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A waitlist is a list of people who said maybe. Your job is to find the few who will pay now and ask them directly. This guide shows how to do that with no audience and no budget, using your waitlist, email and a few real communities.

All guidesFor founders of a Chrome extension for productivity

1. Sort the waitlist by pain, not size

Export your list and look at the email domains and any signup answers. Put company emails and people who wrote a reason first, because a freelancer, PM or support lead with a work address has a budget and a daily problem. Gmail addresses with no answer go last. Your first 20 conversations should come from the top of this sorted list.

2. Email the top 20 personally and ask one question

Skip the newsletter blast. Send a plain text email from your own address. Example: "Hi Sam, you joined the waitlist for [extension]. Quick question: what were you hoping it would fix in your workday? One line is fine." The replies tell you who has a real problem and give you their words to use in your pitch.

3. Pick one price and one founding offer

Productivity extensions usually sell at $3 to $10 a month for individuals. Pick one number, for example $6 a month, and make a founding offer: $48 a year, locked for life, for the first 50 people. An annual price gets you cash up front and shows you who is serious. Create a Stripe Payment Link or a Lemonsqueezy checkout today. It takes 10 minutes and needs no code.

4. Ask for money in the reply, in plain words

When someone describes their pain, answer with the offer right away. Example: "That's exactly what it does. I'm letting the first 50 people in at $48 a year, locked forever, and I'll set it up with you on a 15 minute call. Here's the link: [link]. Want in?" If they hesitate, ask what would stop them. Don't lower the price.

5. Give paying users access first, everyone else waits

Publish the extension as unlisted in the Chrome Web Store, or gate the premium features behind a license key, and send access only after payment. This makes paying the way to skip the line. A free tier can come later. Right now you are testing whether anyone will pay.

6. Find more buyers where the pain is discussed

Search Reddit for threads where people complain about the problem you solve. Try searches like "site:reddit.com too many tabs" in r/productivity, r/chrome or r/ADHD, or "tool for" plus your problem in r/freelance. Reply with something useful, and DM people who describe the problem in detail. Indie Hackers, Product Hunt discussions and the Chrome Web Store reviews of competing extensions are also good places to find people who want what you built.

7. Mine competitor reviews for warm leads

Open the 1 to 3 star reviews of the biggest competing extension. Those people want the job done and are unhappy with what they have. Many leave their name and you can find them on LinkedIn or X. Example DM: "Saw your review of [competitor] about it slowing Chrome down. I built a lighter one for that. Founding price is $48 a year. Want to try it?"

8. Repeat daily and track three numbers

Each day, send 10 personal messages, log the replies and log the payments. In a simple sheet, track messages sent, replies and paid users, then rewrite the message that converts worst. Hulby, an AI cofounder, runs this daily loop for founders by finding leads, drafting the messages and tracking who paid.

Mistakes to skip

  • Sending one mass launch email and waiting for signups to turn into sales.
  • Launching free and planning to add pricing later, so you never learn if anyone will pay.
  • Offering too many plans or a $1 price that signals the product isn't worth much.
  • Spending weeks on features instead of talking to the 20 people most likely to buy.

Want this done for your Chrome extension for productivity, 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.

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Questions

What should I charge for a productivity Chrome extension?

Start around $5 to $8 a month, or an annual founding price near $48. Raise it for new users once people pay without pushing back.

Should I offer a free trial?

Not to your first users. Offer a refund instead: "If it doesn't save you time in 14 days, I'll refund you." You get the commitment without the risk.

What if nobody on my waitlist replies?

Send a short second email after 3 days. If replies stay near zero, the list is cold, so put your time into Reddit threads and competitor reviews instead.

How many paying users should I aim for first?

Aim for 10. Ten strangers paying shows the problem is real, and their feedback tells you what to build next.