The launch day spin wheel

It was the first hour of the launch, and the traffic was starting to trickle in. I’d set up the spin wheel on the product page, just below the main image. My cursor hovered over the ‘spin’ button, but I paused, thinking about the email field right below it.

That moment of hesitation

I remember looking at the form, just a single line asking for an address. It felt like a big ask, even though it was standard. The page was already full of new product details and images.Adding another demand for their attention seemed like a lot. I wondered if people would just bounce, seeing it as a transactional gate instead of a genuine moment. The goal was a lead, but the feeling was all wrong.

Reframing the exchange

So I changed the text. Instead of a generic ‘Enter your email to spin,’ it became ‘Get your launch day offer.’ The wheel itself held the value—a real discount, free shipping, early access to a color.Nothing was fake or a guaranteed win of some grand prize. Each slot was something I’d be happy to give, and a customer would be happy to get. The email became the receipt for that specific, instant thing, not a payment for a chance.It shifted the energy completely. The ask felt proportional. They got something tangible immediately, and I got a permission slip that felt earned, not extracted.

The quiet aftermath

Later, watching the submissions come in, there was no spike of manipulative excitement. Just a steady, quiet stream of people who’d engaged and left an address for a clear reason.

A different kind of list

It wasn’t just a list of emails anymore. It was a list of people who had already expressed a mild preference, who had already received something from us. That felt like a much better place to start a conversation.