Beta Launch Plan

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Plan a structured beta launch for a new product or major feature
• Design user recruitment and selection criteria for beta testers
• Build feedback collection and bug reporting systems
• Define success criteria for graduating from beta to general availability

DO NOT use this skill for full product launches, alpha/internal testing plans, or QA test plans. This is for external beta launch planning only.

Core Principle

A BETA IS NOT A SOFT LAUNCH — IT IS A STRUCTURED LEARNING PERIOD WITH DEFINED GOALS, SELECTED USERS, AND CLEAR EXIT CRITERIA.

Phase 1: Brief

Required Inputs

GATE: Confirm the brief before building the plan.

Phase 2: Plan

Beta Timeline

## Beta Timeline

**Week -2 to -1: Pre-Launch**
- Finalize beta criteria and success metrics
- Build feedback collection system
- Recruit and select beta users
- Prepare welcome materials

**Week 1: Controlled Launch**
- Onboard first cohort (50% of total)
- Daily monitoring for critical issues
- First feedback check-in (Day 3)

**Week 2: Expand**
- Onboard remaining beta users
- First iteration based on Week 1 feedback
- Structured feedback survey

**Week 3-4: Iterate and Evaluate**
- Ship fixes and improvements
- Final feedback survey
- Evaluate against success criteria
- Decision: ship, extend, or pivot

Success Criteria

Define measurable exit criteria:

GATE: Confirm timeline and success criteria before designing recruitment and feedback systems.

Phase 3: Execute

Beta User Recruitment

Application form fields:

• Name and email
• Role and company size
• Current workflow for the problem the product solves
• Why they want to join the beta
• Availability for feedback (survey, call, async)

Selection criteria:

• Represents the target customer profile
• Has the problem the product solves
• Willing to commit to feedback schedule
• Mix of tech-savvy and average users

Recruitment channels:

• Email list announcement
• Social media post
• Existing customer base
• Community or forum post

Feedback Collection System

Structured feedback:

• Weekly survey (5 questions max, takes under 3 minutes)
• End-of-beta survey (10 questions, comprehensive)
• Optional: 15-minute feedback call with 5-10 users

Unstructured feedback:

• In-app feedback widget (screenshot + text)
• Dedicated Slack channel or email thread
• Bug report form (steps to reproduce, expected vs. actual behavior)

Bug Report Template:

**What happened:**
**What you expected:**
**Steps to reproduce:**
1.
2.
3.
**Screenshot (if applicable):**
**Device/browser:**

Communication Plan

• Welcome email: What to expect, how to report issues, feedback schedule
• Weekly update: What was fixed, what is being worked on, what to test next
• Thank you email: End of beta appreciation, what comes next, early access or discount offer

Phase 4: Polish

1. Beta-to-Launch Decision Framework

## Go/No-Go Criteria

**Ship to GA if:**
- [ ] All critical bugs resolved
- [ ] Task completion rate exceeds 80%
- [ ] NPS is 30 or above
- [ ] No data loss or security issues
- [ ] Onboarding flow works without hand-holding

**Extend beta if:**
- [ ] 1-2 critical issues remain but are solvable in 1-2 weeks
- [ ] Usage is strong but feedback reveals UX confusion
- [ ] Need more data to validate a key assumption

**Pivot or kill if:**
- [ ] Core value proposition is not validated
- [ ] Beta users are not using the product despite reminders
- [ ] Critical technical limitation cannot be resolved

2. Beta User Appreciation

• Early access to the full product
• Founding user pricing or lifetime discount
• Public acknowledgment (with permission) in launch materials
• Priority access to future betas

3. Quality Checklist

## Beta Launch Checklist

- [ ] Success criteria defined with measurable targets
- [ ] Beta user application form is live
- [ ] Selection criteria documented
- [ ] Feedback collection system is set up (survey, widget, bug form)
- [ ] Welcome email drafted and scheduled
- [ ] Weekly update template created
- [ ] Bug report template provided to all beta users
- [ ] Go/no-go decision framework agreed on
- [ ] Beta appreciation plan defined
- [ ] Timeline has clear start, checkpoints, and end date

Example

Product: AI-powered meeting note-taker for solopreneurs Beta size: 30 users, 4 weeks

Welcome email excerpt: "You are one of 30 people testing MeetingMind before anyone else. Over the next 4 weeks, use it in your real meetings. Things will break — that is the point. Report bugs with the red button in the bottom-right corner. Every Friday, you will get a 3-question survey. Your feedback directly shapes what we ship."

Weekly survey:

1. How many meetings did you use MeetingMind for this week? (number)
2. Did anything break or feel confusing? (text)
3. On a scale of 1-10, how useful was MeetingMind this week? (scale)

Anti-Patterns

• Too many beta users — 200 beta users for a solo founder means 200 sources of feedback you cannot process. Start with 20-50.
• No success criteria — without exit criteria, beta runs indefinitely. Define what "done" looks like upfront.
• Ignoring feedback — collecting feedback without acting on it destroys beta user trust. Close the loop every week.
• No communication cadence — beta users who hear nothing assume the product is dead. Weekly updates are mandatory.
• Treating beta as free marketing — beta is for learning, not growth. Optimize for feedback quality, not user count.

Recovery

• Low beta signups: Lower the barrier. Remove the application form and invite directly from your email list or social followers.
• Beta users not providing feedback: Shorten surveys to 2 questions. Offer a small incentive (gift card, extended trial).
• Too many bugs to manage: Triage ruthlessly. Fix critical (data loss, crashes) first. Acknowledge non-critical issues and timeline them.
• Beta needs to extend: Communicate transparently. Tell users why, what changed, and the new timeline.