When to Presell & When to Open a Waitlist

Before I get into my opinions...let's define terms, friend. 

A pre-sell is when you sell an offer before the content or deliverables are ready. Always disclose that the content isn't ready yet, and when they'll be available. Often includes a discount or special bonus.

A waitlist is when people sign up to show interest in an upcoming offer, because they want to know when it's available. It's free to join a waitlist, and often there are perks like first chance to buy, a special discount, etc. 

M'kay...strong opinion time, friend. 😉

I've always been a VOCAL fan of pre-selling. It's how I do things, and it works for my brain. I always include an intake form in my pre-sell, inside the MemberVault product, so that I can nurture my early buyers, and get insights.

When you pre-sell, you don't waste time creating an offer your people won't buy...because you have an instant "will people pay for this?" test. This is why I was always BOO HISS about waitlists, and also because cash up front is a good thing for your business' cash flow.

I also like the energy of co-creating the content with people who are excited for the thing they bought early access to.

HOW TO BUILD THIS: 

It's easy to pre-sell using MV -- make your product date drip. Keep it turned to invisible until you're ready to share it. The modules where you'll add the paid content should be set to the date when the product will be ready. 

For the intake form piece -- create the first module/lesson with quiz questions (I usually do 90% multiple choice, and one "why did you buy now" essay question). The date drip for that module can be set for the day before you start promoting so that buyers get instant access to it. 

Check out the Fill in the Blanks product template to see a quiz question only module/lesson in action. Or see some quiz question examples here.

BUT, friend... 

I've gotta say, I was 2xing this episode about his plan for growth in 2025 from Jay Clouse this weekend...and it made me go "hmmmm..." 🤔

My issue with waitlists in the past is that they are: 

➡️ generally pretty lackluster, with no nurture or insights in place

➡️ they drag on...sometimes with the product not being created for AWHILE

So you end up with zombies. You're all like "I have 883 people on my waitlist, this thing is gonna sell like HOT CAKES!!!!!". 

And then when you release it 3 months later, after sending NO nurture emails, the people on the waitlist are like "huh? what's dis? *unsubscribe*". 

Obviously that's an extreme example, but I've seen it enough times to know it's the COMMON default for a waitlist. But after listening to Jay, and how he uses a waitlist as he builds up anticipation about a new product, I'm like..."ok, ok, okkkk this isn't bad!". 

Essentially you talk up your offer over an extended period, with the waitlist available for people who are interested, and you build up anticipation. There absolutely should be perks for getting ON the waitlist, and then once your offer is available for purchase, those waitlist peeps get a special perk for buying. 👌

I like it enough I might try it for my next experiment. 🤷‍♀️

HOW TO BUILD THIS: 

You can use our Offer feature for your waitlist, or go with the "Waitlist using a freebie" product template so you can use quiz questions for insights about people joining and ALSO nurture them. The product template includes a welcome email template.

I'd also be sure to showcase the waitlist link in your announcement bar.

If you'd asked me a week ago whether you should do a pre-sell or a waitlist, friend, I would have said pre-sell ALL THE WAY (and it's still my go-to). 

But I'm softening my stance on waitlists...now I'd say, it can absolutely make sense...when done right!  

OTHER POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

• How to use the presale your offer product template
• How to set up a dripped product
• What is MV's offer feature?

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