Tomorrow is Launch Day: Why We Built a Waitlist and What Comes Next

The Sleep or Die Launch Strategy (and a Perk for Our First 50 Customers)

🔥 Tomorrow, we launch. And instead of making it a free-for-all, we’re starting with the people who’ve been with us from the beginning—our Zombie Club insiders (sign up here).

Right now, I’m sitting on my couch, coffee in hand, getting this all down before heading out for my Sunday long run. It still feels surreal that tomorrow, we go live. The day before launch is always a mix of excitement and calm focus for me. No all-nighters here—I always prioritise a good night’s sleep (face mask, ear plugs, mouth tape, the whole setup). Because if I’m building a brand about better sleep, I have to live it, too.

Building a brand isn’t just about launching a product. It’s about building a community that actually cares about what we’re creating and making sure our first customers have a direct line to the brand from day one.

That’s why we decided to launch only to our waitlist first. Here’s how we set it up:

💡 1: Invite People to Be Part of the Process

• Instead of announcing the product upfront, we asked people to sign up to be the first to find out what we were launching.

• The Sleep or Die website was dedicated to email sign-ups so that anyone landing on the page knew exactly how to join.

💡 2: Give Value Before Asking for Anything

• Once people joined the waitlist, we sent them an exclusive email revealing our first product (sleep tape) and how it can help them sleep better immediately.

• We introduced them to The Zombie Club—our insiders who will help shape the future of Sleep or Die.

Why We’re Launching to the Waitlist First

In today’s world, people are careful about where they spend their attention, and we want to honour that trust. Instead of blasting our launch to everyone at once, we’re starting with the people who:
✅ Took an early bet on us by joining the waitlist
✅ Care about better sleep and want to be part of something from the ground up
✅ Can help shape the brand with feedback and insights

Tomorrow, waitlist members will receive a password to unlock the site before it goes public. This way, they get first access and can be part of our earliest community.

The First 50 Customers Get Lifetime Founder Pricing

To make this first launch even more meaningful, we’re giving the first 50 customers “Lifetime Founder Pricing”—a permanent discount on all future Sleep or Die products.

My long-term vision is to build a membership model similar to Bandit, where our biggest fans get exclusive pricing and early access. But for now, this first group of customers will get it for free, forever.

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The Response? Over 1,000 People Are In.

And nearly 2.4k sessions on our site in the last 14 days with an email capture-dedicated homepage.

Tomorrow, we’ll send a password to everyone on the list, unlocking the site just for them. On Tuesday, we’ll open up to the public.

More than anything, my goal is to build a community of sleep-obsessed people who will help us shape the future of Sleep or Die. Our customers will always be our North Star.

If you’re not on the list yet, this is your last chance. Sign up before the site locks tomorrow:

Sleep or Die

💬 Would love to hear your thoughts—have you seen brands do waitlist-first launches like this before? Let me know in the comments!