Too many marketers are under the impression that you can’t capture emails prior to launching your website, and because of this, their businesses are losing out on a head start. There are many ways you can build an email list before your website is up and running, and doing so will help you boost your brand and grow an audience ahead of time.

Why capture emails prior to launch?

There are endless benefits when it comes to capturing emails before your big launch. It allows you to build your audience before you’ve officially set up your website. This means you already have a dedicated, loyal customer base on your hands because they’re willing to hand over their email information before you’ve launched. That says a lot.

It’s also a good way to introduce yourself to your new audience. You have the ability to email your new subscribers welcoming them to your brand, telling them about who you are and what you do, and explaining what they can expect from your business in the future. It boosts your brand’s credibility and positions you as a company worth trusting.

Let’s take a look at a few different ways you can collect emails before your official site launch.

Create a coming soon landing page

The best way to convince your audience to hand over their information is by crafting a well designed and written landing page. And not just any landing page, but a coming soon landing page. This specifically tells users that your website is launching soon as well as your products and services, which is why it’s important that it serves its purpose of attracting your audience and getting their emails.

Harry’s, the popular shaving brand, was able to collect 100,000 emails prior to their website launch with their well-designed landing page:

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Your landing page should make it easy for users to understand what your brand is doing, who it’s catering to, and what kind of services it offers. If you’re an ecommerce store and you have pictures of your products, add them to your coming soon page.

SeedProd is a helpful tool that lets WordPress users create maintenance and coming soon pages that capture emails before launch so you can start growing your business as soon as possible:

Optimize your opt-in form

If you’re going to capture emails, you need to make sure your form is optimized so it’s easy for users to fill out and understand. It should be simple, easily navigable, and not exhaust users to the point where they abandon the webpage altogether. When it’s difficult for users to get through filling out your form, it creates a negative UX.

It’s best to leave your form fields simple with minimal boxes to fill out:

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Have you ever felt encouraged to fill out a form on a website only to be deterred when there are twelve form fields in the way? You’re not the only one. Research by HubSpot found that reducing the number of form fields from four to three can double your conversion rate because minimizing the steps it takes to complete an action relieves your audience. They’re not trying to exert too much energy while on your site, so make this easy for them.

Leverage social media

Social media is a great way to build a loyal audience and boost your brand credibility even before you’ve officially gone into business. A fully optimized profile will help you gain visibility from your target audience who will then check out your account and, hopefully, be led to your website.

Here are a few things you should do to properly leverage social media to your advantage:

  • Fully fill out your profile, including your bio, summary, location, and photos. Try not to leave anything blank. The more information you provide for users, the more they can decide if your brand is right for them.
  • Add calls-to-action to your profile that go to your landing page, lead magnets, and other social media accounts.
  • Use your bio to describe what your business does and how it helps its target audience.
  • Promote your launch in your posts, linking back to your website and listing the benefits of doing so.

Final takeaway

If you have yet to launch your website, it’s still wise to think about the ways you can grow your business. It’s very possible to grow a list of loyal potential customers by preparing beforehand and strategizing how to grab their attention as well as their trust. To do this, create a landing page that outlines what your business does and who it’s for. Use your social media accounts to spread the word about your launch and optimize your profiles so users are intrigued by your brand. Finally, optimize your opt-in form so people are more inclined to fill it out and become part of your email list.