Whatnot / Preparation
The Whatnot Show Prep Checklist Top Sellers Run Before Every Live
By the Ghost Agent team ·
The pacing decisions that make or break a show are too fast to improvise. They draw on prep you did while calm. This is the checklist top sellers run before every live, so the show itself is execution, not scrambling.
1. Why winging it caps your GMV
Every good mid-show call, when to cut a lot, when to reset, what to run next, draws on a decision you ideally made beforehand. Without prep you are improvising under pressure, and that is where GMV quietly leaks.
2. Stage inventory in lot order
Do not just gather your inventory, sequence it. Knowing the exact order of your lots keeps pacing tight and eliminates the dead air between lots that is one of the biggest silent momentum killers.
3. Set start prices and a floor for every lot
Decide opening prices and a walk-away floor for each lot while you are calm, not mid-auction under pressure. This is where auction pacing discipline starts, long before you go live.
4. Tech check: audio first
Check audio, then lighting, then connection, in that order, because bad audio loses a room faster than anything else. A two-minute check prevents the single most avoidable way to lose viewers.
5. Work the promotion window
Announce the show ahead of time, remind your audience as it approaches, and tease specific lots. Timing this against your best slot is what gets the room full before you start selling.
6. Script only the first ten minutes
Plan your opening precisely, the first product, the first hook, the first energy build, then let pacing take over. Over-scripting past the opening makes you rigid when the room needs you responsive.
7. Plan the giveaway and the lot after it
Decide what you will give away, roughly when, and the strong lot that follows it. A giveaway with no planned callout after wastes the attention it creates.
8. Set your mid-show triggers in advance
Decide your GPM floor and what you will do when you hit it, change product, reset with a giveaway, address the room. Pre-committing to the trigger means you act on the dip instead of noticing it too late.
9. Plan the post-show ritual
Give yourself ten minutes after the show to review what moved before you close the laptop. Ghost Agent delivers that after-action read automatically, where GMV leaked and what to fix, so the review is done for you and feeds straight into your next show plan.
Let the postmortem write itself
Ghost Agent hands you an after-action read on every show, where GMV leaked and what to fix, so your prep for the next one starts from data instead of memory.
Start your free trialFrequently asked questions
How do I prepare for my first Whatnot show?
Stage your inventory in lot order, set a start price and floor for each lot, check audio and lighting, promote the show ahead of time, and plan only your first ten minutes precisely. The rest is pacing you handle live.
How long before a Whatnot show should I start promoting?
Give yourself enough runway to announce, remind, and tease specific lots before you go live. A single last-minute post rarely fills a room; a short promotion window timed to your slot does better.
What should I sell first in a Whatnot show?
Open with something that hooks and builds energy, and save your proven high-converting items for once the room is warm. Front-loading your best inventory into a still-filling room wastes it.
What equipment check should I do before going live?
Check audio first, then lighting, then your connection. Bad audio loses a room faster than anything else, so a quick pre-show pass on all three prevents the most avoidable ways to lose viewers.