Launch planning
Launch with real customer proof, even when you have no customers yet
Six weeks of early users is enough to launch with honest testimonials, if you ask at the right moments. Enter your launch date and get a dated plan that works backwards to your beta.
- A dated six-week plan from your launch day
- When to ask beta users, and when not to
- What to disclose about free or early access
The problem, solved
Why launch proof is hard, and how StoryProof gets you there by launch day
Situation 1 of 4
Few people have used it
A beta of twenty people gives you a few stories at most, and only if you ask each one at the right time.
How StoryProof solves it
With a list that short, nobody can be lost to one unanswered email. From Pro, StoryProof chases each quiet beta user twice over a week and leaves alone anyone who has already answered.
Situation 2 of 4
Beta feedback is not a testimonial
Bug reports and feature requests are useful, but they are not something a buyer wants to read on a launch page.
How StoryProof solves it
A dedicated StoryProof link asks only for the story, by video, audio note or text, and nothing it gathers reaches the launch page until you approve it.
Situation 3 of 4
Early users often got something
Free access or a lifetime discount is a connection a reader would want to know about when they read the quote.
How StoryProof solves it
Tag every quote from a free or discounted user, on any plan, so whoever builds the launch page knows which ones need the disclosure label beside them.
Situation 4 of 4
The product moves under the quote
A beta user may praise a feature you cut or rename before launch. A quote about something buyers cannot find makes the whole page look careless.
How StoryProof solves it
You choose which stories each widget shows, and the embed loads them fresh from StoryProof, so a quote about a cut feature comes off the live page without a redeploy.
Free planner
Your launch proof plan
Pick your launch date. Every step is dated backwards and forwards from it.
Day -42
Recruit early users with a clear trade
Offer early access in exchange for honest feedback, and say up front that you may ask for a testimonial later.
Day -35
Set up your collection form
Write two prompts about the problem they had and what changed. Keep feedback forms separate.
Day -28
Ask the first users who hit a real result
Not on day one of access. Ask each person after they have done the thing your product promises.
Day -21
Send one reminder
Three days after the ask, then stop. Some will reply in week two.
Day -14
Approve, check permission and add disclosure
Choose the most specific stories. Add a short note such as “early access user” wherever access was free or discounted.
Day -7
Build the launch page proof
Put the strongest story near the main call to action and link the rest on a Wall of Love.
Day 0
Launch
Proof is live. Do not ask launch-day signups for testimonials yet; they have not used it.
Day +21
Ask your first paying customers
Once they have had three weeks, their stories can replace or join the early-user ones.
The dates are worked out in your browser. Nothing is saved.
In StoryProof
Run the plan in StoryProof
- 1
Create the collection form
Early users can record a video, leave an audio note or write a few lines from one link, which helps busy beta testers say yes.
- 2
Send requests in small batches
Ask users as they reach a result rather than all at once. Requests go out by email from StoryProof, within your plan’s monthly allowance.
- 3
Let reminders run
On Pro and up, the follow-up automation sends one reminder after three days and a last email four days later, then stops as soon as someone replies.
- 4
Approve and publish for launch
Nothing is public until you approve it. Embed the chosen stories on the launch page and share your Wall of Love link in launch posts.
What happens next: After launch, collect from paying customers and retire early-user quotes once newer, stronger stories arrive.
Before you start
Honest boundaries
Disclose free or early access
US advertising guidance lists free or discounted products and early access as connections that should be disclosed when readers would not expect them. A short label next to the quote does it.
Do not write it for them
Drafting a testimonial for a beta user to approve produces your words, not theirs. Ask questions and use what they say.
Small numbers are fine
Three specific stories beat ten vague ones. Do not pad the launch page with feedback that is not praise.
Friends and investors are not customers
A quote from an adviser, investor or friend carries a relationship the reader cannot see. Leave it off the launch page, or state the relationship plainly beside it.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
Can I use beta tester feedback as a testimonial?
Only if the tester agrees to it being published as a testimonial, in words they wrote or said. Feedback given to improve the product was not given for marketing.
Do I need to say a testimonial came from a free user?
If they got the product free, discounted or early, readers would want to know. A short note such as “early access user” beside their name covers it.
How many testimonials do I need for launch day?
Three to five specific ones are enough for a launch page. More matters less than relevance.
Can I offer beta users a reward for a testimonial?
If you do, ask for an honest testimonial rather than a positive one, and treat the reward as a connection to disclose beside the quote. Check current advertising guidance in your market before you set it up.
Can I quote a launch-week post someone made about us?
Ask the person first. A public post is not permission to put their words and name on your own page, and most people say yes when asked.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
Start your launch proof six weeks out
Set up the form today and ask your first early users as soon as they see a result.
Sources
- 16 CFR 255.5: Disclosure of material connections, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Checked 2026-11-04.
Last updated 2026-11-04.