Choose who gets in, and when.
People apply and you review. Only approved people get an invite, and everyone else hears a friendly “not yet” and stays on the list.
Where it gets hard
First in line, wrong fit
A position in line tells you who was quickest. For a beta you want people who fit the product and will tell you what breaks.
Saying no is awkward
Most people you turn down could be customers later. A cold rejection loses them, so it’s tempting to say nothing at all.
Applications pile up
They come in while you’re busy building. Without a nudge, nobody looks at them for weeks.
How it goes with Waitlark
Ask what decides it
Ask the questions that tell you who fits, such as company size or the tool they use now. Keep the signup short and ask the rest in the welcome flow, one per screen.
Signup questions →Approve, or say no kindly
Every signup starts as pending. Approve or decline one by one, or in bulk on an answer. A decline can send a short email in your words, with a reason if you want to give one.
Apply to join →Read long answers faster
Connect an AI assistant such as Claude over MCP and use the ready-made prompts to sum up open answers or rank who to invite first. Keys are read-only by default, and emails stay masked unless the key allows more.
MCP server →Let them in at your pace
Send invites in batches: everyone with a certain answer, or people you pick by hand. Each invite carries a link or access code that works once, and you see who activated.
Invites in batches →The account is ready
Inviting someone fires a signed webhook, so your app creates the account and the invite email links straight into onboarding.
Webhooks & API →
Say you’re opening a private beta of a design review tool, and you want teams before solo designers. The welcome flow asks how many people are on the design team. You approve everyone who answered “5 to 20” or “20+” in bulk. Solo designers get a short note from you: “We’re starting with teams. We’ll write when there’s room for you.” They stay on the list for the next round.
Waitlark for Private betas: common questions
- What do people who are declined get?
- A short email in your words, with a reason if you want to give one. They can stay on the list, so you can invite them later.
- Do I have to review every application by hand?
- No. Approve or decline in bulk on an answer, such as everyone who picked a certain team size, and handle the rest one by one. New applications show up in the daily digest or in Slack for whoever reviews them.
- Can approved people get in straight away?
- Yes. Approval fires a webhook and can send the invite at once, so your app creates the account. You can also let approved people in a batch at a time.
Other kinds of launch
Early birds get in first.
Join the waitlist for Waitlark. We invite people in small groups, and waitlist members get the early-bird price.
One email to confirm, one when your invite is ready. Unsubscribe in one click. What we store.