1. Find developers with a launch date
Look for people who are 2 to 8 weeks from launch, not people with an idea. Search X for "launching next month" app, "TestFlight" beta, and "building in public" iOS. Check r/iOSProgramming, r/androiddev, r/SideProject, the Indie Hackers forum, and upcoming launches on Product Hunt. Make a list of 30 names with their app and launch date.
2. Check if they already have a waitlist
Visit each app's landing page. If it has no signup form, a bare Mailchimp embed, or a Google Form, that is your opening. Note exactly what is missing, such as no referral link, no confirmation email, or no way to see signups by source. This note becomes the first line of your message.
3. Set one simple pilot price
Offer a 30-day launch pilot for $49, paid upfront, with a full refund if they get fewer than 100 signups. You set up the waitlist page, referral links, and launch-day email for them. One price and one guarantee make the decision easy, and $49 is small enough that a solo developer can pay with a personal card without asking anyone.
4. Send a short, specific DM
Example: "Hi Sam, saw Habitly is launching on the App Store in May. Your page has a Google Form, so you can't tell who referred whom or email everyone on launch day. I'll set up a proper waitlist with referral links and a launch email for $49 for 30 days, refunded if you don't pass 100 signups. Want me to send a preview of your page?" Send 10 of these a day.
5. Show a preview before asking for money
When someone replies, build their waitlist page in your tool within a few hours and send a link. Use their app name, icon, and tagline from the App Store or their site. Seeing their own app on a working page answers most of their doubts faster than any explanation.
6. Ask for payment directly
Once they like the preview, say: "Glad you like it. It's $49 for the 30-day pilot, here's the payment link. Once it's paid I'll connect your domain and the page goes live today." Use a Stripe Payment Link so you can send it in seconds. Do not offer a free trial at this point, because the preview already did that job.
7. Deliver and track the number you promised
Send a short update every week: total signups, signups that came from referrals, and the top source. In the last week, ask: "Want to keep it running through launch for $19 a month?" Ask paying pilots if you can name them on your site, and only do it if they agree.
8. Repeat daily and keep a simple log
Track every message, reply, preview, and payment in one spreadsheet so you know which channel and which opening line works. Hulby, an AI cofounder, does this prospecting and follow-up daily for founders who would rather spend that time building.
Mistakes to skip
- Pitching developers who are months from launch and have no reason to act now.
- Offering free access to everyone, which teaches users that the tool has no price.
- Describing features instead of naming the problem you saw on their actual page.
- Waiting for a polished product before charging. A working preview is enough to ask for $49.
Want this done for your Waitlist tool for indie app developers, every day?
Hulby finds the people asking for what you built, writes every reply and email, and keeps you on it until they pay. Free to start.
Find my first customersQuestions
Is $49 too cheap?
It is a pilot price, chosen so people say yes quickly. Raise it once you have a few paying users and know what results to expect.
What if they say they'll just use a free tool?
Agree that they could, then point to what the free option lacks for launch, such as referral tracking or a launch-day email, and offer the refund guarantee.
How many messages until the first payment?
It depends on your targeting and your message, so measure it yourself. Send at least 50 targeted DMs before you judge the offer.
Should I post in communities or DM?
Do both. Share useful launch posts in r/SideProject or on Indie Hackers, and save the direct offer for DMs to people with a launch date.