# Waitlist Landing Copy Blocks

**SKU:** `waitlist-copy`  
**Price:** $9 USD, paid in USDC on Base  
**Format:** Copy-paste landing blocks + when to use a waitlist at all  
**Audience:** US indie hackers collecting emails before a small paid product exists  
**Promise:** A waitlist page that states the job, the not-for, and the honest status — not fake scarcity.

A waitlist is not revenue. Do not print “500 founders waiting” unless you can export the list.

## 0. Should you even run a waitlist?

Run one only if **two** are true:

1. You cannot take money today (product not deliverable in 7 days).
2. You have a **specific** next email you will send (date + artifact).

If you can deliver this week, sell. If you will not email them, do not collect.

**Kill criteria:** if 14 days pass with no email, delete the form or send a “I’m late; here’s the file/link or you’re free to drop off” note.

## 1. Page structure (keep it short)

1. Headline (job + who)
2. Subhead (what they will receive, and when)
3. Not for
4. What exists today (honest)
5. Form (email + one optional qualifier)
6. Privacy line
7. Founder line (name, US city optional, no fake team)

## 2. Headlines (pick one, then rewrite in your words)

Replace brackets. Do not stack two headlines.

1. `A [ARTIFACT] for [WHO] who still [WORKAROUND].`
2. `Stop rebuilding [JOB] the night before you launch.`
3. `[WHO]: get [OUTCOME] without [HATED TOOL].`
4. `I’m writing [PRODUCT]. It’s for [WHO]. It is not a [CATEGORY THEY DON’T WANT].`
5. `When [TRIGGER], you should already have [ARTIFACT].`

## 3. Subheads

1. `Join the list. I’ll email you on [DATE] with [ARTIFACT OR PRIVATE LINK]. No drip. No partner swaps.`
2. `I’m not taking payment until [CONDITION]. The list is so I know whether to finish this.`
3. `You’ll get one email when the file is buyable, and a second only if you buy and need the download.`

## 4. “Not for” blocks (required)

1. `Not for agencies that need white-label and a Slack channel.`
2. `Not for people who want a course, a community, or accountability.`
3. `Not for [OTHER CATEGORY]. If that’s you, don’t join — I won’t build it.`

## 5. Honest status blocks (pick the true one)

**A. Notes exist, file does not**  
`Today: a public build log and a messy outline. Not buyable. If that is useless to you, don’t join.`

**B. File exists, checkout does not**  
`Today: I can email the draft to testers. Checkout ships [DATE] if testers finish it.`

**C. You are validating demand only**  
`If fewer than [N] people join by [DATE], I will kill this and email you that I killed it.`

Never use a status you cannot screenshot.

## 6. Form microcopy

**Label:** `Work email`  
**Button:** `Email me when it’s buyable`  
**Optional qualifier (dropdown or one-line):** `What are you shipping? (SaaS / digital file / service / other)`  
**Success:** `You’re on the list. Next email: [DATE] or “I killed it.”`  
**Error:** `That email bounced. Try another.`

Do not ask for a phone number. Do not add “share on X to skip the line.”

## 7. Privacy line (plain English)

```
I store your email to tell you when [PRODUCT] is buyable or killed.
I will not sell the list, add you to a newsletter you didn’t ask for, or CC a sponsor.
Unsubscribe: reply “stop” or use the link in the email.
```

## 8. Founder line

```
I’m [NAME], a US indie hacker in [CITY, STATE]. I ship [WHAT YOU ALREADY SHIPPED].
This waitlist is for [PRODUCT] only.
```

If you do not want a city, omit it. Do not invent a studio name with “labs / hq / global.”

## 9. Emails you owe the list (write them now)

**Email 1 — confirm (send immediately)**

```
Subject: You’re on the [PRODUCT] list

You asked to hear when [PRODUCT] is buyable or killed.
Next planned email: [DATE].
If this was a mistake, reply “stop.”
```

**Email 2 — still building (only if you miss the date)**

```
Subject: [PRODUCT] is late

I said [DATE]. I missed it. New date: [DATE2].
If you want off, reply “stop.” I will not send a sequence in between.
```

**Email 3 — buyable**

```
Subject: [PRODUCT] is $[PRICE]

It’s a [FILE]. Job: [JOB].
Pay: [RAIL]. Link: [URL]
If you join and don’t buy, you won’t get more mail from this list.
```

**Email 4 — killed**

```
Subject: I killed [PRODUCT]

Not enough signal / I don’t want to maintain it. You’re not on any other list.
Thanks for the email.
```

## 10. Full landing draft (assemble)

```
[HEADLINE]

[SUBHEAD]

Not for: [NOT FOR]

Status: [HONEST STATUS]

[FORM]

[PRIVACY]

[FOUNDER]
```

## 11. Worked example (fictional)

Product working title: **Deploy Notes** — a one-page pre-deploy checklist for US indie hackers who ship on Vercel/Fly and still paste commands from old Slack messages.

```
A pre-deploy checklist for solo US hackers who still paste commands from last quarter’s Slack.

Join the list. I’ll email you on Oct 6 with a buyable markdown file or a “I killed it” note. No drip. No partner swaps.

Not for: teams that need SOC2 language, staging matrices, or a consultant on call.

Status: Today: a public outline and three checklists I use on my own deploys. Not buyable.

[Work email] [Email me when it’s buyable]
Optional: What do you deploy? (SaaS / static site / other)

I store your email to tell you when Deploy Notes is buyable or killed. I will not sell the list.

I’m Maya, a US indie hacker in Austin, TX. I ship a small uptime ping tool. This waitlist is for Deploy Notes only.
```

(Maya and Deploy Notes are fictional. Do not copy as social proof.)

## 12. Done definition

- [ ] You passed the “should you waitlist” test
- [ ] Headline names who + job
- [ ] Not-for is on the page
- [ ] Status is screenshot-true
- [ ] Four emails are written **before** the form goes live
- [ ] Kill date is on your calendar