Building Waitlister: Devin on Simplifying Pre-Launch Validation

In this interview, we speak with Devin, the founder of Waitlister, which is a no-code tool built to help founders create waitlists and validate their product ideas before launch. After spotting a gap in the market, Devin set out to make the process easier for solo founders, eliminating the need for coding or juggling multiple tools.

In this Q&A, they explain why they created Waitlister, the challenges they faced while building it, and how they plan to grow the platform. Plus, they share some practical advice for founders looking to build hype and get their products noticed before launch.

Let’s get into it.

What inspired you to create Waitlister, and how did you identify the gap it fills in the market?

I created Waitlister after noticing how many founders were struggling with validating their product ideas and the technical aspects of launching a waitlist page. The usual approach requires purchasing domains, coding landing pages, setting up databases, and configuring email services — all before validating their idea. I saw an opportunity to make this process into a single, no-code solution that would let founders focus on what matters most: building their product and connecting with potential users.

How do you define success for Waitlister? Is it about user numbers, revenue, or something else?

Success for Waitlister is about helping founders validate their ideas and launch their products successfully. While revenue is important for sustainability, our primary metric is how many founders we can help. We measure this through both quantitative metrics like user engagement and conversion rates, and qualitative feedback about how Waitlister has made their launch process easier.

What strategies did you use to validate the demand for a waitlist-building tool before launching?

Before building Waitlister, I spent time in founder communities and saw the common challenges people faced when trying to build pre-launch momentum. I saw founders cobbling together multiple tools to create basic waitlists or using simple forms that lacked features like email validation or analytics, which validated the need for a simpler solution.

What were the biggest challenges you faced while building Waitlister, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge was finding the right balance between simplicity and functionality. While we wanted to make Waitlister as easy to use as possible, we also needed to include essential features that founders require for effective launch campaigns. We overcame this by focusing first on core features like customization, email sending, referral system, and analytics, then iteratively adding more advanced capabilities like API based on user feedback. This approach helped us maintain the platform's ease of use while adding to its capabilities.

How did you decide on the initial feature set for Waitlister? Were there any tough decisions about what to leave out?

We prioritized features that were essential for a successful product launch: a drag-and-drop editor for quick setup, customizable forms and landing pages, emails, and basic analytics. The toughest decision was around the pricing model — while we wanted to make Waitlister accessible to early-stage founders, we needed to ensure sustainability. We decided to offer a generous free tier while keeping paid plans affordable with one-time fees rather than subscriptions.

What’s your approach to scaling Waitlister? Are you focused on any particular audience or niche?

At this point, our scaling strategy focuses on solo founders and small teams who need a quick, reliable way to validate their ideas and build pre-launch momentum. We're especially resonating with no-code builders and solo entrepreneurs who want to invest their limited time on the product itself. By keeping our solution simple and affordable, we're able to serve this growing community effectively while collecting insights for further scaling in the future.

Where do you see Waitlister five years from now? Are there any plans to expand its functionality beyond waitlist management?

In five years, we see Waitlister evolving into a complete pre-launch toolkit. While waitlist management will remain our core focus, we see opportunities to add features that help founders better understand and engage their early audience. This could include better analytics, automated engagement tools, and deeper integrations with popular marketing platforms. Our goal is to stay focused on making the pre-launch phase as effective as possible for founders.

As a founder, what’s one mistake you made early on that taught you a valuable lesson?

One early mistake was trying to include too many features at once during initial development. I quickly learned that focusing on doing a few core things exceptionally well is more valuable than having many mediocre features. This taught me to really listen to user feedback and prioritize quality over quantity, which has become a core principle in how we develop Waitlister.

What habits or routines have helped you stay focused and productive during the early days of building Waitlister?

To be honest, I didn't really have any special habits or routines — my productivity comes from a passion for building products. When you're excited about what you're creating and think it has potential, staying productive comes naturally.

What advice would you give to founders trying to create hype and build a strong pre-launch strategy for their product?

There are a number of proven strategies you can do:

• Add a referral system that shows users their position in line and gives them a clear way to move up by referring friends. Make sharing frictionless with pre-written messages and one-click social sharing. This is likely to be extremely effective if your core value proposition is compelling enough.
• Make early users feel special through clear benefits like lifetime discounts.
• Create authentic scarcity and exclusivity rather than artificial hype. Start with a limited number of spots (I recommend 100-500) and be transparent about why access is limited — whether it's because you want to provide quality onboarding or collect focused feedback.
• Use the waiting period actively: share updates, showcase user testimonials, and build anticipation naturally.
• Be open about your waitlist size and growth — authentic numbers, even if smaller, build trust. Let your product's value speak for itself through real user stories.

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