You’re brilliant. Not only have you got a new product or service that’s just right for your customers, but you’ve also planned a full waitlist funnel strategy with all the right elements –
- Irresistible lead magnet
- Gorgeous landing page that leads clearly in one direction
- Personalised nurture emails for your different audience segments
- Key metrics identified and ready to impart invaluable insights
Your audiences are going to slide straight down your waitlist funnel and into the shopping basket so fast!
But first, they need to know it exists! You need to get your waitlist in front of as many eyes as possible. Wherever your audience is hanging out online, your waitlist needs to be there too. Let’s prepare to post some awesome social media content that gets your waitlist over-subscribed.
*Gladiators announcer voice* ‘Product ready! Audience ready! 3…2…1…!” *whistle*
And down your waitlist funnel they fly!
Benefits of setting up a waitlist for launching a new service or product
Wouldn’t it be great to know – not hope – that your new product or service is exactly what your customers want to buy? A waitlist is one way to gladiator-level confidence.
The main benefits of using a waitlist for your launch are:
- Pre-qualify those leads: A waitlist funnel sieves your leads, so only those that are most likely to convert get through.
- Product-market fit perfection: Use all that lovely waitlist data to finely tune the details of your product or service – before launch day.
- Razzle-dazzle ‘em: Aim for ‘5-year-old on Christmas Eve’ levels of excitement. Pluck those heartstrings, play on the delayed gratification, and wax lyrical about how your shiny new thing is exciting to your audience (not just you!).
- Belonging to your ‘in-crowd’: Show them the benefits of being on the waitlist with an exclusive ‘something’. And keep the VIP experience going through the whole waitlist funnel.
- Money, money, money: A waitlist strategy saves you money and mitigates financial risk during various stages of the launch process. Waitlist insights prevent you from investing in an untested, unconfirmed market.
You’ve created a way to build a sense of anticipation and exclusivity, pre-qualify your leads, get invaluable feedback, save money, and deliver a seamless launch experience.
Now you just need to shout about it! Here’s a few ideas to get more sign ups to your waitlist through social media.
Teasers and sneak peek social posts
Time to build the hype for your new product and service… getting people invested and primed to buy!
Behind-the-scenes content
People love to feel that they’ve been allowed to see behind the curtain and have a nosy at something not everyone’s privy to. It’s a great way to make your audience feel like they’re part of the creative process with you – to connect with them at a human level – and build excitement in the run-up to launch day.
You can create all kinds of ‘behind-the-scenes’ content, depending on your business type and the new product or service you’re launching. Photos and videos are the perfect mediums to share your backstage stories.
We’re real people
Show your team, or you – if you’re a lone superhero business person. You can do this through a range of post types…
- At work: Your team working on the new service or product
- At play: People having fun at a work social, or cool training day
- Your ‘why’ story: Why you started the business, why you’re making this new thing
- Answering customer questions: What is your audience asking about the new product or service? For example, what do you love/hate most about CRMs? What flavour do you wish we made?
- Customer reactions: Show your team’s reaction to seeing the prototype for the first time in a candid video
Bonus points if pets feature!
Why behind-the-scenes content works
The actual physical process of how you design, build and manufacture your product or service. Jaeger-LeCoultre does this brilliantly, with short videos of their master craftspeople at work with their impossibly tiny tools, building the most beautiful watches. Like this one, displaying the artistry involved in creating their new Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel – how they colour the face is unexpected!
OK, I’ll show you just a little bit
An actual sneak peek at part of your new product or service is a great way to keep the excitement bubbling.
- Show them the fabric colour of your new dress design
- Reveal just the dashboard of your new car model
- Let them hear just one song from the new album
It’s all about ‘just’. Just that one element is an irresistible joy to your fans. Especially when they’re the first – or only – people to get it.
And of course, they’ll be clamouring to get onto your waitlist so they get more tantalising tidbits and be first in the queue on launch day.
Countdowns
Creating a sense of urgency is a tried and tested way to generate enthusiasm for a new ‘thing’. Especially as launch day gets closer, you can tempt more people to sign up with posts like: ‘Only 3 days left to get a first look at our new collection. 25% off first purchases for all waitlist subscribers.’
You can even add a countdown timer to your waitlist scorecard, to nudge any waverers over the line.
Testimonials and reviews to increase credibility
It’s well known that social proof boosts your credibility and leads to more sales. With 92% of consumers trusting online reviews, adding them to your social media posting strategy is an absolute must.
If you’ve used beta testers or sent samples to some lucky early users – share their feedback. If you haven’t gone down that route, share other stories about how you’ve helped people in a more general sense, as they still paint a picture of your character and value.
User testimonials
Not every industry lends itself to the ‘Wow!’ unboxing moment. But hearing how another customer has benefited from a new product or service is a major stamp of approval. Their experience increases your credibility because they’re in the same position as your prospective customers – looking to solve the same problem. And they immediately want to join the waitlist so they can get the same, proven solution.
Case studies
Use all that lovely data to create mini case studies that give statistical evidence to support how great your new product or service is going to be for your customers.
You can focus on an individual business: ‘See how ACME boosted their lead generation by 30% in one month with our new software. Sign up to the waitlist to get 50% off your first 6-month subscription.’
Or you can aggregate the data, with a more general ‘50% of businesses who adopted our new software boosted their lead generation by 30% – the rest grew by 40%! Join the waitlist to get early access.’
To add depth to your case studies, add quotes from a few of your early adopters or testers, so subscribers really feel the benefits. Or if you’ve worked with people in a different way before and it spurred you on to launch this new, adapted service, explain that!
(Bonus tip: You’ve got original research data here – make sure you make the most of it! Hello downloadable report, blog, podcast interview!)
Interactive social post ideas for your waitlist
Social media users love anything that gets them involved in the process and adds a layer of gamification which gets people invested and enjoying your content even more!
Polls and surveys
People go on social media to share their own opinions – as well as listen to others’ (sometimes!). So make it easy for them to talk about you.
Most platforms make it really easy to create a quick survey poll – boosting your engagement, increasing waitlist subscribers, and adding to your treasure trove of data.
For a new flavour of ice cream, this could be as simple as:
Which of our new ice cream flavours do you think will be the most delicious?
- Basil
- Coriander
- Rosemary
- None, ew!
Think how useful an indication this is for your production team!
If you’re introducing yourself to a brand new audience segment and don’t know much about them yet, you can use a ScoreApp survey to ask more open-ended questions like:
- What feature are you most excited about?
- On a scale of 1-10, how useful would (your new thing) be to you right now?
- How much are you prepared to pay for a tub of our yummy new rosemary ice cream?
Of course, the invitation to join your waitlist and ‘be the first to try it’ is the key to maximising the value of any social media poll or survey.
Quizzes
ScoreApp is the perfect tool to create a social media quiz that ties to your new product or service. Personality quizzes often make the scrolling come to a screeching halt because people like things that are about them!
For example, the slew of ‘Which Barbie Are You? quizzes, like this one from the Victoria and Albert Museum’ that accompanied the release of the film.
Replace ‘Barbie’ with your product or service, with a series of carefully crafted questions and the invitation to join the waitlist. Quizzes are incredibly shareable on social media because they give each user a result – something concrete to share and compare with tagged friends or communities.
Use social media influencers and partnerships to get more waitlist sign-ups
Get more eyeballs on your posts by partnering with other creators who have a large audience.
Influencer collaborations
An increasing number of businesses are working with influencers at different levels, from micro-influencers to the super-famous. Have you found someone that’s a perfect match for your product, service, or brand?
Like Lucy Edwards’ (#HowDoesABlindGirl) collaboration with Pantene working on more accessible packaging for their Silky and Glowing range. And focusing the shampoo-buying audience’s attention – not just on how their hair looks – but how it feels, when you use the right product.
Launching a new product or service is what this kind of business relationship is made for! It’s so easy for the individuals already invested in a business partnership to promote your waitlist.
For example: ‘I’ve just joined the waitlist for Pantene’s new leave-in conditioner, so you should too! They’ve let me take a peek and it smells divine. Link in my bio to sign up now.’
These are lovely, mutually beneficial relationships with plenty of opportunity for both parties to ‘big up’ the other. So get in their inbox/DMs and ask your influencer friends to join and share your waitlist. You’ll do the same for them!
Cross-promotions
Another version of this is cross-selling with complementary brands. Like a partnership between a chain of gyms and a fitness wear company. The gym promotes the waitlist for a new line of sports bras, and the fitness wear company promotes the waitlist for the new sports coach packages.
Worded along the lines of: ‘We’re teaming up with our brand partners to give you exclusive early access to their brand new line of sports bras. Join our waitlist now and get an early bird discount of 20%.’
Brands are also forging partnerships based around shared ethics and purpose – uniting communities with similarly shared ideals. A great example of this is Ben and Jerry’s collaboration with Tony’s Chocoloney.
Both of these companies have a solid reputation for embedding fair business ethics into their everyday practice. In 2022, Ben and Jerry’s joined Tony Chocoloney’s mission to end modern slavery in cocoa farming. They both created new ice cream and chocolate inspired by the flavours of each other’s products. Sharing these creations with both audiences, who were already committed to their brand values as individual companies, meant they now have two guilt-free, ethically sourced, delicious sweet treats to choose from!
Collaborations and influencer connections instantly multiply the audience of both parties involved. But you also get on the fast track to their audience’s trust because it’s a recommendation from a person or brand they already know. Quite the edge over the competition!
Host giveaways and competitions
Who doesn’t love a chance to feel like you’ve beaten the system? Competitions and giveaways are popular for a reason…
Waitlist giveaways
Running a giveaway competition, where joining your waitlist is a condition for entry, is another way to tempt subscribers. Add some razzamatazz to proceedings by doing this during a live video.
For example: ‘Join our waitlist for 20% off your first shoe purchase AND also a chance to win a free matching bag. Comment and share for extra entries.’
Great for engagement, subscribers and spreading the word. And a bit of fun for you.
Referral contests or perks
Encourage your audience to refer your waitlist to their friends, with a chance for both to win a prize. More referrals mean more chances of winning. What’s not to like?
Top tips to generate more waiting list engagement on social media
- Community engagement: Talk to your audience in the comments, DMs and stories. Don’t leave them hanging: answer questions, thank them for support, have a laugh. Active engagement on your main social media channels is crucial to the success of your waitlist campaign because it creates an immediate connection with your audience.
- User-generated content: Make sure you ask followers to tag you and use the (right!) campaign hashtag when they’re talking about you. Seeing their genuine excitement is hugely gratifying, and is a powerful way to attract new subscribers.
- Clear CTAs: Use strong, clear CTAs in your posts. Put the ‘Join the waitlist’ link in primary positions.
- Story highlights: Create a story highlight dedicated to the waitlist sign-up so they’re the first thing your followers see when they land on your profile.
- Make the most of each platform: LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok – they all have their own rules and formats. Make sure your waitlist social media strategy includes tailoring posts to be the ‘best type’ for each platform.
- Don’t forget your bios: Get the link to your waitlist in your bios – this showcases its importance and makes it super-easy to find. Make sure this is your personal accounts, not just business ones, for greater reach.
Drive people to your ScoreApp waitlist through social media
Now you’ve got a load of different ideas for using social media to over-subscribe your waitlist. Cherry-pick the best ones for your audience and don’t stop shouting about it!
ScoreApp makes it incredibly easy to create full waitlist funnels for jet-powered launches. You can quickly build multiple waitlists that target your different audience segments – making your user experience the best in your business.
And if you haven’t sorted your waitlist funnel yet? Create your first ScoreApp waitlist today – for free!
