Whether it’s an editorial review or a popular TikToker sharing your product as the next best #AmazonFind, securing positive reviews from trustworthy third-party sources is one of the best tactics to drive demand for a new product, platform, or app announcement.
A media sample and review program is an excellent way to generate awareness for your product or service as a part of your press launch strategy. When executed strategically, it provides an opportunity for your product to shine in the hands of a reviewer. That said, it’s important to take the proper steps to ensure you know what to expect from an in-depth review and prepare accordingly.
With over 3,000 successful product launches under our belt, the Max Borges Agency team considers Media Beta Testing one of the best tools to provide an informed perspective before launching the program.
What is a Media Beta Test?
A Media Beta Test is an “off-the-books” critical review of a soon-to-be-released product by a third-party source.
Typically conducted by a freelance journalist in the product’s respective field, this unpublished review provides invaluable insight into what possible outcomes you should expect when running an editorial review program for a new product.
Gaining unbiased product feedback before launching an editorial review campaign allows the MBA team to further fine-tune the launch strategy by providing strategic recommendations such as:
- which media outlets you should and shouldn’t be targeting for review opportunities
- what messaging points you should prioritize in your outreach to the press
- recommended updates to the current software, packaging and/or future hardware iterations
The feedback also helps inform recommendations to improve the unboxing and user experience. And identify key components and instructions you should include in a reviewer’s or quick-start guide.
The Media Beta Test Process
You want the reviewer’s experience to mimic what future reviewers will have when receiving a sample. Therefore, you only want to send product samples that are in their final form. This means no pre-production samples, all packaging is finalized, and necessary documents included.
You should initiate a Media Beta Test approximately six to eight weeks prior to the official launch date.
Over two weeks, the reviewer will run through their standard product evaluation process. Using a critical lens, they will provide positive and negative feedback on the major components such as setup, design, technology, and general use.
Deriving Actionable Insights from a Media Beta Test
While every product is different, it is easy to see you can derive useful information from this practice. Here are a few examples of feedback received and how you would use that insight to adapt your media sample and review program.
- The setup was not intuitive, and instructions were not included.
Insights & Recommendation
Include a quick start guide with setup instructions and incorporate tips for use in the reviewer’s guide.
- Extremely impressed with the eco-friendly packaging: biodegradable cardboard and no plastic.
Insights & Recommendation
Incorporate environmental responsibility in their brand messaging. Look for reviewers who put weight on eco-friendly products and packaging to include in your media list.
- Not the most advanced features, but the Bluetooth connectivity was impressive. The product is sleek and compact and very easy to use.
Insights & Recommendations
Focus on non-technical media outlets. Move the Bluetooth connectivity to the top of the features list and emphasize usability.
- The app worked as expected on my iOS devices. On Android devices, however, it struggled. The app shut down unexpectedly mid-use multiple times.
Insights & Recommendation
Target reviewers primarily focused on iOS—plan updates to improve the Android App.
Running a Media Beta Test gives you a window into possible outcomes and the opportunity to address issues proactively to achieve the best possible results.
Let the MBA team help you get your product the attention it deserves by identifying the right reviewer from their robust network of media contacts, managing the reviewer’s experience and offering an actionable plan for implementing the reviewer’s feedback into your press launch strategy.
