Imagine spending a month creating a digital product. You design it, prepare the files, write the instructions, create the cover, and finally hit Publish.
Then you wait for the first sales.
And… nothing happens.
No buyers. No audience waiting for the launch. Now you have to find your first customers after the product is already live.
But it doesn't have to work that way.
You can start building an audience while you're still creating the product.
One of the simplest ways to do this is with a waitlist.
Don't Create Your Product in a Vacuum
A common approach looks like this:
idea → creation → launch → find customers
But there's another way:
idea → validate interest → build an audience → create → launch
You don't need a finished product at this stage. In fact, you may not even need to show the entire thing.
What matters is being able to explain three things:
what you're creating, who it's for, and what problem it solves.
For example:
"I'm creating a pack of 50 Canva templates for beauty salons, so owners can create Instagram content without designing every post from scratch."
That's much clearer than:
"I'm creating a pack of Canva templates."
A potential customer can immediately understand what they're getting and why they might need it.
Start Building Your First Audience
Let's say you're creating a Beauty Salon Starter Kit.
Before the product is finished, you could create a simple landing page:
Beauty Salon Starter Kit
50+ Canva templates for Instagram, promotions, pricing, and client communication.
Get Early Access
Once the product is ready, you'll already have people to tell about the launch.
You don't need hundreds or thousands of subscribers. Even a small group of people who have shown genuine interest can give you a much stronger starting point than launching with no audience at all.
Give People a Reason to Join
Simply adding an email field to a landing page isn't enough.
People need a reason to hand over their email address.
For example, waitlist members could get:
early access;
a launch discount;
a bonus file or resource;
exclusive content;
a chance to influence the final product.
That last option can be especially useful.
Before launching, you could ask:
"What type of templates would be most useful to you?"
The answers can help you decide what to include — and what isn't worth spending time on.
Talk to People Before You Build Everything
Let's say you want to create a Social Media Kit for small businesses.
Your original plan is to include 100 post templates.
Before you start designing, you ask potential users what takes the most time when managing their social media.
You discover that templates aren't actually their biggest problem.
They struggle more with:
coming up with content ideas;
planning what to post;
creating Stories;
writing captions.
Now you can change the product before spending weeks building something people may not actually need.
Instead of creating another collection of templates, you might build a complete content planning system.
That's one of the biggest advantages of getting feedback early: you can improve the product before you've invested too much time in the wrong idea.
You Don't Need Thousands of Followers
A large follower count can look impressive, but it doesn't necessarily translate into sales.
What's more important is whether the people following you actually care about the problem you're solving.
If you're creating a set of business documents for photographers, you don't necessarily need 10,000 random followers.
A smaller audience of 100 photographers who understand the problem and could actually use your product may be far more valuable.
For digital products, the quality of your audience often matters more than its size.
Where to Find Your First Potential Customers
Social Media
Show the process, not just the finished product.
For example:
"I'm creating a template pack for beauty salons. Here's one of the designs I'm working on. What type of templates would you find most useful?"
A post like this can generate content, feedback, and potential customers at the same time.
You can share small previews, ask questions, show different versions, and let people see how the product is coming together.
That gives your audience a reason to follow the project before the launch.
Online Communities
If you're creating something for photographers, look for communities where photographers already spend time.
Creating something for freelancers? Find freelancer communities.
Building resources for teachers? Look for education communities.
But don't turn this into spam.
If you join a community just to drop a link to your product, people will notice.
Instead, contribute first. Answer questions, share useful information, participate in discussions, and build some credibility. When your product is genuinely relevant, you can mention what you're working on.
Free Content
Let's say you're building an Instagram Content Kit.
Before launch, you could publish:
"10 Instagram post ideas for beauty salons"
Then add a simple call to action:
"Want the full content kit? Join the early access list."
This turns free content into an entry point for people who are already interested in your topic.
Waitlist vs. Early Access
These two approaches are similar, but they serve slightly different purposes.
A waitlist means people leave their contact details and wait for the launch.
Early access gives people the opportunity to see, use, or purchase the product before everyone else.
For an early-access launch, you could offer:
access before the public launch;
a special launch price;
a bonus;
the opportunity to influence future updates;
behind-the-scenes updates during development.
In this case, people aren't simply waiting for your product.
They're getting involved before the official launch.
What If the Product Doesn't Exist Yet?
You don't need a finished product to validate an idea.
Imagine you have three possible products:
A: 100 Canva templates for beauty salons
B: Beauty Salon Business Starter Kit
C: Instagram Content Planner
You don't have to build all three.
Instead, show the ideas to potential customers and ask:
"Which of these would be most useful to you?"
If one idea gets noticeably more interest, that's a signal worth exploring.
You haven't spent weeks building anything yet, but you've already learned something about potential demand.
That's much better than finishing a product and only then discovering that people don't really want it.
Just remember that interest isn't the same as demand. A poll or a few positive comments can help you choose what to explore, but actual purchases, pre-orders, or strong waitlist sign-ups are much stronger signals.
When Should You Start?
There is no universal rule like "start building your waitlist exactly eight weeks before launch."
For a small digital product, you can start with three things:
an idea + a specific audience + a clear problem.
Once you have those, you can start showing the idea to people, collecting feedback, and gradually building a waitlist.
But don't overdo it.
If you can create a simple template pack in a few days, there's little reason to spend six months building a waitlist.
The faster you can create the product, the closer to launch you can start your active audience-building efforts.
The goal isn't to build the longest waitlist possible.
The goal is to have the right people interested when your product is ready.
A Simple Pre-Launch Plan
1. Identify the problem.
Don't just say:
"I want to create a planner."
Instead:
"People struggle with planning X."
2. Describe the product in one sentence.
"A ready-to-use planner that helps X do Y."
3. Show the idea to people.
Get early reactions and look for signs of genuine interest.
4. Create a waitlist.
Give interested people a simple way to hear about the launch.
5. Talk to potential customers.
Find out what they need, what they're struggling with, and what they would change.
6. Show the process.
Idea → first design → preview → more previews → finished product.
7. Launch to your existing audience first.
Then expand your promotion once you know how people respond.
The Main Takeaway
You don't have to create a product first and figure out how to sell it afterward.
Talk to potential customers before launch. Show them the idea. Ask about their problems. Collect interested people. Get feedback.
That feedback can improve the product itself — while also giving you an audience to launch to when the product is ready.
Find the problem and the people who already have it. Then build the solution.
