A key indicator of a skilled marketer is maximizing the use of their online presence. Every aspect of your website, from the homepage to the 404 page, should actively contribute to engaging your audience. This principle holds true when crafting a coming soon landing page. While these pages serve to announce new offerings or even a new company, the challenge lies in capturing your potential customer’s attention without overwhelming them. Achieving the right balance between revealing and withholding information can be tricky.
This article outlines the essentials of creating a coming soon page that effectively converts visitors into future customers.
What Constitutes a Coming Soon Landing Page?
A coming soon landing page is a temporary webpage used to announce a new product or service. Its purpose is to generate interest while prompting customer action.
Image source Indeed, a mere announcement of your new service isn’t sufficient for your coming soon landing page. You aim to elicit a sign-up (or a similar action) from your audience. This could involve an email submission, an ebook download, or event registration. Why is this crucial? Consider launching your product or service as a party; the coming soon page acts as the invitation. Consequently, certain elements should be avoided on your coming soon landing page. Here are two crucial points to remember:
- Steer clear of generic maintenance mode templates. Every element of your website should serve a dual purpose. A simple “under construction” template only conveys that message, nothing more. Avoid generic templates and prioritize creating something that aligns with your brand identity.
- Refrain from overpromising or excessive revelation. Remember the movie trailer analogy – you wouldn’t want to spoil the entire plot! With a clear understanding of what a coming soon landing page should and shouldn’t be, let’s explore the elements that make it successful.
5 Tips for Crafting a High-Converting Coming Soon Landing Page
These five tips will guide you in creating compelling coming soon landing pages that captivate your prospects and encourage their return!
1. Prioritize Engagement Overwhelm
Brevity is key for a coming soon landing page. The primary message should be: You’ll love this new product because of X. The secondary message: Stay informed by doing Y (e.g., subscribing to a newsletter or product launch updates). Achieve this by focusing on a captivating headline and a concise descriptor. Both should highlight your offering and its value proposition for your customer. Let’s illustrate this with TeekTak’s approach in the example below.
Image source The headline: Your Freelance Business, Simplified. This resonates emotionally. Freelancers understand the challenges of time tracking and managing multiple invoices. While this emotional connection is instant, TeekTak strategically adds a descriptor, providing tangible examples: Time tracking. Invoicing. TeekTak then presents a clean section for email addresses with a clear call to action (“Join Waiting List”).
Free guide >> Additionally, curious customers can access more information by clicking the “Play Demo Video” CTA button.
2. Limit Forms to One
A coming soon landing page differs from a traditional one, which might have multiple forms. When announcing a new website or product, maintaining laser-sharp customer focus is paramount, as there’s only one offering: an email signup. Presenting excessive registration options on your coming soon landing page increases the risk of losing potential customers. The page should offer a limited number of actions. For instance, let’s assume your coming soon landing page is live, and your site has other pages (About Us, FAQ, Contact Us, etc.). Studies show that omitting these navigational links can increase conversion by 100%. This occurs because eliminating distractions allows readers to concentrate solely on the core message of the coming soon page. Therefore, alongside social media buttons (discussed later), there should be only one form to complete. Pro tip: Implement a splash page that appears before users exit your page. This can be set to trigger after a few seconds.
3. Incorporate a Countdown
Despite its uniqueness, a coming soon landing page still relies on conversion-driving mechanics. We’ve discussed how top-performing landing pages can achieve conversion rates exceeding 5%. So, don’t settle for lower figures like 2% or 3%. One method to boost your coming soon page’s conversion rate is by incorporating a countdown. This can be an actual, dynamically updating countdown timer. If the launch date is uncertain, a more general approach like “arriving this fall” or “out in time for Christmas” works well.
The underlying principle remains constant – a coming soon landing page without a countdown can appear stagnant and forgotten. It lacks context for users to grasp how soon “soon” actually is.
4. Prioritize Shareability
Including social media sharing buttons on coming soon pages serves a specific purpose. The primary goal of a coming soon page is to spread the word. Your new product or website likely addresses a specific problem, and generating buzz around your solution is crucial. Pro tip: Boost your landing page’s social shares across platforms by hosting a giveaway. Participants can enter by sharing your page on Facebook, retweeting it on Twitter, or posting about it on Instagram.
5. Ensure Mobile Responsiveness
As of this year, over 50% of web traffic originates from mobile devices. This figure might even be higher depending on your industry. Regardless of whether you’re targeting B2B or B2C customers, adopting a “mobile-first” approach when designing your landing page is crucial.
Exemplary Coming Soon Landing Pages
Examining excellent examples is a great way to gather inspiration for your own coming soon landing pages. Here are four impressive landing pages to learn from!
1. Arche Travel
Image source Notice how the placement of the “Subscribe” CTA button in the middle of the screen naturally draws attention? This strategic positioning effectively keeps users focused on both the intent (subscribing to the mailing list) and the message (taking a vacation). Placing the CTA button on the right side of the page would shift focus away from the captivating ocean landscape. This landing page also benefits from the inclusion of social sharing buttons. Potential Improvement: Incentives are powerful tools for converting visitors. What incentive do customers receive for subscribing to the newsletter?
2. LandApart
Image source Here’s another visually striking landing page. Notice how visual-centric these coming soon landing pages are? When launching a business or website, having a vast library of images to share might not be feasible. In such cases, WordPress templates or plugins can help create visually engaging landing pages where a single, crisp, thematically relevant image spans the entire page. Speaking of the image, observe how effectively it aligns with the target audience. This site caters to camping enthusiasts, and landing on this page instantly conveys that message. This landing page also incorporates an element we haven’t discussed yet: exclusivity. Similar to a countdown timer, exclusivity implies urgency. One of the CTA buttons reads “Request invite.” While LandApart might accept every invite request, that’s beside the point. The point is to create a sense of urgency for the user while providing an additional incentive to sign up. The perception of desirability piques interest. Note that this landing page features two CTA buttons. Users can either “Request an Invite” (to join) or, if they’ve already joined, proceed to the “Go to Beta” testing site. Consider the psychological impact of this approach on the user. Two doors lead into a VIP lounge; one grants access to the desired lounge, while the other leads to the sign-up area. These CTA buttons complement each other; the “Go to Beta” button acts as an incentive for the “Request an Invite” button. While this landing page lacks a countdown timer and social media sharing buttons, they aren’t necessarily required. The user experience wouldn’t significantly benefit from Twitter or Facebook sharing functionalities. Potential Improvement: This coming soon landing page is highly effective as is. However, conducting A/B testing with different CTA button colors could be worthwhile.
3. LAB Petite
Image source LAB Petite’s coming soon page stands out for several reasons. First, consider the copy: “Are you ready for the best modern handmade goods for your little ones? From clothing to toys, we’re going to showcase modern makers from around the world who make great things for kids. Sign up below to be informed when LAB Petite launches.” This copy effectively conveys the message and prompts user action. Second, LAB petite utilizes a countdown clock on their page. The countdown timer is particularly effective here because it taps into a child’s anticipation for desired items, transforming the site launch into a family event. Third, LAB Petite’s page features a strong CTA that aligns with its copy. Potential Improvement: While LAB Petite leverages social media buttons, offering an incentive to encourage sharing on Twitter or Instagram might be beneficial. This incentive could be a coupon, a raffle entry, or a limited-time gift with purchases exceeding a specific amount.
4. App Manager 5.0
Image source This landing page exemplifies an effective approach when stock images aren’t suitable, and depicting someone using a phone isn’t ideal. App Manager 5.0 opted for a simple, easily understandable graphic that showcases the app’s features. The CTA button incorporates a touch of exclusivity: “Get on the List!” The copy offers an incentive: early access grants subscribers exclusive perks. Potential Improvement: This page requires no significant improvements. It has a compelling CTA, clear and concise copy, an enticing incentive, and a countdown timer to create urgency.
What Follows the Coming Soon Landing Page?
The coming soon page represents the very beginning of the customer relationship-building process. Its purpose extends beyond simply attracting interest; it aims to raise brand awareness, generate email subscribers, and more. So, what comes next? Emails.
Email Sequences as Follow-Up to Your Coming Soon Landing Page
A coming soon page should capture customer information, ideally their email address. Building an email list of potential customers is crucial, as 59% of customers have confirmed that email marketing influences their purchasing decisions. This enables you to communicate updates with interested potential customers. You can create automated email sequences that escalate in frequency as the launch date approaches.
Image source You can share construction updates (for physical products), new feature announcements, or information about added accessories. Leveraging the information obtained through the coming soon landing page enhances the likelihood of a successful launch.
Craft Your Own High-Impact Coming Soon Landing Page!
We hope this guide has provided valuable insights into creating compelling coming soon landing pages. To recap, key takeaways include:
- Prioritize engagement over overwhelm. Treat your coming soon page as a concise teaser, not an exhaustive commercial. Highlight the core benefit without overselling.
- Include only one form. Streamline the process by requesting only the most crucial information – the customer’s email address.
- Incorporate a countdown. If a physical countdown timer isn’t preferred, simply mention an approximate launch date in the copy.
- Ensure shareability. Make your landing page easily shareable and provide incentives for customers to spread the word.
- Prioritize mobile responsiveness. Ensure your CTA button is prominent and visually appealing on mobile devices.