The Fastest Way to Start an Email List And Some Tom Petty

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Most creators, myself included, overcomplicate “starting an email list.”

Funnels, fancy freebies, overplanning, endless follow-ups.

STOP THE MADNESS!

But here’s what happened this week… I was working on my own newsletter business, trying to put together a lead magnet. And it hit me:

What’s the absolute fastest way I could get people off social media and onto my list?

Answer: a waitlist.

A Waitlist? Yep, Here’s Why…

I like it for a lot of reasons:

• Fast & Simple: Just a headline, short promise, and email form.

• Tests Demand: Validates if your idea is worth building.

• Builds Buzz: Waitlists feel exclusive, VIP access.

• Saves Time: Minutes to set up, not weeks.

• Keeps You Top of Mind: You can drip out sneak peeks and updates.

• High Conversions: People don’t want to miss out when doors open.

• Perfect for Beginners: Lowest-effort way to move an audience into your inbox.

And honestly? That matters for the people I’m looking to reach with my newsletter business, creators, YouTubers, side-hustlers, who already have a lot going on.

Jobs, families, content creation, whatever.

They don’t have ten hours to waste messing around planning and messing with the software. They need something they can knock out in 30–60 minutes, tops.

Something that gets them a win fast.

How to Write a Newsletter 2-liner with Waitlist Offer in 4 Steps (Mad Libs Style)

Let’s make it stupid simple.

Instead of sweating over creating long web pages, building out funnels or time consuming freebies you aren’t sure will work, here’s a quick-and-dirty way to create a newsletter two-liner with a built-in waitlist offer.

Grab a pen and play along.

Step 1: Make it about DOING, not learning.

Nobody wants to “learn.” They want results.

So, ask yourself… “What do you help people do?”

“I help people __________ so they can __________.”

Examples:

• “I help busy dads get back in shape so they can keep up with their kids.”

Step 2: Niche it down.

Pick a slice of the audience you can help; 50 Plus, coaches, parents, dog owners, mechanical engineers, whatever.

“This is for __________.”

Examples:

• “This is for Gen X women who want to get strong without spending hours in the gym.”

Step 3: Match 1 problem with 1 outcome.

Call out the pain + the result they’ll get.

(Pick one pain point and one result they want most.)

“I show [audience] how to go from [problem] to [desired outcome].”

Example:

• “I show parents how to go from endless screen time battles to kids who actually pick up a book.”

Step 4: Add your call to action.

Finish with a simple “Enter your email” line tied to a benefit. (Invite them to sign up with a concrete benefit.)

“Enter your email and join the waitlist to get __________.”

Example:

• “Enter your email and join the waitlist to get the 20-minute workout plan that fits in your lunch break.”

Final Formula (Two-Liner):

Line 1: Who it’s for + problem + outcome
Line 2: Call to action with a benefit

Example 1 (Fitness):
“For Gen X dads who are sick of fad diets and long gym sessions, I’ll show you how to drop 10 pounds in 30 days with workouts that fit into your lunch break. Enter your email and join the waitlist to get my 20-minute starter plan.”

Example 2 (Parenting):
“For parents exhausted by screen-time battles, I’ll show you how to set simple boundaries that actually stick. Enter your email and join the waitlist to get 5 quick scripts to make unplugging easier.”

My Version

Since I eat my own dog food, I set one up too.

I’m building a short guide (tentatively called): How to get your first 50–100 subscribers from zero in 7 days.

Click here to see the waitlist page I built in just a couple hours.

AI Prompt of the Week

Here’s a prompt you can drop into ChatGPT to build your own newsletter two-line waitlist pitch.

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT: