Grow a Pre-Launch Waitlist by Building in Public

Grow a Pre-Launch Waitlist by Building in Public is a social & short-form tactic for getting your first users: He built a 200+ person waitlist mostly by sharing ongoing development updates on Twitter/X and LinkedIn as he built the product.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS teams, and works especially well for indie SaaS, solo founders. As a social & short-form play, plan for medium effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Social & short-formMedium effortSlow

Why does social & short-form work for this?

People who watched you build feel invested and convert far better than cold traffic at launch.

The exact steps (5)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

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Sources

Works for

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Grow a Pre-Launch Waitlist by Building in Public" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Grow a Pre-Launch Waitlist by Building in Public" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 1 primary source — a real founder write-up or interview, not generic advice. It is linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original account yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is medium effort, and results tend to be slow.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Source — IndieHackers, is in the paid library.

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