Everything is Designed #008

How to Successfully Market Your Product/SaaS Before Launch

Sentinotes SaaS Application Main Screen

Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen a lot of questions on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) about how to market SaaS products and new ideas. There are countless approaches, but I want to share what worked for me when we built the Sentinotes app—along with key lessons learned along the way.

Start with a Beta Sign-Up List—But Time It Right

One of the first things we did was create a beta sign-up list where people could pre-register to test the app before its official launch. We did this right after completing the design phase and entering development, which took around six to eight months.

In hindsight, this was a mistake. By the time we were ready to launch, many early sign-ups had lost interest. Lesson learned: Don’t collect sign-ups too early.

The Ideal Timeline for a Beta List

A more effective approach is to start your beta list about three months before launch—after testing the product yourself.

Here’s why:

• You need time to fix bugs, refine the UX, and eliminate dead ends before inviting external testers.

• If you launch too early, users may experience a buggy product and never come back.

• Three months is the sweet spot—long enough to build anticipation but short enough to maintain interest.

Segment Your Beta Testers for Maximum Impact

It’s tempting to release your SaaS to your entire beta list at once. Don’t. Instead, take a strategic, tiered approach to onboarding users. As explained below…