# Waitlist glossary

Plain definitions of the terms founders meet while building a pre-launch waitlist: referrals, signups, email and launching. Canonical page: https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary

- [Beta launch](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/beta-launch.md): A beta launch is the release of a product that is not yet finished to a group of testers, either private (invite-only) or public (open to anyone), to find bugs and gaps before the full launch. Its focus is testing the product, not pacing the audience.
- [Coming soon page](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/coming-soon-page.md): A coming soon page is a single-purpose web page published before a product launches that says what is coming and collects signups from interested visitors. The modern version, usually called a waitlist landing page, adds referral links so each signup can bring in more.
- [Disposable email](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/disposable-email.md): A disposable email is a temporary address from a throwaway inbox service, used to get past a signup form without giving a real, lasting inbox. The address often stops working within minutes or days, so signups made with one usually can't be reached later.
- [Double opt-in](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/double-opt-in.md): Double opt-in is a signup flow in which a person enters their email address and is added to the list only after clicking a confirmation link sent to that address. It proves the person owns the inbox and keeps fake, mistyped and bot signups off the list.
- [Early access](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/early-access.md): Early access is a pre-release stage in which a limited group, often the first people on a product's waitlist, can use the product before it is generally available. The group gets a head start, and the founder gets feedback, word of mouth or an early commitment in return.
- [Email deliverability](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/email-deliverability.md): Email deliverability is the ability of the emails you send to reach the recipient's inbox, rather than the spam folder, being blocked, or silently dropped. It depends on authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), sender reputation, list quality and how recipients respond to your mail.
- [Honeypot field](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/honeypot-field.md): A honeypot field is a form input hidden from human visitors but visible to automated bots, which tend to fill in every field they find. A submission with the hidden field filled in is treated as a bot, so spam is filtered without asking real people to solve a CAPTCHA.
- [K-factor](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/k-factor.md): K-factor is the average number of new users each existing user brings in through referrals, calculated as the share of users who refer (i) multiplied by the average number of successful referrals per referrer (c). A K-factor of 1.0 or more means growth sustains itself.
- [Milestone rewards](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/milestone-rewards.md): Milestone rewards are benefits a waitlist signup earns on reaching set referral counts, for example moving up the line at one referral, early access at three and a founding-member perk at ten. A ladder of milestones keeps people referring past their first goal.
- [Pre-launch waitlist](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/pre-launch-waitlist.md): A pre-launch waitlist is a list of people who signed up to hear about a product before it is available. Founders use it to test demand, build an audience to launch to, and, with referral links, let the list grow itself before launch day.
- [Queue jumping](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/queue-jumping.md): Queue jumping is the waitlist mechanic in which a signup moves ahead of others in line by referring new people. It gives every signup a direct, personal reason to share their referral link, and is the main engine of a referral waitlist.
- [Queue position](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/queue-position.md): Queue position is the number that shows a waitlist signup's place in line, such as #312 of 4,800. On a referral waitlist it can improve when the signup refers others, which makes the position the main reason people share their referral link.
- [Referral leaderboard](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/referral-leaderboard.md): A referral leaderboard is a ranking, usually shown on a waitlist page, of the signups who have brought in the most new people through their referral links. It turns referring into a visible race, so people can see where they stand and what it takes to move up.
- [Sender reputation](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/sender-reputation.md): Sender reputation is the trust mailbox providers give a sending domain and IP address, based on how its past email was received: spam complaints, bounces, spam trap hits, authentication and engagement. It largely decides whether your email reaches the inbox, the spam folder or nowhere.
- [Single opt-in](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/single-opt-in.md): Single opt-in is a signup flow in which a person joins the list the moment they submit the form, with no confirmation email to click. It gets the most signups through, but lets fake, mistyped and disposable addresses onto the list.
- [Soft launch](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/soft-launch.md): A soft launch is a limited release of a product to a small, chosen audience, often the first people on its waitlist, before the full public launch. Its purpose is to find problems and gather feedback while the stakes are low, then widen access in rounds.
- [Spam trap](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/spam-trap.md): A spam trap is an email address that mailbox providers and anti-spam organizations use to catch senders with poor list practices. Nobody uses it to sign up for anything, so mailing one shows you are sending to addresses you didn't get with consent, which damages your sender reputation.
- [Viral coefficient](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/viral-coefficient.md): Viral coefficient is the number of new users each existing user brings into a product through referrals. It is the same measure as K-factor: a value of 1 or more means every user replaces themselves, so growth continues without new outside traffic.
- [Viral loop](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/viral-loop.md): A viral loop is a repeating cycle in which each new user takes an action, such as sharing a referral link or an invite, that brings more users into the same product, who then repeat the cycle. Its strength is measured by its K-factor and its speed by its cycle time.
- [Waitlist conversion rate](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/waitlist-conversion-rate.md): Waitlist conversion rate is the percentage of visitors to a waitlist page who sign up, calculated as signups divided by visitors over the same period, times 100. It measures how well the page turns attention into signups, separately from how much traffic you sent it.
- [Waitlist widget](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/waitlist-widget.md): A waitlist widget is an embeddable component, usually added with a short snippet of code, that puts waitlist signup and its logic (referral links, confirmation, spam protection) on an existing website. The term also covers display widgets such as a live signup counter or a referral leaderboard.