6,000 Registrants and 600 Pre-Orders for the World’s First Solar Car — in 3 Weeks
…
6,000+
Waitlist registrants
600+
Pre-orders in 3 weeks
$7
Avg CPL — registrants
$23
Avg CPL — pre-orders
The situation
What was broken before I came in.
Lightyear was launching their second solar car model and needed to validate market demand globally before their next investment round. The timeline was tight: 3 weeks to generate meaningful pre-orders and waitlist volume. The challenge was significant — solar-powered cars had essentially no established market to target, no category playbook to follow, and the audience was spread across multiple continents with different motivations for buying.
The product category had genuine buzz but zero purchase infrastructure. I was brought in to build the full launch campaign from the ground up — strategy, creative direction, channel mix, targeting logic, and lead nurture — while coordinating with an external agency on asset production.
The approach
What I actually did.
We ran paid and organic in parallel from day one, with a strict 12-week plan. Weeks 1–2 were prep. Weeks 3–8 were awareness. Weeks 8–11 were retargeting and conversion. Week 12 was analysis. Here’s what we built:
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Segmented paid media across Google, Meta, and LinkedIn
Each segment targeted a different value proposition: affordability, environmental impact, and cutting-edge technology. Teaser visuals built anticipation before the full reveal. -
International CRO landing page with varied messaging
Built a conversion-optimised landing page with translations and message variants for different international audiences. One page, multiple entry points. -
Extended email nurture workflow
Designed a sequence covering product features, company milestones, and EV objection handling. Moved registrants from curiosity to intent over 6–8 weeks. -
PR and eco-community partnerships
Secured press releases and placements in clean energy and EV media. Partnered with eco-friendly communities and early EV adopter groups for organic reach. -
Referral programme for early adopters
Incentivised existing interest to refer friends and family. Added a viral loop to what was otherwise a paid-heavy acquisition strategy. -
Retargeting to drive pre-order submissions
Used video view audiences and landing page visitors to build retargeting pools, then pushed pre-order messaging to the warmest segments in weeks 8–11.
The results
The 3-week conversion window produced results that directly supported Lightyear’s investment conversations. The CPL figures were significantly below initial benchmarks, and the pre-order volume demonstrated real purchase intent at scale.
- 6,000+ waitlist registrants
- 600+ pre-orders placed
- $7 CPL for registrants
- $23 CPL for pre-orders
- $10–20M potential pre-order revenue
- 20,000+ new email subscribers
- 4 continents reached
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