Build the Waitlist Before You Build the MVP
Jayen Ashar · 2 min read
Before building an MVP, put up a landing page with a waitlist, run ads to it and charge a dollar to join. If you can’t get a hundred people to sign up, you’ve saved yourself the cost of the build.
Landing page first
Put up a landing page that explains what you’re building, with a waitlist to join. Then run ads to drive traffic to it. That’s the first step, and it happens before the build.
Charge a dollar
A dollar to get on the waitlist, just something so you know you’re at least screening somewhat serious people.— me, on a call with a founder
A free sign-up tells you someone was curious. A dollar tells you they wanted it enough to pay something.
Know when to stop
If you can’t even get a hundred people for the waitlist, cut your losses and save your time.— me, same call
If the idea can’t clear that bar, that’s your answer, and it cost you a landing page instead of a build.
What founders should take from this
- Build the landing page and waitlist before the product. Use ads to send people to it.
- Put a small price on joining. Even a dollar separates serious people from the curious.
- Set your bar before you start. No hundred people, no build.
The waitlist isn’t a delay to the MVP. It’s how you find out whether to build one.
More from the blog
- Nobody Is Going to Steal Your Startup Idea
- Sometimes Scope Creep Means the Project Is Working
- You Can Monitor Off-Platform Messages, but You Can’t Enforce Them