I think it says a lot about a restaurant that only accepts reservations.
The food or atmosphere is so good that you can only eat there if you reserve a seat first.
No walk-ins welcome there.
I should know…last summer, I thought it would be a good idea to go to this "happening" burger spot one day for lunch.
[Do people say "happening" anymore?]
I didn't realize before going that they operated on reservations only.
That meant I could wait around for hours in case someone didn't show – or I could leave.
When I'm hungry, I'm hungry. So, I left and found somewhere else to get my burger fix that day.
A waitlist for your course does the same thing as a reservation at a restaurant…
It's a way your audience can guarantee they'll be the first to hear that the doors are "open," and their seat is ready.
It's also a way for you to gauge interest in the course or program you'll be offering - before you spend tons of time creating content and resources to go along with it.
How does a waitlist work?
A waitlist is basically a list of people who said they are interested in enrolling in your course or membership program once it opens.
How do you find these people?
You can gather this information by creating a waitlist page on your website (or the front page of your course). This page should include:
The name of your course.
A mention of the person this course is for.
A simple list of the ways this course or program will help the person signing up.
What's included in the course (modules, downloads, calls with you, etc.).
A form that includes an area for anyone interested to give you their name and email address.
A waitlist page doesn't work for every type of course or program out there. It's really only valuable if you open enrollment sporadically throughout the year. If your course is always open for student enrollment, you wouldn't need a waitlist.
So, people have joined your waitlist, now what?
You don't want excited people who join your waitlist to feel forgotten…or to lose interest in your course or program.
That's why a waitlist email sequence is so important. It'll keep those who sign-up hyped about the upcoming launch of your course or program. These emails should start sending the day someone joins your waitlist. And, should stop before you plan to run any sales emails.
The emails you should include in this sequence are:
Confirmation Email
This is the first email someone will get once they sign-up. You want this email to serve as a reminder that they've joined your waitlist. And, you'll want to briefly explain why your course or program is so beneficial.
Testimonial Email
Testimonials are a fantastic way to show that other people have found success from the course or program you're selling. To make the most of your testimonial, you want to include a story about the person giving the testimonial to go along with it. In this email, start by talking about the reason they needed your course. Really hit on the struggles or fears they were facing at the time.
Then, mention how your course helped them solve that issue and how they've changed as a result. Talk about the positive outcome that person experienced. Stories like this will really help your waitlist subscribers feel like they can also experience something positive if they enroll and work with you.
Information Emails
You want to make sure you're sending your waitlist emails about the course itself. In these informational emails, you can talk about:
The modules that are included and what information they'll receive.
Any downloads or print-outs they'll receive.
Calls or chats they can expect to have with you while enrolled in the course.
Before you just shove a bunch of information into an email, really think about what someone will get from knowing it. You don't want these emails to be overwhelming for someone to read. So, pick and choose a couple pieces to mention in each email that would make your waitlist members excited and ready to enroll.
When the waitlist is over…
You want your waitlist members to be excited, not overwhelmed. It's ok to only email them once a week or once a month about the course. Just make sure you're staying in contact enough to keep your course and yourself in their mind.
Once you're around 2 weeks away from opening the doors to your course and allowing people to enroll, you'll want to start really pumping out the sales emails. But, that's a sequence for another blog post.
So, there you go!
Waitlists are a valuable tool for anyone that sells courses or membership programs online. They are a great way to nurture an audience that has shown an interest in your offer.