The first post went out on Monday, September 28. In five days the waitlist grew faster than in the three weeks before it, the account passed 300 followers, and the Reel with the giveaway drew the most likes and comments. Here is what the numbers say and what we change for weeks 3 and 4.
Updated October 2, 2026, 1:15 PM · waitlist counted in the app, Instagram read from the public profile, website traffic from Google Analytics
34
waitlist signups since the first post
September 28 to October 2 (midday): 34 distinct email addresses after leaving out our own tests. 3 came in during the whole week before.
320
Instagram followers
After 4 posts in 5 days. Read from the public profile on October 2.
2,000+
views on the first post
Daniel's number from Instagram Insights, launch day.
22 of 34
signups tagged from Instagram
Tagging was fixed on September 29; since then 22 of 23 signups carried the Instagram tag.
What it tells us, and what we change
What the numbers say
The waitlist is working. Five days of posting brought in more signups than the three weeks the form was live before launch, 9 on launch day alone (close to Daniel's count of 10).
Instagram is the engine. Once the tracking fix went live on September 29, 22 of the next 23 signups carried the Instagram tag.
People and story drew the most likes and comments. The Reel of Rory and Daniel and the founders post led; the teaching carousel had the fewest, which is normal, because teaching posts earn saves and shares more than likes.
The giveaway Reel drew 98 comments, the most public interaction so far. We cannot yet tie signups to a single post, so treat it as the most talked-about post, not proof it brought the most signups. Keep giveaways occasional.
After five days Ritual has about a quarter of the followers of Plunge + Restore (1,221), the closest open competitor, which itself grew a third since August.
What we change for weeks 3 and 4
Keep one Reel a week of the build and the founders. It is the strongest format so far.
Keep the teaching carousels, and judge them by saves and shares, not likes.
Every Friday, send one screenshot of Instagram Insights (views, reach, saves, shares, follows per post), so the next snapshot can rank posts properly.
Give the 34 new signups an owner. None has one yet; the 4 newest already have a follow-up date from the new Leads queue, and the earlier 30 need one set by hand.
Waitlist signups per day
From the website waitlist form, counted in the app.
Counted in the app, from the website waitlist form, after leaving out recognizable tests: 34 distinct email addresses. 30 said yes to texts and 17 said yes to marketing emails. The email provider accepted the welcome email for all 34; delivery to each inbox is not tracked yet.
The four posts
Likes and comments are public counts read on October 2. Views, reach, saves, shares and follows per post only show inside Instagram Insights on the Ritual account.
Date
Post
Likes
Comments
Total
Sep 28
Teaser post Something new is coming to University Place
49
8
57
Sep 29
Reel with giveaway We're Rory and Daniel, and we're filming the whole build
90
98
188
Oct 1
Teaching carousel Contrast therapy explained
41
3
44
Oct 2
Founders post Meet the founders of Ritual
63
7
70
Next to the local accounts
Follower counts read from each public profile on October 2, 2026.
Account
Followers
Context
Ritual Studio @ritualstudiospa
320
4 posts in 5 days
Plunge + Restore (Tacoma) @plungeandrestore
1,221
Closest competitor, already open. 30 posts. Up from about 909 in August.
Google Analytics saw 6 signup events where the app recorded 23 for the same days. Google misses visitors who decline analytics cookies, and it measures differently in other ways too, so the app's waitlist count is the one to use; Google shows which channels send people.
Read with care
Rory, on the October 2 call: most of the growth came from word of mouth and the local community, plus a $150 Instagram ad over four days aimed within 20 miles. Followers were near 400 by the call. Goal: 5,000 by December.
Five days is an early read, not a trend.
Instagram now counts "views" as every time a post is shown, repeats included, so 2,000 views is not 2,000 people (Meta).
Instagram views, reach, saves and shares per post come from Instagram Insights, which only the Ritual account can see. Daniel's 2,000+ views is his reading.
The bio and the first post say "January 2027". Our other public wording says "early 2027". Worth deciding which to use everywhere.