moves, so referrals feel pointless. Rewarding referrals without any check, so a few people sign up dozens of throwaway addresses and jump to the top; reviewing the leading entries before inviting them is worth the ten minutes. Collecting more than an email and a name, which lowers sign ups and adds data to protect. Writing vague copy, such as "something big is coming", that gives people nothing to share. And forgetting to send anything between joining and launch: one short update a month keeps the list warm and tells people the project is real.
Where it shows up in OneCraft
Ask for a waitlist when generating a site and the AI builds it into the site's own database from its waitlist guide: a join form in the hero with an optional Email me at launch box, a status page with the person's place, the referral link with Copy and Share, and the rule that each referral moves someone up five places. Positions are worked out in the database, which never returns other people's emails, and visitors cannot read or change the list directly; the AI checks that as an anonymous visitor and as a signed in person before the step can finish. Admins see entries by position and mark people invited. The launch email goes out as a newsletter to confirmed subscribers, sent from OneCraft's address with the site's name, up to 500 people at a time with an unsubscribe link.
Questions people ask
How long should a waitlist stay open before launch?
Most work best over weeks or a few months. Long enough to gather a list and test messages, short enough that people still remember joining. If the launch moves, email the list with the new date and one real update. A list that hears nothing for six months behaves like a cold list, with lower opens and more unsubscribes.
Can I email everyone on my waitlist when I launch?
Only people who agreed to hear from you. Australia's Spam Act and the UK's electronic marketing rules expect consent, a clear sender and a working unsubscribe link. A tick box on the join form saying you will email them at launch covers the expected message. Do not add waitlist emails to unrelated marketing lists.
Should a waitlist page show how many people have joined?
Showing a total can build confidence once the number is meaningful, and showing each person their own position makes referrals worth doing. Avoid a public counter in the first days when the number is small, and never inflate it. A fake number is easy to spot when positions jump and damages trust before launch.
What should I send people while they wait?
Short, real updates: a screenshot of progress, a decision you made because of their feedback, or the date the first invites go out. One email a month is enough for most launches. Each one can remind people of their referral link. Avoid sending sales offers to a list that signed up only to be told about the launch.
Should early waitlist members get a discount?
It is a common reward and it turns interest into a first sale, but keep it simple and time limited, such as a launch price for the first month or a founding member rate. State it on the waitlist page from the start so the offer is part of what people signed up for, not a surprise later.
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Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .