How Do I Create a Launch Community Before Release?

A home services app we built launched to over 3,000 active users on day one—not because of paid ads or some viral marketing stunt, but because we'd spent four months building a community of people who genuinely cared about the product before it even existed. These weren't random downloads. They were engaged users who'd helped shape features, tested early builds, and couldn't wait to tell their mates about it. The difference between that launch and others I've seen? We started building relationships with users months before we had anything polished to show them.

Building a pre-launch community isn't just about having people ready to download your app on release day—though that's certainly nice. Its about creating a group of early adopters who feel invested in your success because they've been part of the journey. These people become your first real users, your beta testers, your feedback loop, and most importantly, your advocates when you finally hit the app stores. I've worked on launches where we skipped this step entirely and just relied on a big marketing push... let me tell you, the retention numbers told a very different story compared to apps with established communities.

The apps that succeed aren't always the ones with the biggest budgets—they're the ones that build genuine connections with their users before anyone's written a single review.

The thing is, starting a community before your app exists feels a bit backwards at first. You're asking people to care about something they cant use yet. But that's actually the secret—people love being part of something from the beginning, having their voice heard, feeling like they're contributing to something that matters. Over the years I've learned that the best time to start building your community is much earlier than most founders think, and the process looks quite different depending on whether you're launching a fintech app or a fitness platform.

Why Building a Community Early Matters

I've launched dozens of apps over the years and here's something I wish someone had told me on my first project—the apps that built communities before launch consistently outperformed those that didn't. And I'm not talking about small differences here; I mean 40-50% better retention rates in the first three months. One healthcare app we developed had about 200 people in its beta community before launch, and those early users ended up accounting for nearly 80% of the apps initial app store reviews. The good ones, obviously! That social proof was worth its weight in gold when trying to convince new users to download.

The thing is, building a community early solves a problem that most app developers don't even realise they have until it's too late. When you launch without an existing user base, you're basically shouting into a void and hoping someone hears you. User acquisition costs are frankly ridiculous these days—we're seeing £5-8 per install in competitive categories like fintech or e-commerce. But early community members? They come pre-warmed, they understand your value proposition, and they're actually invested in seeing your app succeed because they've been part of the journey.

There's also the feedback loop to consider. I worked on an education app where we thought we'd nailed the onboarding flow, spent weeks perfecting it... and then our beta community tore it apart in about 15 minutes. They pointed out confusion points we'd completely missed because we were too close to the project. Fixing those issues before launch saved us from what would've been a terrible first impression and probably some harsh one-star reviews. Your early community acts as a quality filter, catching problems whilst you still have time to fix them without damaging your reputation.

Finding Your First Beta Users

The biggest mistake I see people make is trying to recruit beta users from thin air. You need to go where your potential users already are, and I mean physically or digitally existing in those spaces. When we built a healthcare app for managing chronic pain, we didn't post on generic tech forums—we reached out to patient advocacy groups, physiotherapy clinics, and online support communities where people were already discussing their daily struggles. The response rate was honestly night and day compared to general recruitment.

Your first beta users shouldn't just be anyone willing to test your app; they need to actually have the problem you're solving. I've seen too many apps get feedback from people who downloaded it "just to try it out" and then wonder why the insights weren't useful. When we launched a fintech app for freelancers, we specifically targeted people who were actively complaining about existing solutions on Twitter and Reddit. These people had context, they understood the pain points, and their feedback was worth its weight in gold because they genuinely needed what we were building.

Where to Actually Find These People

Start with your existing network but be selective about it. Your mum probably isn't your target user (unless you're building an app for mums, obviously). Look at LinkedIn groups related to your industry, niche subreddits, Facebook communities, and even offline meetups if they exist. For a restaurant booking app we worked on, we literally went to food blogger events and hospitality conferences. Sure, its more effort than posting on Product Hunt, but you get people who will stick around and actually care about what you're building.

Don't aim for hundreds of beta users straight away. Start with 15-20 engaged people who match your target audience perfectly. Quality feedback from the right people beats thousands of downloads from folks who'll never use your app again.

Making the Ask

When you reach out to potential beta users, be honest about what you're asking for. People can smell a sales pitch from miles away. I usually say something like "We're building this because X problem keeps coming up, and we think you might have experience with it. Would you be willing to test an early version and tell us where we've got it wrong?" That last bit is key—you're not asking them to validate your genius, you're asking them to help you make something better. The conversion rate on that approach is way higher than "Join our exclusive beta programme!"

The timing matters especially in competitive markets. Understanding what gives apps their competitive edge can help you position your community building efforts more effectively. You want to find users before your competitors do.

Setting Up Your Community Space

The platform you choose for your pre-launch community will shape how your early users interact with you and each other, so its worth spending proper time on this decision. I've seen apps waste weeks building custom community platforms when a simple Discord server would've done the job better—and I've also seen teams use Facebook Groups when their audience was entirely on Reddit. The key is matching the platform to where your target users already spend their time.

For a healthcare app I worked on a few years back, we initially set up a Slack workspace because it felt "professional" but the response was terrible; most of our potential users (nurses and junior doctors) didn't want yet another Slack to check. When we switched to a private WhatsApp group with clear guidelines, engagement went through the roof. People were already checking WhatsApp dozens of times a day anyway. The lesson? Don't pick a platform because you like it—pick it because your users are already there.

Platform Options Based on Audience Type

• Discord works brilliantly for gaming, tech, and younger audiences who want real-time chat and voice channels
• Facebook Groups still dominate for older demographics and lifestyle apps, despite what the tech crowd says about Facebook being "dead"
• Telegram offers great moderation tools and works well for privacy-focused communities or international audiences
• Private subreddits can be excellent if your audience is already on Reddit and values longer-form discussion
• Circle or Mighty Networks give you more control but require people to create yet another account (which is a barrier)

Setting Ground Rules Early

Whatever platform you choose, establish clear community guidelines from day one. I mean really clear ones, not vague "be respectful" nonsense. For a fintech app we launched, we specified exactly what kind of feedback we wanted (specific bugs, feature requests with use cases) versus what wasn't helpful (general complaints without context). This saved us hours of moderating unhelpful noise later on. The beta users actually appreciated the structure because it made them feel their time was valued, not wasted.

Keeping People Interested Before Launch

The gap between signing up beta testers and actually launching your app can feel like forever—and if you're not careful, people will lose interest fast. I've seen communities that started with hundreds of enthusiastic sign-ups dwindle to maybe 20 active members by launch day because the team went quiet for three months while building features. It's honestly one of the most common mistakes I see.

Your pre-launch community needs regular touchpoints to stay engaged, but here's the thing—you don't want to spam them with meaningless updates either. What's worked best for me is a weekly or fortnightly rhythm of genuinely useful content. Share design decisions and explain why you chose one approach over another; show behind-the-scenes screenshots of features in development; ask for opinions on specific UI elements before you commit to building them. People love feeling like they're part of the creation process, not just waiting for the finished product.

The communities that stay engaged are the ones where members feel their input actually matters and shapes the final app

One tactic I've used successfully with fintech apps is the "feature countdown"—we'd announce that in two weeks we're releasing payment integration to beta testers, then share progress updates as we built it. Creates anticipation without overpromising. You can also run mini-challenges or surveys... like asking your healthcare app community which health metrics they track most often, then share the aggregated results. Its content that serves them whilst keeping your app top of mind. The key is giving value in every interaction, even if that value is just transparency about your development process and timeline.

Be careful though - users will quickly disengage if you're too frequent with updates or if your communications lack substance. Find the sweet spot between staying present and being overwhelming.

Running a Successful Beta Programme

The actual mechanics of running a beta programme are where most people trip up—they think its just about sending out an early version and waiting for feedback. I've run dozens of these programmes over the years, and the difference between a good one and a mediocre one comes down to structure. You need clear expectations, proper tools, and honestly, a bit of hand-holding.

First thing: decide what type of beta you're running. Are you doing a closed beta with 20-50 carefully selected users, or an open beta with hundreds? I usually recommend starting small—maybe 30 users max—because you can actually manage the feedback properly. When we launched a healthcare app for a private clinic, we started with just 15 of their existing patients; it meant we could respond to every piece of feedback within 24 hours and the users felt genuinely heard.

Setting Clear Expectations From Day One

Your beta users need to know what you expect from them and what they'll get in return. I always send a welcome email that covers the basics: how long the beta runs (usually 2-4 weeks), what kind of feedback we're looking for, and how they should report issues. TestFlight makes this easier for iOS apps because its built into their workflow, but Android requires a bit more setup with Google Play Console.

Here's what should be in your beta brief:

• Duration of the beta period and key milestones
• How to report bugs (specific form, Slack channel, or email)
• What features you want them to test most
• Expected time commitment (be realistic—maybe 30 minutes per week)
• What they get for participating (early access, lifetime perks, whatever)

Creating Feedback Loops That Actually Work

You know what kills a beta programme? Silence from the development team. I've seen it happen—users report bugs or suggestions and hear nothing back for weeks. They stop caring pretty quickly. We use a simple system now: acknowledge every piece of feedback within 48 hours, even if its just "thanks, we're looking into this." For a fintech app we built, we created a public Trello board where beta users could see the status of every reported issue; it transformed engagement because people could see their feedback was actually being actioned.

The other thing—and this is really important—is being selective about what feedback you act on. Not every suggestion will be good. Some users will want features that completely contradict your apps purpose. You need to filter the noise from the signal, and that comes from understanding your core value proposition. If someone suggests a feature that doesnt serve that purpose? Thank them but park it for later consideration.

If you're building a healthcare app, remember there are additional considerations around GDPR compliance and patient data protection that need to be addressed during the beta phase. Better to catch these issues early than deal with compliance problems after launch.

Turning Beta Users Into Advocates

The real magic happens when your beta testers stop being just testers and start becoming proper champions for your app. I've watched this transformation dozens of times now, and its never exactly the same twice—but there are patterns you can follow to make it more likely. The users who invested time in your beta programme already have a stake in your apps success; they've watched it grow, they've had input, and honestly? They want to see it do well because it validates the time they put in.

One fintech app I worked on had about 200 beta users, but only 30 of them were really engaged with the process. We focused our advocacy efforts on those 30. We gave them early access to new features before the rest of the beta group, we asked them to be part of our launch day strategy calls (which made them feel properly valued), and we created special "founding member" badges in the app that would persist after launch. The result? Those 30 users generated over 400 App Store reviews in the first week and brought in roughly 1,200 new users through word-of-mouth alone. Not bad for a relatively small group.

Give your most engaged beta users something they cant get anywhere else—exclusive access, special recognition, or the ability to influence the apps direction. People love feeling like insiders, and that feeling drives advocacy more than any incentive programme.

The timing matters too. You need to start the transition from tester to advocate about two weeks before launch. Send personalised messages thanking specific users for their contributions (mention actual feedback they gave—it shows you were paying attention). Ask them directly if theyd be willing to leave a review on launch day or share the app with their networks. Most will say yes because youve built that relationship over weeks or months... but you need to ask. Don't just assume they'll do it automatically.

Understanding what motivates users to share apps can help you craft the right approach when asking for advocacy. It's not just about features—it's about creating genuine value and emotional connection.

Managing Feedback and Expectations

Here's something I've learned the hard way—beta users will absolutely love your app one minute and then send you a message saying its completely broken the next. And sometimes? Both things are true at the same time. Managing feedback during a pre-launch community phase is less about collecting data and more about setting boundaries while keeping people engaged. I mean, if you let every piece of feedback derail your roadmap, you'll never launch.

The trick is creating a system that makes people feel heard without promising you'll implement everything they suggest. When we built a healthcare scheduling app, our beta community sent us 300+ feature requests in the first two weeks. Bloody hell, right? We created a public Trello board where users could see what we were actually working on, what was being considered, and what we'd decided not to pursue. That transparency did wonders—people stopped asking "did you get my email about X" because they could see exactly where their idea sat in the queue.

Setting Clear Response Times

Don't try to respond to every comment immediately; it sets an unsustainable precedent. We typically aim for 24-48 hours on direct feedback and encourage community members to help each other in the meantime. This actually builds stronger community bonds than having the dev team answer everything.

Categorising What You Actually Need

Not all feedback deserves equal weight. We sort incoming comments into three buckets:

• Critical bugs that break core functionality—these get immediate attention
• UX improvements that multiple users mention—worth considering for pre-launch
• Nice-to-have features—park these for post-launch updates
• Personal preferences that don't reflect broader needs—acknowledge but don't action

The hardest part? Saying no to ideas that sound good but dont align with your launch timeline. I've seen teams add "just one more feature" so many times that their launch date slips by months. Your beta community will respect honest communication about what's possible more than vague promises that you cant deliver on.

Remember, some features can significantly impact development costs and complexity. Understanding what makes certain features expensive to build helps you make informed decisions about which beta feedback to act on and which to save for later releases.

Preparing Your Community for Launch Day

Launch day is when all that community building pays off—but only if you've prepared them properly. I've seen too many apps build great beta communities and then completely fumble the launch because they forgot to tell people when it was actually happening! Sounds basic, but it happens more than you'd think.

About two weeks before launch, I send what I call the "final countdown" message. This tells your community the exact launch date, what changes they'll see from the beta version, and most importantly, what you need from them on launch day. Be specific here; ask them to download the public version, leave a review, share it with three friends, whatever makes sense for your app. I worked on a fitness app where we gave beta users a 48-hour head start on premium features if they committed to reviewing on launch day—we had 200+ reviews within the first week, which gave us massive credibility with new users.

The difference between a soft launch and a successful launch is having 100 people who genuinely care about your app's success, not 10,000 who don't even remember downloading it.

Here's what actually works: create a launch day checklist for your community. Tell them when to download (hour and timezone), when to post reviews, what hashtags to use if they're sharing on social media. Make it dead simple. One healthcare app I built had a Telegram group where we coordinated everything—we even did a countdown timer. Bit dramatic maybe, but it got everyone excited and engaged.

Don't forget to acknowledge that some beta users might feel a bit weird about suddenly being "just another user" when the app goes public. Address this directly; let them know they'll always be your founding community, and consider giving them something permanent like a badge or special status in the app. Its not just about vanity—it genuinely matters to people who've invested time in your success.

Before the big day, make sure you understand what to look for in app store reviews so you can properly monitor and respond to the feedback your community generates. Their reviews will set the tone for future users, so knowing how to analyse and act on them is crucial.

Conclusion

Building a launch community takes work—there's no getting around that. Over the years I've watched apps with brilliant features completely flop because they launched to an empty room, whilst apps with half the functionality succeeded because they'd built anticipation and gathered a group of early supporters who genuinely cared about what they were making. The difference wasn't the code or the design; it was the people around it.

You don't need thousands of community members to have a successful launch. I've seen healthcare apps launch with just 50 dedicated beta users who provided feedback, spread the word to their professional networks, and became the foundation of something much bigger. What matters is that those people are engaged, invested in your success, and willing to speak up—both with praise and with honest criticism when somethings not working right.

The community you build before launch isn't just a marketing tactic (though it certainly helps with that). Its your early warning system, your quality assurance team, and your first line of customer support all rolled into one. These are the people who'll tell you when your onboarding flow is confusing, when a feature isn't actually solving the problem you thought it was, or when your messaging completely misses the mark. And honestly? That feedback is worth more than any focus group you could pay for.

Start small, stay genuine, and remember that these early community members are investing their time in you. Respect that. Keep them informed, act on their feedback where it makes sense, and be transparent when you cant. The relationships you build now will carry your app far beyond launch day—I've seen it happen time and time again, and it never gets old watching a community celebrate an app they helped shape.