Use case
Add a waitlist to your SaaS
AscendKit includes a built-in waitlist, so you can collect interest before launch and then convert those signups into full accounts when you open up. Because auth and email share a platform, you can send a launch announcement and onboarding journey to the waitlist without exporting it to another tool.
How it works
- 1. Turn on the waitlistEnable the waitlist in the portal and collect sign-ups before your product is open.
- 2. Open accessConvert waitlisted contacts into full usr_ accounts when you launch, then remove the waitlist gate.
- 3. Onboard themTrigger a welcome email and onboarding journey for the converted users from the same platform.
What makes a waitlist worth building?
Converting it later. A list of email addresses you cannot turn into accounts without asking everyone to sign up again is a vanity metric, and that is the state most waitlists end in.
AscendKit's waitlist creates real user records from the start. Someone joining is already a usr_ profile with a waitlist status, so opening access is a status change rather than a migration — and their signup date, source, and any attributes survive into their account.
It also means the launch email is not a separate mailing list. You are messaging the same records that become your users, so there is no export, no import, and no reconciling who joined against who converted.
| Form + spreadsheet + email tool | AscendKit waitlist | |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | Spreadsheet or form vendor | usr_ profile |
| Launch email | Import list into email tool | Same record |
| Converting to an account | User signs up from scratch | Status change |
| Signup date and source retained | Manually, if at all | Yes |
| Approving selectively | Manual | Per-user approve or reject |
How should you handle the launch itself?
Open in waves rather than all at once. Approving everyone simultaneously means every support question, every onboarding gap, and every scaling problem arrives in the same hour.
Because waitlist entries are user records, you can approve a subset, let them run through onboarding, and watch where they stall before opening the next wave. Fix what broke, then continue.
Pair each wave with an onboarding journey rather than a single launch email. The people who joined a waitlist months ago have forgotten what they signed up for, so the first message needs to re-explain the product, not just announce availability.
FAQ
Can I email my waitlist when I launch?
Yes. The waitlist lives alongside email and journeys, so you can announce launch and start onboarding without exporting to a separate tool.
Do waitlist sign-ups become real accounts?
Yes. Waitlisted contacts convert into full usr_ records when you open access, carrying into auth and lifecycle messaging.
Related guides
- SaaS onboarding email sequence — what each approved wave should receive after they get in.
- Add auth and email to Next.js — the setup a waitlist sits on top of.
Start with one API key
Auth, email, surveys, and journeys share one user record, so you ship this without stitching vendors together.
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