Hey there,
I overheard something at a networking event last week that made me want to intervene: "I have people on a waitlist. I'm waiting to contact them until the membership goes live."
My internal reaction? *scream* Please don't do this to your people!
I get the logic. You have excited potential customers, but nothing to give them yet. So you'll wait until everything's ready, then tell them they can buy. Makes sense, right?
Except this approach is why so many launches fail spectacularly.
Here's what actually happens: You ignore your waitlist for weeks or months while you build. You're starving them of communication and attention. Then when you finally throw open the doors with your shiny new membership, you're shocked to find... crickets.
Those excited people? They forgot about you. They found someone else who actually talked to them. They moved on.
It's not that your membership is wrong. It's that you treated your most interested people like they didn't matter until you were ready to take their money.
Quick gut check: When was the last time you contacted your waitlist?
Remember your first crush? They were so cute you couldn't help but giggle when they sat next to you.
Now imagine they sent you a letter. (Yes, a letter.)
You rush to your room. Open it carefully. Read it once. Then again. You analyze the ink, look at their signature, carry it everywhere. You basically want to get it laminated.
Did they share anything earth-shattering in the letter? Hell no!
They told you about their day, their dog, how they thought of you when they saw a pepperoni pizza.
Big news? Not at all.
Did you love it anyway? Absolutely.
That's how your waitlist feels about you right now. They're excited. They want to hear from you. And it doesn't have to be groundbreaking news.
Here's what you could share while building your membership:
The goal isn't to sell them anything yet. The goal is to keep the relationship warm so when you're ready to launch, they're still there and still excited.
When you nurture your waitlist consistently, launch day looks completely different. Instead of hoping people remember you exist, you're opening doors to people who've been watching you build and can't wait to get inside.
They're primed. They're ready. They click buy because they've been on this journey with you the whole time.
That's the difference between a launch that fizzles and one that flies.
Your waitlist isn't a list of email addresses to ignore until you need something. It's a group of people who raised their hands and said "I'm interested in what you're building." Treat them like the valuable humans they are.
Stay curious!
P.S. If you're sitting on a neglected waitlist right now, it's not too late. Send them an email today. Tell them what you're working on. Ask them a question. Remind them why they signed up in the first place. You'll be surprised how many people are still there, still waiting, still hoping you'll remember them.
And if that task feels like something you don't want to do alone, I help clients build systems for their email marketing so that their audience feels seen and supported and ready for their launch.