Generate a WordPress waitlist signup plugin
Pre-launch waitlists are a cheap, honest marketing move: people give you an email, they get a spot, and you get a warm list ready for launch day. Done right you can also run a referral loop so each person can move up the list by bringing others in.
Dedicated waitlist SaaS (Prefinery, KickoffLabs, Viral Loops) start at $40-100/month. For a one-time launch on a WordPress site, that cost never amortizes. A small plugin owns the data and does exactly what the SaaS does, minus the dashboard you rarely open.
Why generate it instead of installing an existing plugin?
A generated plugin keeps the signup form, position logic, and referral codes in your DB. Each signup gets a position number and a share link with their code. When someone joins via that code, the referrer moves up in the queue.
On launch day you export the list ordered by position and email them in batches with a signed one-click access link. No CSV gymnastics, no third-party that throttles sends.
Because it lives in your WP, you can connect it to your existing newsletter (sync to Mailchimp on signup), trigger Slack on signup for internal notifications, or feed metrics into your admin dashboard.
Example prompt
This is the kind of description that generates this plugin. You can start from it and tweak whatever you need before hitting generate.
Plugin name: Acme Waitlist
Shortcode [acme_waitlist] renders:
- Email input + submit
- On success: shows position ("You are #142") and referral link https://acme.com/waitlist?ref=<code>
Logic:
- New signup: assign next sequential position, generate 8-char code, save row.
- If ?ref=<code> present: look up referrer, move referrer up by 3 positions (bounded by 1), log the referral.
- Duplicate email: return existing position, do not move up.
Admin:
- List sorted by position with referral count per row
- "Export current top N as CSV" button
- "Send launch email" button that triggers a bulk email with a templated body and a signed access URL
Referral cap per user: 20 (cannot move up infinitely via bot signups).
Honeypot + rate limit (IP) to deter bot farming.What the generated plugin typically includes
- Signup form with position reveal and shareable referral link
- Deterministic referral code generation
- Position recalculation on referral (bounded move-up)
- Anti-abuse: honeypot, per-IP rate limit, referral cap
- Admin list with CSV export and launch-email trigger
- Optional sync to Mailchimp/ConvertKit on each signup
Referral mechanics (how many positions per referral, cap, cooldown) are prompt-defined. Some teams prefer "invites earn access passes" instead of "move up"; either model fits.
Frequently asked questions
How do you stop fake referrals?
Per-IP and per-email-domain rate limits, plus a manual review queue for top-20 signups before launch-day emails go out.
What happens after launch?
The plugin keeps the data; you can convert signups into users, send follow-up, or archive. The admin has a "post-launch close" mode that hides the form and shows a thanks message.