How Notion Used Their Waitlist to Perfect Product-Market Fit

When Notion prepared to launch their 2.0 version in 2018, their waitlist strategy turned what could have been a simple marketing tool into a powerful product development engine.

This is what they achieved:

• 20,000+ waitlist signups before launch
• Refined product based on direct user feedback
• 1 million active users by 2019
• A passionate community of early advocates

Notion's Waitlist Strategy

Notion's approach to their waitlist was fundamentally different from most companies, yet effective. Here's why.

Strategic Beta Access

Rather than treating their waitlist as just a marketing tool, Notion saw it as an opportunity to build their product in public. They implemented a tiered access system that served multiple purposes.

• Early access for power users
• Gradual rollout to manage scale
• Exclusive features for beta testers
• Priority access for active participants

This created a sense of exclusivity while ensuring each new group of users could have a meaningful impact on the product's development.

Feedback-Driven Development

Notion turned their waitlist into a two-way conversation. Each new user was a potential source of valuable insights.

Everyone on the waitlist received:

• Direct channels to provide feedback
• Regular surveys about feature usage
• Access to product team discussions
• Opportunities to suggest improvements

The product team actively incorporated this feedback, making the subscribers feel heard and valued.

Community Building

Perhaps most importantly, they used the waiting period to build a community of enthusiastic users who would become their biggest advocates.

They fostered community through regular product update, behind-the-scenes glimpses, user spotlights and community challenges.

This created a group of users who felt personally invested in the company's success.

The Results

The impact of Notion's waitlist strategy was transformative for both the product and the company.

Starting with over 20,000 people on their waitlist, they were able to collect insights into how people actually used their product — user workflows, pain points, and desired features.

By the time they reached their full launch, they had already refined their product based on thousands of real-world use cases. This meant they were launching a product they knew people needed.

The strategy paid off. By 2019, they had grown to 1 million active users, many of whom were so enthusiastic about the product that they naturally became advocates, creating templates, sharing workflows, and bringing Notion to their organizations.

How to Apply This to Your Launch

While every product is different, Notion's take gives us useful lessons that can you can adapt too.

Turn Your Waitlist Into a Learning Tool

Most companies see their waitlist as a marketing tool, but Notion showed us it can be so much more.

You can transform the waiting period into a product development phase by actively interacting with your community. They are interested enough in your solution to sign up early, and that makes them perfect candidates for feedback.

To maximize learning from your waitlist:

• Create feedback channels that make it easy for users to share their thoughts
• Ask specific questions about features and use cases
• Track and categorize feature requests to identify patterns
• Monitor how early users interact with your product

Design a Tiered Access System

Rather than simply letting everyone in at once, you can do a planned a rollout with a tiered access system.

To follow Notion's lead, you cand esign your access system like this:

• Give different access levels based on user engagement
• Make sure there is a clear criteria for moving between tiers
• Implement ways to reward your most active participants

This can help you control growth as well as create a sense of progression that keeps users engaged.

Build Community and Maintain Communication

Create an environment where users feel like active participants in the product's development.

Share regular, meaningful updates about your product's progress, create opportunities for users to connect, and highlighting community contributions if possible.

Every message should either provide value or request specific input while making them feel like they're part of something exciting.

Ready to turn your waitlist into a product development powerhouse? Create your free Waitlister account and start building your community today.

This case study is part of our series on successful waitlists. Check out the Robinhood case study to learn about their approach.