Short answer: A fitness course pre-sale and waitlist let you collect payments before filming: publish a clear outcome and curriculum map on your product page, open a five-to-ten-day cart with a real deadline, warm your list through an email newsletter, and optionally run a sales webinar. Aim for twenty to fifty paid pre-orders to validate demand and fund production. Route checkout to FitSpace and mirror refund language from refunds and terms of service.

Many trainers delay launch until a twelve-week library is perfect. Meanwhile gear, editing, and studio costs pile up while audience attention cools. Pre-selling flips the sequence: sell the promise and structure first, then film what buyers already paid for.

A waitlist is the softer path when you are not ready to charge yet—you collect email and interest, test headline and price, then open a short pre-order window with a discount or bonus. Below is a step-by-step playbook without fake scarcity or permanent discounts.

Why sell before you film

Pre-sales remove three risks: financial (payments fund filming), product (students vote with wallets on format), and marketing (you learn which promises convert). If nobody buys after two weeks of normal traffic, the issue is packaging or audience—not one more lesson.

This is not selling air. Buyers get a transparent roadmap: module release dates, early-bird bonuses, optional community or kickoff call before day one. Clarity reduces refunds and builds trust.

• Fund production without financing camera gear on a credit card.
• Test pricing before scaling paid ads.
• Collect questions for your product FAQ before launch.
• Commit to deadlines—students expect module one on schedule.

Estimate production budget using course creation cost breakdown so you know how many pre-orders hit break-even.

Waitlist vs pre-payment

Waitlist: a simple “notify me” form—name, email, goal (fat loss, strength, mobility). Send three to five value emails, then announce cart open. Best when the outline is still draft or you are testing a niche.

Pre-sale: real checkout with fifteen to thirty percent discount or bonus stack (extra week, meal guide, group call). Buyers know start date and module list. Best when the outline is fixed and you can film within two to four weeks after cart close.

Combine both: one month waitlist → one week pre-order → film → deliver module one on the promised date. A short online fitness marathon often fills a waitlist faster than cold traffic.

Product page for pre-sales

Your FitSpace page needs: a specific outcome (“four weeks of home strength without a gym”), a week-by-week map (titles and goals even before video exists), start date, what pre-order includes, and a one-line refund summary linking to full policy.

Add a “how we film” block—behind-the-scenes photo, equipment list, support format. That reduces “I paid and got ghosted” fear. Social proof from past marathons, DM screenshots, completion stats.

Do not hide drip delivery. Students expect serial releases; consistency beats dumping forty files at once. Packaging mistakes are covered in ten launch mistakes to avoid.

Funnel: email, webinar, social

Email: waitlist gets five to seven messages—story, case study, curriculum walkthrough, FAQ, cart open, last day. Full playbook in our email newsletter guide.

Webinar: sixty minutes teaching, twenty minutes Q&A, pre-order offer. Warm lists convert five to fifteen percent of registrants. Structure in how to conduct a sales webinar.

Social / Telegram: daily micro-tips, polls on module priorities, countdown to cart close. Pin FitSpace checkout—not “pay me in DMs.”

Pricing and pre-order bonuses

Discount should feel meaningful without destroying your anchor forever. Common pattern: public launch price twenty to twenty-five percent above pre-order; early buyers keep terms permanently (grandfathering).

Bonuses often beat deeper discounts: mobility week, nutrition PDF, kickoff group call. Bonuses do not require reshooting core lessons. State clearly that bonuses expire when the cart closes—honest urgency.

Legal clarity and expectations

In terms and on the product page specify: what buyers receive immediately (account access, chat, bonus PDF), when module one drops, refund rules before and after start. Templates in refunds and terms for trainers. Add health disclaimers before taking payment.

After cart close: filming and communication

Send a welcome email: calendar, app login, support contact. Weekly sixty-second “filming update” video maintains excitement. Ship module one on the promised date even if module two is still editing—steady rhythm beats perfect delay.

If pre-sales miss target, refund or offer a dated extension with extra bonus. Honesty now is cheaper than reputation damage later.

Pre-sale metrics

Track: waitlist signups → email opens → page clicks → payments → post-start refunds. Many clicks and few payments mean price or trust blocks on the page. Few clicks mean weak hook or wrong audience.

MVP pre-sale goal is not a million dollars—it is validated unit economics: thirty sales at a fair price fund modest production and seed reviews for the full release.

Common pre-sale mistakes

Do not promise “full course tomorrow” if filming takes a month—publish a module calendar. Do not run endless “early bird” pricing—audiences stop trusting urgency. Do not accept DM transfers without published terms—chargebacks favor buyers when nothing is documented.

Do not ignore waitlist subscribers who did not buy—offer a marathon or mini-program a month later as a stepping stone. The “interested but did not pay” segment fuels the next launch.

Record a three-minute FAQ video: what pre-order includes, start date, refund rules—embed it near the pay button. Author video often lifts conversion more than another text block.

Frequently asked questions

• Is it legal to charge before the course is filmed? Yes, with clear timelines, deliverables, and refund policy. Publish terms before sales open.
• How big should the pre-order discount be? Typically fifteen to thirty percent or equivalent bonus value. Raise price after public launch.
• How many pre-orders do I need? Depends on production budget; twenty to fifty is a common target for home programs. See cost breakdown.
• What if filming slips? Communicate early, offer compensation (bonus module). A one-week honest delay beats silence.
• Does a free waitlist still help? Yes—for headline tests and list building before a short paid window.
• Where should checkout live? On your FitSpace course page—automatic access and protected video after filming.

Pre-selling turns launch from a gamble into a feedback loop. Draft your outline, open a waitlist or one-week cart, and create your course on FitSpace and browse author examples while momentum is high.