3 builders who never spoke to each other

Give the early buyer a reason not to wait

A preorder needs a cost attached to hesitating: a lower price that expires on a published date, a bonus capped at a stated number of buyers with the remainder counted down, or a discount that lasts the life of the account. Announce the change in advance so the deadline itself does the selling. A short window with an exact closing hour beats an open offer that gets postponed indefinitely.

The method

1. 01

   Give early buyers a reason to commit now: discount the presale or attach a bonus that disappears at launch.

2. 02

   Tell the waiting list in advance that launch day carries a lower price, so signing up now has a reason.

3. 03

   Keep the pre-order window short and cheaper than launch price, with a published cut-off date, so it builds anticipation instead of replacing the launch.

4. 04

   Sweeten a SaaS preorder with a discount that lasts for the life of the account plus a free month.

5. 05

   Cap a preorder perk at a fixed number of buyers and publish the remaining count to force a decision.

What it returned

• $9

  Jolt was offered at $9 up to July 23rd, 2016, with the launch itself on the 30th.

• 25%

  25% off for life and one month free

• Cited precedents are early-bird conference tickets and pre-order perks on video games and books.

• The pre-launch post announced a launch-day sale and asked readers to subscribe so they would not miss the lower price

Sources

• From idea - to tweet - to live productFlorin Pop · florin-pop.com · From Idea to Tweet · 2024-10-05
• Why I sell before I launchJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Why I sell before I launch · undated
• Authority launches tomorrow morningNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · New prices · 2015-05-26
• Designing Web Applications — 2nd editionNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · 2015-02-11
• A Look Inside The App Design HandbookNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · 2012-08-29
• Can preorders work for software-as-a-service companies?Nathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Will it work? · 2013-02-25
• Step-By-Step Landing Page CopywritingNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Time for a rewrite · 2013-02-19
• Presales: Saving Time, Money, EffortDru Riley · trends.vc · ☁️ Opportunities · 2020-12-14