Waitlists: real people instead of inflated numbers.
A long waitlist looks like demand, but referral rewards, aliases and throwaway addresses inflate it. This guide shows how to spot fake sign-ups and self-referrals on your waitlist and how to give every place to one verified person.
- Why waitlists inflate
- Self-referrals and aliases
- One place per verified person
Christian Schätzlein, Founder and developer of Sendity
3 min read
Which places are inflated?
Tap the suspicious places, then reveal.
-
Real Signed up once, no referrals.
-
Real Referred three people, moved up.
-
Inflated Referred by #0413: Gmail ignores dots, it is Tim himself.
-
Inflated Referred by #0413, plus alias of the same inbox.
-
Inflated Throwaway inbox at night; your launch email will bounce.
-
Cannot tell Own domain. Whether Jana or Tim is behind it, no address can tell.
Sign-ups by message. No form, no code.
Sendity is a sign-up widget for your website. Instead of filling in a form, your visitors send one short message via WhatsApp or email. Sendity checks who it came from and hands your site the name and the confirmed phone number or email address.
See how Sendity works →-
One message instead of a form Visitors tap send in WhatsApp or their email app. Nothing to type, no confirmation email to click.
-
Confirmed by the message itself The contact comes from the sender of the message, so typos and made-up addresses never reach your list.
-
Pay per confirmed contact Start with 1,000 free credits, no credit card. After that, prepaid packages with no subscription.
The mechanics that make a waitlist grow are the same ones that invite people to cheat.
Referral rewards
Move up for every friend who signs up: the fastest way up is referring yourself with a second, third and fourth address.
What it costs
You misjudge demand, real people wait behind fake entries, and your launch email bounces off throwaway inboxes, which hurts your sender reputation right on launch day.
Cleaning up afterwards
Normalising Gmail addresses and removing throwaway domains catches the obvious cases. Own domains and real second addresses stay invisible.
Confirmation emails
Double opt-in removes addresses nobody confirms, but every alias of a real inbox confirms without trouble.
One place per number
With reverse OTP, each place is tied to a verified phone number or address. If you count referrals per verified number, self-referrals stop paying off.
A waitlist you can trust.
Three rules that keep the list honest.
Verify on sign-up
The place is created only when the visitor has sent one message.
One place per contact
A number or address that is already on the list does not get a second place.
Count verified referrals
A referral moves someone up only once the referred person is verified.
Email form or verified sign-up?
What a waitlist place costs someone who wants several.
| Aspect | Email form | With Sendity |
|---|---|---|
| Another place | A new alias, seconds | Another number with a working account |
| Self-referrals | Hard to spot | Do not pay off |
| Throwaway inboxes | Get on the list | Mostly cannot send |
| Launch email | Bounces from dead addresses | Reaches people who wrote to you |
What a verified waitlist changes.
A number you can plan with.
Real demand
The length of the list means people, not addresses.
Fair queue
Real people do not wait behind fake entries.
Clean launch
Your launch email reaches inboxes that exist.
Live on your page in minutes.
Sendity runs as a compact widget on your page. Pick the path that fits your website.
Waitlists: common questions.
Phone or email for a waitlist?
If places or referrals are worth something, the phone number is the stronger anchor. For a simple launch notice, a verified email address is enough.
Can I clean up an existing list?
Partly: normalise addresses and remove throwaway domains. For the rest, ask everyone to confirm their place by sending one message before launch.
May I contact the list about other products?
Only within the consent people gave. A waitlist sign-up is not a newsletter subscription.
Does verification slow down sign-ups?
It replaces the form and the confirmation email with one sent message, so there are fewer steps, not more.
Keep reading.
Reviewed for accuracy in by Christian Schätzlein.
A waitlist of real people.
Try the live demo on your phone. It takes ten seconds.