You're launching something new and need buzz
Let people join a waitlist and jump the line by inviting friends. Creates urgency and organic sharing.
When to use
You're launching something new (product, major feature, beta) and want to build a list before launch.
Hypothesis template
If we create a waitlist where each referral moves users [X] spots up, we'll get [target] signups because position-based incentives drive sharing.
Method
The problem: You're about to launch a new product or feature but have no audience to launch to.
What Robinhood did: Pre-launch waitlist where referring friends moved you up in line. People who referred 3+ friends got early access.
The result: Robinhood got 1 million signups before launch. The waitlist itself became the marketing campaign.
How to do it:
- Create a simple landing page with email capture and waitlist position
- After signup, show: "You're #[position]. Share your link to move up."
- Give a unique referral link to each person
- Each referral moves them up 10-50 spots
- At certain thresholds, unlock rewards: 3 referrals = early access, 5 = bonus feature
- Send weekly updates: "You're now #[position]. [X] people behind you."
Key insight: The position number creates urgency. "You're #847 — refer 3 friends to unlock early access" is more compelling than any discount.
Success metrics
- •Waitlist signups
- •Referral rate
- •Viral coefficient
- •Average referrals per person
Prerequisites
- A landing page with email capture
- Referral tracking (Viral Loops, Waitlist.me, or custom)
- Something worth waiting for
Common pitfalls
- •Having nothing interesting to launch (the waitlist needs a real hook)
- •Making the wait too long (launch within 4-8 weeks)
- •Not communicating with the waitlist
- •Letting everyone in at once instead of staggered access
Source: Robinhood. Referral waitlist generated 1 million signups before launch.
Suggested ICE scores
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