# Coming soon page

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.

Canonical page: https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/coming-soon-page. Updated 2026-10-15.

## What a coming soon page includes

A coming soon page has one job: turn a visitor's curiosity into a signup. Everything on it serves that job.

- **A headline that says what it is.** Who it is for and what it does, readable in one pass. A clever line nobody understands costs more signups than any design choice.
- **One supporting line.** The problem it solves or the outcome it promises.
- **A signup form.** Usually just an email, sometimes one more question you will act on, such as role or company size.
- **A reason to believe.** A launch date, a short description of how it works, a screenshot, or a live signup count once the number helps rather than hurts.
- **A next step after signup.** A confirmation, a place in line, a link to share. The moment after someone signs up is when they are most interested, so do not waste it on a bare "thanks".

## Coming soon page, waitlist landing page, pre-launch waitlist

The three terms overlap, and it helps to keep them apart:

| Term | What it is |
| --- | --- |
| Coming soon page | The page that announces the product and collects signups. |
| Waitlist landing page | A coming soon page that gives each signup a place in line and a referral link. |
| [Pre-launch waitlist](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/pre-launch-waitlist) | The list of people the page collects, and everything you do with it before launch. |

In practice most founders now build the second kind, because a page that only collects addresses leaves its best moment unused.

## Hosted page or your own site

You can publish a coming soon page as a standalone hosted page, which is the fastest way when you have no website yet, or add a signup form to a site you already run with a [waitlist widget](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/waitlist-widget). Many products do both: a focused page to send campaign traffic to, and a form on the main site for everyone else.

## Mistakes that cost signups

- **A vague headline.** If a visitor can't say what the product does after reading it, they leave.
- **Too many fields.** Each extra question loses some people. Ask only what changes who you invite first.
- **A counter that works against you.** "7 people have joined" reads as nobody wants this. Show a count only once it helps.
- **No plan for after the signup.** No confirmation, no link to share, no reason to come back.
- **A slow page on a phone.** Much pre-launch traffic comes from social apps on mobile.

How well the page turns visits into signups is its [waitlist conversion rate](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/waitlist-conversion-rate), the first number to fix before you spend more on traffic.

## Coming soon pages in LaunchList

LaunchList hosts the page for you. Name your product and give it one line, and you get nine starting pages already written about it, from a single screen to a full product page, in any of eight styles. Or describe the product in one sentence and the AI writes the whole page. The signup form is built in, every signup gets a status page with a place in line and a referral link, and the page can live on a LaunchList address or [your own domain](https://getlaunchlist.com/features/custom-domains). See the [page editor](https://getlaunchlist.com/features/page-builder) for how editing works, or browse the [waitlist page templates](https://getlaunchlist.com/templates/waitlist-pages).

To build one without a website, see [the waitlist landing page builder](https://getlaunchlist.com/waitlist-landing-page). Further reading: [what is a waitlist landing page](https://getlaunchlist.com/blog/what-is-a-waitlist-landing-page).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is a coming soon page the same as a waitlist landing page?

They share the same goal, collecting interest before launch, and the terms are often used for the same thing. The usual difference is what happens after signup: a basic coming soon page just saves the address, while a waitlist landing page gives each person a place in line and a referral link so they can help grow the list.

### What should a coming soon page include?

A headline that says who the product is for and what it does, one supporting line, a signup form, and something that makes the wait concrete, such as a launch date or a signup count once it helps. After signup, show people what happens next.

### Do I need a coming soon page if I already have a website?

Not necessarily. If your site already explains the product, you can add a signup form to it instead. A separate page is useful when you want one focused place to send traffic, with nothing on it except the reason to join.

### How long should a coming soon page be?

As long as it takes to make the case and no longer. Some products need one screen; others need a few sections explaining how it works and why it is different. Every section should help a visitor decide to sign up.

## Related terms

- [Pre-launch waitlist](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/pre-launch-waitlist.md)
- [Waitlist widget](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/waitlist-widget.md)
- [Waitlist conversion rate](https://getlaunchlist.com/glossary/waitlist-conversion-rate.md)