Hey - it’s Fiona

I don’t know about you, but it’s been a hectic start to the year for me! Interest in designing and building marketplaces is soaring, and I’ve been receiving a wave of new client inquiries.

While many founders have a clear vision for their marketplace and a long wishlist of features, few put the same thought into their launch strategy. That’s why in today’s issue, I’m covering:

• The secret to a successful marketplace launch

• Top tips for building a high-converting waitlist

• Three exceptional waitlist designs for inspiration

What is the secret to a successful launch?

Thinking about building a marketplace but not sure where to start? A waiting list might be your perfect first step. It's low-risk, builds momentum, and helps validate your idea before you invest significant time and resources.

What is a waiting list?

A waiting list is a simple way to collect contact information from people interested in your product before it launches. But it can also be much more…

A waiting list is your first community, your validation tool, and your initial feedback loop.

Why build a waiting list?

Building a waiting list gives you three key advantages: First, it validates demand for your idea. If people sign up, you're onto something. Second, it creates a pool of early adopters who can provide feedback and become your first users. Third, it builds anticipation and momentum for your launch.

Don't wait until your product is perfect. Start gathering interest while you build. Here are my top tips for building a waiting list:

Take action

Your waiting list doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to exist. Each signup is validation that you're solving a real problem, and each subscriber is a potential early user who can help shape your product.

Start today! Pick your tools, craft your message, and push your landing page live. Your future users are waiting to hear from you.

—> ✉️ Reply with your questions and I’ll answer them in a future issue.

Three exceptional waiting lists

An effective waiting list does more than collect emails. It creates anticipation, builds a sense of exclusivity, and sets the tone for your brand. Below are some of my favourite examples of waiting lists that have mastered the art of engagement, clear messaging, and creativity.

While these examples aren’t specific to marketplaces, looking beyond your own industry can often spark fresh ideas and unique approaches.

Robinhood

Did you know that Robinhood's early waitlist page became a textbook example of viral growth through smart design?

I believe it was down to these key factors:

1. Clear value proposition: The messaging on the landing page immediately communicated the product's core benefit. This direct comparison to traditional brokers immediately highlighted the disruptive benefit.

2. Gamification & FOMO: The waitlist system showed users their exact position in line and incentivised referrals to move up. Seeing a growing queue in the hundreds of thousands created transparency, urgency, and FOMO.

3. Social proof & momentum – As the waitlist grew into the hundreds of thousands, it validated Robinhood’s desirability. Seeing so many others ahead in line reinforced the idea that this was something worth getting early access to.

The clever combination of a strong value proposition, gamified referrals and social proof helped Robinhood build a waitlist of over 1 million users before launch. 🚀

Superhuman

One of the best waitlist designs in recent years was Superhuman’s invite-only onboarding system.

1. Exclusivity & scarcity – Superhuman positioned itself as “the fastest email experience ever,” but you couldn’t just sign up… You had to apply and join a curated waitlist. This made it feel premium and desirable.

2. Personalised onboarding – Instead of the regular (and boring) sign-up process that you usually have to go through, users were manually onboarded through a 1:1 video calls. This added friction, but it ensured users truly understood the product’s value.

3. Referral-driven growth – After users got access, they were encouraged to invite others, turning the waitlist into a viral loop. People wanted in because their peers were raving about it.

And it worked! I very distinctly a few of my colleagues raving about how “great” it was, trying to encourage the rest of us to sign up.

So to summarise, Superhuman didn’t just collect emails… it built anticipation, positioned itself as exclusive, and ensured new users had an exceptional first experience.

Would this kind of high-touch onboarding work for your marketplace?

Notion AI

Finally, I wanted to share Notion AI’s waitlist with you. It’s a little different because their waitlist was for an additional feature within an existing product - their AI tool.

Notion AI's waitlist page showcased the power of simplicity and brand leverage. With the succinct value proposition, the page immediately communicated its purpose while building on Notion's existing reputation as a productivity tool.

The design maintained Notion's minimalist aesthetic, featuring a clean interface with a single signup field that reduced friction for potential users. Rather than relying on flashy promises, Notion positioned AI as a natural evolution of their trusted platform.

This approach from Notion shows how established products can introduce new features through waitlists while maintaining their core brand identity.

Further reading

If you’re at the idea stage of building a marketplace, I hope these tips have given you the confidence to take that first step and start building a waiting list.

If you're eager to dive deeper into the art of creating an effective waiting list, here are some excellent resources I've found online:

—> ✉️ Send me your favourite tools and I’ll feature them here. 

Fiona Burns

Find me on LinkedIn or Book a 1:1 call

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