SaaS를 위한 베타 사용자 찾는 방법
Source: Dev.to
The Core Question
How do you actually get that feedback?
Where do you find beta users?
Free Ways to Find Beta Users
Reddit is the largest forum in the world, with hundreds of millions of users and subreddits on almost every topic imaginable. It can be a good place to find beta testers, but there are challenges:
- Hundreds of SaaS founders post daily asking for feedback, while only a small fraction of users are willing to test for free.
- Self‑promotion posts are often removed quickly.
- The lifespan of a post is short (minutes to hours).
Finding beta users on Reddit is possible, but it’s time‑consuming and often frustrating.
Discord & Creator Communities
There are countless Discord communities (no‑code, SaaS, indie hackers, startups, solopreneurs, etc.). In theory they’re great for finding testers, but in practice:
- Many members ask for feedback; few are willing to give it.
- Direct messages can work, but require a lot of time, outbound messages, and have a low conversion rate.
It works, but doesn’t scale well.
Friends & Family
The first thing many founders try is showing the product to friends and family. It can be useful, but it’s extremely limited:
- They’re rarely your real target users.
- They may hesitate to be truly critical.
- Feedback tends to be kind but not very actionable.
It’s a good first step, but not enough for proper validation.
Product Hunt, Indie Hackers & Launch Platforms
These platforms can be powerful, but only under certain conditions. They work best if you already have:
- An existing audience, or
- A community ready to support your launch.
Without initial traction, your project may go unnoticed, yielding few deep, structured, actionable feedback.
Where Is Your Real Target Audience?
The best place to find beta users is often the niche where your actual target users already spend time.
Examples
- Product for dentists → dental forums, private Facebook groups, professional associations.
- Tool for developers → GitHub, tech Discords, Stack Overflow, developer subreddits.
Pros
- Direct access to real audience.
- Higher‑quality feedback.
- Potential paying users from the start.
Cons
- Access can be restricted.
- Self‑promotion is often poorly received.
- You need to provide value before asking for anything.
The challenge is interacting without being perceived as spam.
The Real Problem Behind All of This
Regardless of platform, the core issue is the same: Everyone wants feedback; very few people want to give it. Giving good feedback takes time, attention, and effort. Without a strong incentive, most people simply won’t do it.
Paid User Testing Solutions
Traditional User Testing Platforms
Professional platforms include:
- UserTesting
- Maze
- TryMyUI
- PlaybookUX
Pros
- Fast.
- Structured feedback.
- Ability to target specific profiles.
Cons
- Very expensive (often several hundred dollars per month).
- Not accessible for early‑stage founders.
- Feedback can feel impersonal and may not suit very early products.
Freelancers & Paid Testers
You can hire testers on marketplaces such as:
- Fiverr
- Upwork
- Malt
Pros
- Human feedback.
- Choose the profile you need.
- More in‑depth tests.
Cons
- Cost.
- Variable quality.
- May not represent real users.
A Different Approach: Feedback Exchange
TestYourApp
TestYourApp is a platform that uses an exchange model instead of money:
- Test someone else’s application → earn a credit.
- Use that credit to receive a test on your own product.
Features
- All features are free; free accounts have a limited number of feedbacks per week.
- Structured testing forms.
- Tester rating system and penalties for low‑quality feedback.
This approach directly addresses the main issue on Reddit and creator communities: Everyone wants feedback, but few want to give it.
Conclusion
Finding beta users is one of the hardest steps when launching a product. Platforms exist, but they are often saturated with requests and provide limited actionable feedback.
Whether you use Reddit, Discord, your personal network, or dedicated platforms, one rule always applies:
Create a real incentive for people to give feedback.
Without that, collecting meaningful feedback will remain slow, random, and frustrating. Exchange‑based systems like TestYourApp are among the most interesting ways to make user testing accessible to everyone.