First Time Founder’s Guide to Launching a Beta.

I’m a first time founder and just concluded my first beta — here’s everything I did, everything I’d do again, and everything I’ll change for the next one.

TL;DR

• Timeline: April 6 through April 13
• Size: 42 people signed up for the beta. 72% of people who completed the beta (31 people total).
• Test: Beta group was testing v2 of the Parent Type quiz
• Communication: Sent five automated emails via Mailchimp, and we created a Slack channel for collaboration.
• Ah-ha moment: The moment when 80.6% of people agreed on their most painful process when building their baby registry. It wasn’t what we thought it would be, but it was exciting to see a group of strangers all agree so strongly. Even more exciting, it gives us an obvious direction on what’s next for the product and strategy.
• Biggest highlight: Watching the community interact via Slack and knowing that 96.8% of users discovered new baby products.
• Most crucial learning: Don’t be so married to an idea that you’re unwilling to see what the data is telling you. Just because your gut thinks it’s true doesn’t necessarily mean it is.
• NPS: 80

When I started thinking about launching a beta, I understood the concept but wasn’t sure exactly how we’d structure ours. I spoke to many people, got insights on Twitter, and read a few blog posts. Once I digested all the information — which was wildly different from almost everyone — I decided to scrap what I’d be encouraged to do. I would not pay for tools for my early-stage startup beta, and I would not create more friction for people who raised their hands to help. The people that offered to help me are primarily working parents, so I had to figure out how to make their experience as simple as possible. One of our core values at Poppylist is minimalism, so we needed to weave simplicity into our beta.

Beta Tech Stack:

1. Google Sheets to organize beta contacts
2. Mailchimp for automated emails
3. Optional Slack for group communication & comms
4. Google Form for survey

Timeline for Beta:

• Four weeks out. I teed up the beta in the Poppylist Facebook group, the Working ATX Moms Facebook group, and the Poppylist Instagram account. I explained what the beta would be and used this as an action item: “Please comment here or like this post if you’re interested in testing the new version of the Parent Type quiz. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments. 👍 Public engagement is a win, and FOMO is real. As people began to say yes, I documented their contact information in a Google Spreadsheet.*42 people offered to participate*

• Four days out, Friday, April 2: We launched our first email to all the beta testers; view email here. This email included a link to join our Slack channel. Email stats: 72% open rate, 33% click rate
• One day out, Monday, April 5: Launched reminder email, view email here. Email stats: 62% open rate, 21% click rate
• Day of launch, Tuesday, April 6: Launched ‘Private Beta is Here’ email; view email here. Email stats: 53% open rate, 37% click rate
• Thursday, April 22: Sent thank you email; view email here. Email stats: 75% open rate.

That’s the summary of how we structured our beta. Everyone’s experience is different, and like most entrepreneur journeys, no one experience or process fits all.

If you’re thinking about conducting a beta, here are two things I would encourage you to consider implementing:

1. What are your core values, and can you integrate some of them into your beta? We included 3 out of 5 values into our beta: Minimalist (simplicity), community, and inclusivity. Minimalism because our beta’s ease and access were simple, including few steps, and we alleviated friction where we could. Community because we offered a Slack channel. And inclusivity because we value perspectives from all types of parents. This beta included a widowed dad, work-from-home mothers, single mothers, an aunt, a mother who conceived via IFV, and women who’ve experienced multiple miscarriages.
2. Stick to a one-week timeline. People are busy. If you can make your beta instructions clear, concise, and top of mind, then the beta can be finished in an efficient matter. I’ve concluded that we had a high participation rate because our ask was not a big one, and our beta group’s expectation was clear. Plus, you’ll get your feedback returned quicker = faster to build and ship your next version.

Here are the two things to consider doing that I wish I had:

1. Plant people you know in the beta, and prompt them to ask questions. Why? Because this encourages discussion, and when it’s mostly a group of strangers, sometimes it’s uncomfortable to start talking, even in a Slack channel. I did this towards the end of our beta, but I wish I had done it sooner, and I wish I had thought of better questions to stir up the chatter.
2. Host an optional Zoom ‘Thank You’ closing party. If you have the budget, consider sending them a thank you gift, too. I thought about hosting a zoom gathering but decided against it, and now I’m wishing I would have. I am disappointed that I didn’t extend our users an opportunity to get to know me as much as I want to get to know them. Who knows, maybe our passives would have turned to promotors.

That’s it, y’all! I hope this outline provides you some guidance and ideas for your first — or next beta.

If you’ve conducted a beta before, what would you do differently, and what’s something you’d do again?