Dilemma of launching big or launching quietly. Which do you choose?

In this present day and date, everyone is in a hurry to term you a success or write you off. This brings so much focus on initial traction where information is publicly accessible via websites such as App Annie. Not being in top 100 charts itself means failure for many.

At the same time it takes multiple iterations to launch a quality product for the masses. Bad reviews sticks for ever. So should you launch soft and iterate, or iterate, improve, and then launch big?

There can not be one solution for all. Do we remember big launches from Facebook or other top apps? But if launching big is important for you, here are some options for pre-launch iterations:

1. Beta launch

You can launch it to a limited and controlled audience. But will it ever be random and big enough to be conclusive? How smoothly can you distribute your beta is another matter of concern. Testflight, Google play aplha/beta, Hockey are all not very intuitive to use. At our startup, we are using Google play native testing platform. However, very few users have been able to install with out any help. Still, if this is the path you are following, start early. Make list of all beta listing services like betalist.com, startupli.st and similar ones as soon as possible. Waiting time for them to review you itself will take a couple of months.

2. Closed communities

Closed communities like colleges enable an open communication channel with feedback from the users. Moreover colleges are culturally diverse and you will get broader feedback to be ready for wider audience. If you can show traction among these “future earners”, your product will be valuable for many. College ambassadors, contests, rewards, and internships are few benefits that will attract students. Facebook and Snapchat are just some examples that focused on the college audience first.

3. Launch in secondary country

This will ensure real randomness and can be one of the better testing ground. However, make sure that you iterate quickly and respect early adopters. Many popular applications like Tempo Al (calender app that was acquired by salesforce), started in Canada. Once you are confident about the product, launch big in your main market.

How about you? Which approach do you follow?