Waitlist welcome email template you can copy

When to send it

The moment someone joins. They have just handed you their address, and a quick, human answer tells them it worked and that a person is on the other end. Silence for weeks is how waitlists go cold.

The email does three things: confirms they are on the list, says what happens next, and asks one question.

The email

Subject: You're on the [Product] waitlist

Hi {{first_name}},

Thanks for joining the waitlist for [Product]. I'm Sam, and I'm building it.

[Product] will [what it does, in one line]. Right now I'm [where you are: still building / letting people in a few at a time], and I will email you when [what they are waiting for].

Between now and then I will not write much. When I do, it will be [what to expect: build updates / early access / a date].

One question: what are you hoping to use [Product] for? A line is plenty. Reply to this email.

Sam

Two variations

When you do not have a date. Say so, because it is better than guessing:

Subject: You're on the list

You're on the waitlist for [Product]. I do not have a date yet, and I would rather tell you that than make one up. You will hear from me when I do.

In the meantime, what made you sign up? Reply to this email and tell me in a line.

Sam

When you are letting people in soon.

Subject: You're on the list for [Product]

You're on the list. I'm opening [Product] to people in small groups over the next [few weeks], and I'll write the day it's your turn. If there is something you need it to do before you try it, tell me. Reply to this email.

Sam

What to avoid

• Promises you do not control. A launch date you may miss is worse than no date.
• Fake scarcity. "Exclusive" and "limited spots" read as marketing, and people can tell.
• Silence. If the next email is months away, the welcome should say so.
• Putting them on a newsletter they did not ask for. They joined a waitlist. Send waitlist emails, not everything else you write.
• A long form back. One question, answered by reply.

How Kicklace sends it

On your Lifecycle map, a waitlist is a list, and a list has a welcome email that goes the moment somebody joins. On an empty list, Write it for me writes the welcome for you, in your voice, and you change whatever you like.

People join through a form on your site that Kicklace hears, a form Kicklace hosts for you (Your website and its forms has the steps), or an import. Every sign-up keeps the exact sentence the person agreed to, word for word, with the day, and a sign-up without that sentence is refused. Every list email says why the person is getting it and carries an unsubscribe link that is theirs alone. List email also carries your postal address, which you set once under Settings, Styles.

Nothing sends until you switch it on. You can send yourself a test first. Replies go to your own email address, and Kicklace never answers one by itself. See waitlist emails for the rest of the shape, and the product update email template for what to send once you have news. The demo shows a list on your own site, and pricing has the plans.

FAQ

How soon should a waitlist welcome email go out?

Right away. The point is to confirm they are on the list while they still have the page open.

Should I put their place in line?

Only if it is real. A made-up number is worse than none. If you can say it truthfully, it is a nice touch. If not, say what happens next instead.

How often should I email a waitlist after the welcome?

As often as you have something true to say, and no more. A short note when something moves keeps a waitlist warm. Write to them on a schedule only if you have the news to fill it.