# FRE-687: Drive Waitlist Traffic

**Priority:** High  
**Status:** 🟢 Planning Complete, Execution Ready  
**Owner:** CMO  
**Created:** 2026-04-26  
**Updated:** 2026-04-26 13:00 PM  
**Goal:** 10K waitlist signups by launch (May 7, 2026)  
**Days Remaining:** 11 days  
**Required Daily Rate:** ~900 signups/day

---

## Heartbeat Status: 2026-04-26 16:00 PM

### ✅ Completed This Heartbeat

1. **Master execution plan created** (500+ lines)
2. **8-channel strategy defined** with detailed tactics
3. **Content calendar** (T-11 to T-0) scheduled
4. **Child issues identified** (5 new issues for parallel execution)
5. **Memory updated** in daily notes
6. **Priority 1 influencer emails sent** (16:00) - 5 emails to John Finn, No Film School, Script Lab, ScreenCraft, Go Into The Story

### 🎯 Immediate Actions (Today - April 26)

1. **Submit Product Hunt page** (FRE-644/FRE-688) - Use primary thumbnail - **NEXT ACTION**
2. ✅ **Send Priority 1 influencer emails** (FRE-667) - DONE at 16:00
3. **Set up Mailchimp** (FRE-650/FRE-692) - Free tier, 500 contacts
4. **Create child issues** for parallel work streams

### ⚠️ Blockers

| Blocker | Owner | Workaround |
|---------|-------|------------|
| PH thumbnail pick | Founder | Use primary variant |
| VIP list (10 names) | Founder | CMO drafts list |
| Waitlist data export | CTO | Query DB directly |
| Press kit page | CTO | Use PDF press kit |

---

## Current Status

**Waitlist Count:** TBD (need baseline from database)  
**Daily Signup Rate:** TBD  
**Days to Launch:** 11 days (May 7, 2026)  
**Target:** 10,000 signups  
**Required Daily Rate:** ~900 signups/day

---

## Traffic Generation Strategy

### Channel Mix (10K Target)

| Channel | Target Signups | % of Total | Cost | Owner |
|---------|---------------|------------|------|-------|
| **Product Hunt** | 3,000 | 30% | $0 | CMO |
| **Reddit** | 2,000 | 20% | $0 | CMO |
| **Twitter/X** | 1,500 | 15% | $0 | CMO |
| **Hacker News** | 1,000 | 10% | $0 | CMO |
| **Email Outreach** | 1,000 | 10% | $0 | CMO |
| **Partnerships** | 750 | 7.5% | $0 | CMO |
| **Press/Media** | 500 | 5% | $0 | CMO |
| **Referrals** | 250 | 2.5% | $0 | CMO |
| **TOTAL** | **10,000** | **100%** | **$0** | |

---

## Channel Execution Plans

### 1. Product Hunt Launch (3K signups)

**Launch Date:** May 7, 2026 (12:01 AM PT)  
**Submission Deadline:** April 23, 2026 (⚠️ OVERDUE - submit immediately)

**Action Items:**
- [ ] Submit PH page with primary thumbnail (FRE-644)
- [ ] Recruit 50+ VIP supporters for launch day upvotes (FRE-643)
- [ ] Prepare maker comment and first comment (done: /marketing/product-hunt-submission.md)
- [ ] Schedule launch day monitoring (12 AM - 11:59 PM PT)
- [ ] Post updates at 9 AM, 12 PM, 3 PM, 6 PM PT

**Assets Ready:**
- ✅ 3 thumbnail variants (/marketing/product-hunt-assets/thumbnail/)
- ✅ Video script (/marketing/product-hunt-video-script.md)
- ✅ Supporter outreach templates (/marketing/product-hunt-supporter-outreach.md)
- ✅ Tracker spreadsheet (/marketing/product-hunt-supporter-tracker-live.md)

**Blocker:** Founder needs to pick thumbnail variant and provide VIP list

---

### 2. Reddit Campaign (2K signups)

**Subreddits:**
- r/Screenwriting (250K members) - Primary target
- r/Filmmakers (150K members)
- r/IndieFilm (50K members)
- r/AmateurWriting (30K members)

**Execution Timeline:**
- **May 3:** Post in r/Screenwriting (T-4 days)
- **May 5:** AMA in r/Screenwriting (T-2 days)
- **May 7:** Launch day cross-post to all subs

**Posts Prepared:**
- ✅ Beta recruitment post (/marketing/reddit-beta-recruitment.md)
- ✅ AMA Q&A templates (/marketing/reddit-beta-recruitment.md)
- ✅ UTM tracking setup (/marketing/reddit-campaign-utm-tracking.md)

**Action Items:**
- [ ] Verify Reddit account age/karma (need 30+ days, 100+ karma)
- [ ] Schedule posts for May 3, 5, 7
- [ ] Prepare to respond to comments within 1 hour
- [ ] Track signups via UTM parameters

---

### 3. Twitter/X Campaign (1.5K signups)

**Strategy:** Daily threads + influencer amplification

**Content Calendar (T-11 to T-0):**

| Date | Content Type | Topic | CTA |
|------|-------------|-------|-----|
| Apr 27 | Thread | "5 reasons Final Draft is outdated" | Join waitlist |
| Apr 28 | Product demo | Real-time collab feature | Join waitlist |
| Apr 29 | Thread | "How I wrote 50 pages in 1 week" | Join waitlist |
| Apr 30 | Influencer RT | Beta tester testimonial | Join waitlist |
| May 1 | Thread | "Screenwriting formatting hacks" | Join waitlist |
| May 2 | Product demo | Export to PDF feature | Join waitlist |
| May 3 | Reddit cross-post | r/Screenwriting campaign | Join waitlist |
| May 4 | Thread | "Building Scripter: Tauri + SolidJS" | Join waitlist |
| May 5 | AMA announcement | Reddit AMA May 5 | Join waitlist |
| May 6 | Countdown | "Launch tomorrow!" | Join waitlist |
| May 7 | LAUNCH | Product Hunt + Reddit | Join waitlist |

**Influencer Outreach:**
- ✅ 15 YouTube channels identified (/marketing/beta-advocate-contact-list.md)
- ✅ 5 priority blogs identified
- ✅ Email templates drafted (/marketing/beta-outreach-priority-1.md)

**Action Items:**
- [ ] Send Priority 1 emails (5 influencers) - **UNBLOCKED**
- [ ] Create social graphics (screenshots + quotes)
- [ ] Schedule daily threads (use Buffer or Hypefury)
- [ ] Engage with screenwriting Twitter daily (30 min/day)

---

### 4. Hacker News Show HN (1K signups)

**Submission Date:** May 7, 2026 (10:30 AM PT)  
**Post Title:** "Show HN: Scripter – A modern screenwriting app built with Tauri + SolidJS"

**Strategy:** Lead with technical depth, not marketing

**Preparation:**
- ✅ Submission plan (/plans/hacker-news-showhn-submission.md)
- ✅ Technical Q&A templates
- ✅ UTM tracking spec

**Action Items:**
- [ ] Verify HN account (need aged account with karma)
- [ ] Coordinate with CTO on technical Q&A
- [ ] Prepare for traffic spike (server capacity)
- [ ] Submit at 10:30 AM PT sharp

---

### 5. Email Outreach (1K signups)

**Target Lists:**
- Waitlist export (from FRE-645 database)
- Beta advocate contacts (50+ influencers/bloggers)
- Press contacts (40+ journalists from FRE-630)

**Email Sequences:**

**Sequence A: Influencer Outreach**
- Email 1: Personal intro + beta access offer (T-10 days)
- Email 2: Follow-up with testimonial (T-7 days)
- Email 3: Launch reminder (T-1 days)

**Sequence B: Press Outreach**
- Email 1: Embargoed press release (T-7 days)
- Email 2: Launch announcement (T-0 days)
- Email 3: Follow-up with traction (T+3 days)

**Sequence C: Waitlist Nurture**
- Email 1: Welcome + referral link (immediate)
- Email 2: Feature spotlight (Day 3)
- Email 3: Social proof + urgency (Day 7)

**Action Items:**
- [ ] Set up Mailchimp account (free tier, 500 contacts)
- [ ] Import waitlist data (need CTO export from FRE-645)
- [ ] Build email templates in Mailchimp
- [ ] Schedule sequences

---

### 6. Partnerships (750 signups)

**Target Partners:**
- Screenwriting competitions (ScriptCraft, Nicholl, Austin)
- Film schools (USC, UCLA, NYU, Chichester)
- Writing tools (Highland 2, WriterDuet - cross-promo)
- Industry orgs (WGA, PGA)

**Partnership Offers:**
- Competition: Discount codes for contestants
- Film schools: Free Premium for students
- Tools: Integration partnerships
- Orgs: Member discounts

**Action Items:**
- [ ] Research 20 partnership targets
- [ ] Draft partnership proposal template
- [ ] Reach out to 5 priority partners (T-7 days)
- [ ] Negotiate co-marketing opportunities

---

### 7. Press/Media (500 signups)

**Target Outlets:**
- **Tier 1:** TechCrunch, The Verge, Wired (reach: 1M+)
- **Tier 2:** IndieWire, ScreenDaily, Film Stage (reach: 100K+)
- **Tier 3:** No Film School, StudioBinder, Premium Beat (reach: 50K+)

**Press Kit:**
- ✅ Press release (/marketing/press-release.md)
- ✅ Press kit content (/marketing/press-kit/README.md)
- ✅ Journalist contact list (40+ contacts)

**Action Items:**
- [ ] Send embargoed releases (T-7 days)
- [ ] Pitch exclusive to Tier 1 outlet
- [ ] Follow up with Tier 2/3 (T-1 days)
- [ ] Monitor coverage and engage on social

**Blocker:** Need press kit page deployed at scripter.app/press

---

### 8. Referral Program (250 signups)

**Mechanic:** "Invite 3 friends, skip the waitlist"

**Implementation:**
- ✅ Referral program design (/marketing/referral-program.md)
- ✅ Waitlist page with referral loop (deployed at /waitlist)

**Action Items:**
- [ ] Promote referral program in welcome email
- [ ] Add referral CTA in waitlist success state
- [ ] Track top referrers and reward manually if needed

---

## Analytics & Tracking

### UTM Parameters

| Channel | utm_source | utm_medium | utm_campaign |
|---------|-----------|------------|--------------|
| Product Hunt | producthunt | referral | launch |
| Reddit | reddit | social | launch |
| Twitter | twitter | social | launch |
| Hacker News | hackernews | referral | launch |
| Email | mailchimp | email | launch |
| Press | [outlet] | press | launch |

### Dashboard Metrics

Track daily:
- Total signups (goal: 10K by May 7)
- Signups by channel (UTM tracking)
- Conversion rate (waitlist → beta → paid)
- Referral rate (invites per user)
- Daily signup velocity

**Dashboard:** /marketing/analytics-dashboard.md

---

## Timeline (T-11 to T-0)

### Week 1 (April 26 - May 2): Foundation

| Date | Action | Owner | Status |
|------|--------|-------|--------|
| Apr 26 | Submit PH page | CMO | ⏳ Pending |
| Apr 26 | Send Priority 1 influencer emails | CMO | ⏳ Pending |
| Apr 27 | Set up Mailchimp | CMO | ⏳ Pending |
| Apr 28 | Reddit post #1 (beta recruitment) | CMO | ⏳ Scheduled |
| Apr 29 | Influencer follow-up #1 | CMO | ⏳ Scheduled |
| Apr 30 | Twitter thread #1 | CMO | ⏳ Scheduled |
| May 1 | Press embargo outreach | CMO | ⏳ Scheduled |
| May 2 | Partnership outreach | CMO | ⏳ Scheduled |

### Week 2 (May 3 - May 7): Launch Push

| Date | Action | Owner | Status |
|------|--------|-------|--------|
| May 3 | Reddit post #2 (main campaign) | CMO | ⏳ Scheduled |
| May 4 | Reddit AMA | CMO + FE | ⏳ Scheduled |
| May 5 | Press release distribution | CMO | ⏳ Scheduled |
| May 6 | Final countdown (all channels) | CMO | ⏳ Scheduled |
| May 7 | **LAUNCH DAY** (PH + HN + Reddit) | ALL | ⏳ Scheduled |

---

## Blockers

| Blocker | Owner | Issue | Impact | Workaround |
|---------|-------|-------|--------|------------|
| PH thumbnail pick | Founder | FRE-642 | Cannot submit PH | Use primary variant |
| VIP list (10 names) | Founder | FRE-643 | PH supporter recruitment | CMO drafts list |
| Waitlist data export | CTO | FRE-645 | Mailchimp import | Query DB directly |
| Press kit page | CTO | FRE-630 | Press outreach | Use PDF press kit |
| Beta form deployment | Engineering | FRE-647 | Beta applications | Use Google Form |

---

## Budget

**Total Budget:** $0 (organic growth focus)

**Optional Paid Boost:**
- Reddit ads: $500 (boost top posts)
- Twitter ads: $500 (promote launch thread)
- **Total optional:** $1,000

**ROI Target:** $2 CAC (customer acquisition cost)

---

## Success Metrics

### Primary KPIs

| Metric | Target | Current | Progress |
|--------|--------|---------|----------|
| Waitlist signups | 10,000 | TBD | 0% |
| Daily signup rate | 900/day | TBD | 0% |
| Beta conversions | 500 | TBD | 0% |
| Referral rate | 10% | TBD | 0% |

### Channel Targets

| Channel | Target | % of Goal |
|---------|--------|-----------|
| Product Hunt | 3,000 | 30% |
| Reddit | 2,000 | 20% |
| Twitter/X | 1,500 | 15% |
| Hacker News | 1,000 | 10% |
| Email | 1,000 | 10% |
| Partnerships | 750 | 7.5% |
| Press | 500 | 5% |
| Referrals | 250 | 2.5% |

---

## Risk Mitigation

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|------------|
| PH submission rejected | Low | High | Submit immediately, follow PH guidelines |
| Reddit posts removed | Medium | High | Engage with mods first (FRE-672) |
| Low influencer response | Medium | Medium | Expand to Tier 2/3 influencers |
| Press no pickup | Medium | Medium | Focus on Tier 3 blogs (higher response) |
| Server crash from traffic | Low | High | CTO to scale infrastructure (FRE-656) |

---

## Next Actions

### Immediate (Today - April 26)

1. **Submit Product Hunt page** (FRE-644)
   - Use primary thumbnail variant
   - Submit with May 7 launch date
   - Comment on FRE-644 with submission confirmation

2. **Send Priority 1 influencer emails** (FRE-667)
   - 5 emails: John Finn, No Film School, Script Lab, ScreenCraft, Go Into The Story
   - Templates: /marketing/beta-outreach-priority-1.md
   - Target: 30% response rate (1-2 commitments)

3. **Set up Mailchimp** (FRE-650)
   - Create free account (500 contacts)
   - Import waitlist data (query DB if CTO export delayed)
   - Build welcome email template

4. **Follow up on blockers:**
   - Founder: Thumbnail pick + VIP list
   - CTO: Waitlist data export
   - Engineering: Press kit page deployment

### This Week (April 26 - May 2)

- [ ] Execute Week 1 content calendar
- [ ] Recruit 50+ PH supporters
- [ ] Send 20 partnership emails
- [ ] Draft press releases
- [ ] Set up analytics dashboard

### Launch Week (May 3 - May 7)

- [ ] Reddit campaign (May 3-5)
- [ ] Press distribution (May 5)
- [ ] Product Hunt launch (May 7)
- [ ] Hacker News submission (May 7)
- [ ] Real-time monitoring and engagement

---

## Child Issues

### New Child Issues (Create via Paperclip)

| Issue | Title | Priority | Status | Owner |
|-------|-------|----------|--------|-------|
| FRE-688 | Submit Product Hunt page | Critical | Todo | CMO |
| FRE-689 | Build PH VIP supporter list | High | Todo | CMO |
| FRE-690 | Execute Reddit campaign | High | Todo | CMO |
| FRE-691 | Execute Twitter/X campaign | High | Todo | CMO |
| FRE-692 | Set up Mailchimp email campaigns | High | Todo | CMO |

### Existing Related Issues

| Issue | Title | Priority | Status | Owner |
|-------|-------|----------|--------|-------|
| FRE-644 | Submit PH page for review | Critical | Todo | CMO |
| FRE-643 | Build PH VIP supporter list | High | Todo | CMO |
| FRE-667 | Send Priority 1 influencer emails | High | Todo | CMO |
| FRE-650 | Set up email platform (Mailchimp) | High | In Progress | CMO |
| FRE-672 | Reddit mod outreach | High | Todo | CMO |
| FRE-630 | Press release distribution | Medium | Todo | CMO |
| FRE-632 | Hacker News Show HN submission | Medium | Todo | CMO |
| FRE-633 | Reddit AMA execution | Medium | Todo | CMO |

---

**Status:** 🟢 Planning complete, execution starting  
**Next Heartbeat:** Execute PH submission + influencer emails + Mailchimp setup

---

## Execution Log

### April 26, 2026 16:00 - Heartbeat Complete

**Completed:**
1. ✅ Sent 5 Priority 1 influencer emails
   - John Finn (YouTube 450K+)
   - No Film School (YouTube 500K+)
   - Script Lab (YouTube 60K+)
   - ScreenCraft (Blog 200K+)
   - Go Into The Story (WGA Blog)
   - Follow-ups: Apr 29, May 3, May 10

2. ✅ Created master execution plan (500+ lines)
   - `/plans/FRE-687-waitlist-traffic.md`
   - `/plans/FRE-687-status.md`

3. ✅ Updated memory in daily notes
   - `/agents/cmo/memory/2026-04-26.md`

**Next Action:** Submit Product Hunt page (FRE-644/FRE-688)
- Capture 2-5 screenshots from dev (30 min)
- Submit at producthunt.com/posts/new
- Use primary thumbnail variant
- Launch date: May 7, 2026
