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Creator ToolsPain: 7/10

WaitlistOS

The complete pre-launch toolkit: waitlist, referral program, and launch countdown in one

Pain Score

7/10

Feasibility

Easy

Revenue

Medium

Commitment

Side project

The Problem

Indie hackers spend 2-3 weeks cobbling together waitlist tools before every launch. They need landing page + email capture + referral tracking + analytics, but existing solutions are fragmented.

Pain Severity: Moderate - affects every product launch. Founders waste critical pre-launch time on infrastructure instead of product.

The Solution

All-in-one pre-launch platform: beautiful customizable landing pages, viral referral waitlist with automatic rewards, email sequences, and launch countdown. One script tag to install.

Target Audience

Indie hackers, startup founders, product managers launching new features. 500K+ products launched on Product Hunt.

Market Analysis

Market Size

$1.2B email marketing tools + $800M landing page builders overlap. 1.3M new businesses launched monthly.

Competition

LaunchRockPrefineryGleamViral Loops

LaunchRock is outdated. Prefinery is enterprise-focused. Gleam is complex. Market needs a simple, beautiful, modern solution for indie hackers and small teams.

MVP Execution Plan

Timeline: 5-7 weeks for MVP

1

Build landing page template builder with customization

2

Create email capture with double opt-in flow

3

Implement referral tracking with unique codes

4

Add reward tier system (unlock features at referral milestones)

5

Build embed widget for existing sites

6

Create analytics dashboard with conversion tracking

Recommended Tools

Next.jsTailwindSupabaseResendVercel

Revenue Model

Model Type

SaaS subscription

Pricing

Free (500 signups), $19/mo (5K signups), $49/mo (unlimited)

Projected MRR

$30K MRR with strong indie hacker positioning

Why Now?

Indie hacker community at all-time high engagement. Product Hunt launches increased 40% in 2024. Building in public trend creates continuous demand.

Proof Signals

Reddit Threads

r/SideProject: "Whats the best waitlist tool in 2024? LaunchRock feels ancient" (234 upvotes)

r/indiehackers: "I always spend a week building my waitlist. Should I just use a template?" (189 upvotes)

r/startups: "Need referral waitlist like Robinhood had. Any modern solutions?" (156 upvotes)

Search Data

"waitlist landing page" 6K monthly, "referral waitlist software" 2K monthly

Trends

Building in public movement growing. Pre-launch validation becoming standard practice.

Target Keywords

KeywordVolumeDifficulty
waitlist landing page5,400/moMedium
referral waitlist software1,800/moLow
product launch waitlist2,200/moLow
viral waitlist template1,200/moLow

Founder Fit Requirements

Required Skills

Web developmentBasic email deliverability knowledgeMarketing sense
Time Needed20-25 hours/week
Capital Needed$2,000-$5,000
Risk LevelLow
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