How to Pre-Sell or Create a Waitlist for a Digital Product

Want to start selling before your offer is ready? Pre-selling or building a waitlist is a powerful way to validate demand, build hype, and give yourself a little breathing room while you finish things up.

📹 Before You Start: Watch This Video!

Get a quick breakdown of how to use a Lead Magnet to collect email addresses from customers who want early access.

Once your product is ready, you can send them a launch email and start making sales right away! You can email your list through any email marketing tool — or make things even easier by using Email Flows directly inside Stan.

👀 Set Up a Lead Magnet to Collect Interest

Before you sell, start by gathering emails from people who are already excited about what you’re working on. This gives you a list of warm leads ready to buy when you launch.

Here’s how:

1. Go to your Stan store and navigate to the Landing Pages tab
2. Click + Add Landing Page and select Collect Emails / Applications. 💡 Remember, Landing Pages are not publicly facing, but you can share the direct URL anywhere you'd like!

3. Give it a compelling name — try something like:

   “🎓 Join the Waitlist for My Upcoming Course!”

4. Add a product description that lets people know exactly what they’re signing up for, like:

   “Ready to transform your body and your life? Join the waitlist for My Fitness Course now and embark on a fitness journey like no other. Your future self will thank you!”

📣 Announce Your Pre-Sale and Start Teasing the Launch

Now that you’ve got your waitlist in place, it’s time to get your audience excited.

• Share sneak peeks or behind-the-scenes of you creating the product
• Mention it in your Stories, Reels, and pinned posts
• Add it to your Link in Bio

Use language that builds anticipation and urgency:

“Spots open this Friday at 10am — limited access!”

“Early-bird pricing for 24 hours only — join the waitlist to save your spot!”

🛠️ Create and Set Your Product to Draft Mode

The beauty of Stan? You don’t need to have your entire product finished before you start getting things set up. Draft Mode lets you build your product behind the scenes and save your progress as you go — no pressure to publish until you’re ready.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Go to your Stan store
2. Click + Add Product
3. Choose your product type (e.g., eCourse, Digital Download, Webinar, etc.)
4. Add a strong title and a clear description of what buyers can expect
5. Leave your product in Draft Mode — this means it’s only visible to you while you build and refine it

🎓 Pre-Sale for Courses

If you’re launching a Course Product, you can start selling now and release content later. Here’s how:

1. Go to your Course settings and toggle each module to Draft Mode until it’s ready to go live.

2. Once your course is published, people can purchase — but they’ll only see the Course Home page until the modules are published.
3. When you’re ready, publish each module and send your students an email letting them know new content just dropped! 🚀

📬 Launch to Your Waitlist When You’re Ready

Now it’s time to convert your waitlisters into paying customers! You’ve been warming them up — now let’s get them in the door:

• Use Email Flows to automatically notify them when the product is live
• Or send a Broadcast email to announce your official launch
• Stanley can write everything — just ask: “Can you write a launch email for my new [product name]?”

Make sure your email includes:

• A clear headline
• A quick breakdown of the value they’ll get
• A call to action with a direct link to buy now

🔥 Want to drive urgency?

Offer early-bird pricing or a limited-time bonus for the first 24 hours. It boosts conversions and gives your biggest supporters a reason to act fast!

You don’t need everything perfect — you just need to start. With Stan, you’ve got the tools, the support, and the community to build something amazing.

Start small, keep showing up, and let Stanley help along the way. You’ve got this 💜