Did you that you don’t have to lose leads when prepping for a launch? Whether you’re planning to launch a new offer or completely re-launch your website, your leads can still have a place to go – the coming soon page. 

What is a coming soon page? A coming soon page is a landing page that serves as a placeholder for your upcoming offer or website. Traditionally, you’ll see coming soon pages utilized when a website is being launched or built to prevent incoming leads from leaving without interacting with your offers or subscribing to your email list. Common coming soon landing pages are “website in progress” or a waitlist for their new offer or upcoming program.

For today, we’re going to focus on the purpose of coming soon pages in your launch strategy and unique coming soon page ideas.

Why Are Coming Soon Pages Included in a Launch Strategy?

It may surprise you, but I only recommend a coming soon page if you don’t have a currently existing website. When you’re an established business owner, your website will still serve as an efficient way to generate new leads and build trust with your existing audience. When you don’t have an established business, it’s likely that you’re taking the next step in establishing your business online (investing in a website) and a coming soon page can inform your growing audience about your service – and how they can contact you in the future.

Coming soon pages work to provide your audience with the information missing – such as who/what you are and do, if they can work with you, and some insight on who you serve and how. For example, a good coming soon page should inform your audience that you’re “this” and not “that” – a “social media manager” or an “accountant.” 

Depending on the business you run, you may want to direct your audience to your current main platform. For example, if you’re a realtor developing a website but currently serving your audience through another platform, you’ll want to direct them to your current platform while you’re website is being built. 

06 Things to Include in a Coming Soon Page That Converts

The true test of a coming soon page is how your audience will interact with it and where they go next. They should want to stay in contact with you or check out what you have currently available. Or, put more simply, they should have a “next step” rather than just leaving. 

Here are a few things to consider when having a coming soon page and what I’ve found that converts:

01. Focus on Your Branding 

Before investing in a website, it’s recommended that you’ve already developed your brand. Your branding is focused on delivering your message and attracting your ideal client – making its inclusion a necessity for your coming soon page. Your branding will also ensure a seamless flow from your coming soon page to your website launch. Even if you’re relaunching with new branding, use it for your coming soon page to give your audience a taste of what’s to come.

02. Keep it Simple & Short

Some of the best coming soon pages are only as big as a computer screen, with no scrolling or additional pages. These “short and sweet” coming soon landing pages keep your audience from having too many options when you don’t currently have the ability to easily provide those options. Give the bare minimum of choices, encourage them to subscribe or set an alarm for your launch, don’t try and give them 5 resources, contact, and get them to follow you on social media. Too many choices can lead to decision paralysis and decrease conversions.

03. Offer a Lead Magnet While They Wait

Essentially, encourage them to subscribe to your email list in exchange for a free resource. This doubles as a great way to capture leads and remind them of your launch at a later date (now that you have a point of contact), but also increase your brand authority and establish yourself as the expert. 

04. Clearly State Who You Serve

A shortcut for this can be including a short bio on your coming soon page that includes a picture of yourself and a bio that covers who you are and who you serve. If you have a brand message or statement, including that and an easy method of communication is also a great place to start. 

05. Add a Contact Form

When you have no current offers (or you’re unsure about your offers), add a contact form for your coming soon page. A simple name, website, and long-form message submission form will give your audience exactly what they need to explain what they’re looking for. This method is not as efficient – since they’ll need to know exactly what they want you to help them with – as a simple subscription form.

06. Know Your Purpose

Establish the reason for your coming soon page. Are you announcing that a new website is coming? Are you announcing that you have finally established a website? Is this a way for others to find you while you are working through another platform? Asking yourself a few questions to establish why you’re creating a coming soon (outside of launching a new website) and what you want your audience to do after getting there.

Are Coming Soon Pages Required When Launching?

Technically no, coming soon pages are not required. But, they are highly recommended when you don’t have a pre-existing website or audience.

A new website coming soon message or a coming soon landing page keeps the experience smooth for your growing audience. With a coming soon page, you can bring attention to your new launch and make a huge event of it! Alternatively, when you don’t need a coming soon page you can still make a huge event of your new site, but we’ll have a smooth transition from your old site to your new website!

Your website designer should include this in their process when building out your new website. When you work with Âme Creatives, we actually provide an entire launch guide for when your website is complete and the best course of action while your new website is under construction.