# Waitlist as conversations, not leads

> Treat every early signup like the start of a conversation and use short personal follow-ups to pull the right people into calls.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/waitlist-as-conversations-not-leads/
- Source: [reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/microsaas/comments/1s64sfv/launched_my_saas_waitlist_and_got_138_signups_in/)
- GrowthDex source hub: [Reddit /r/microsaas: Launched my SaaS waitlist and got 138 signups in 4 days](/sources/reddit-r-microsaas-launched-my-saas-waitlist-and-got-138-signups-in-4-da/)
- Last checked: 2026-05-30
- Rarity: rare
- Budget: free
- Channels: Waitlist, Email, User Research
- Stages: 0-100, waitlist ops, interviews, switch triggers


## Why this can grow

A list of signups flatters the founder and teaches the product almost nothing. A queue of conversations does the opposite. In a May 2026 microsaas thread, one operator said the shift came from treating 138 signups as 138 conversations, emailing every person with two questions, then sending interested respondents to a 15 to 20 minute call and early access. That works because it turns a broad top-of-funnel number into a smaller set of real objections, current alternatives, and switching triggers. The roadmap then follows what people complain about, not what the founder hoped mattered.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. Email still works when it reads like one person noticed one real thing. If the message could be sent to anyone, it usually works on nobody. I would make the first line specific enough that the right reader knows it was meant for them. I would run it small enough to learn quickly, then only scale the parts that real users repeat, save, reply to, or buy from. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where waitlist as conversations, not leads can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Waitlist and Email channel.
3. Use the evidence from reddit.com to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

In r/microsaas, a founder described treating 138 waitlist signups as 138 conversations, asking what tool the person used now and what would make them switch within 30 days, then shaping the roadmap around the first 10 to 15 complaints.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Brief blogger outreach with follow-up and low-hit-rate expectations](/growth-ideas/brief-blogger-outreach-with-follow-up-low-hit-rate-expectation/) - 1 shared channel, 1 shared stage
- [Surgical cold email with LinkedIn personalization](/growth-ideas/surgical-cold-email-with-linkedin-personalization/) - 1 shared channel, 1 shared stage
- [Signal-based cold email outreach](/growth-ideas/signal-based-cold-email-outreach/) - 1 shared channel, 1 shared stage
- [PLG with sales-assist triggers](/growth-ideas/plg-with-sales-assist-triggers/) - 1 shared channel, 1 shared stage

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [The waitlist should act like a working queue](/blog/the-waitlist-should-act-like-a-working-queue/) - community-led growth, waitlists, founder-led sales

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.