How Do Beta Tests Get on Betabound?
As a member of our community, you’ve probably seen the wide array of testing opportunities on our homepage. But have you wondered, “How did these beta tests get on here?” We wanted to discuss the three different kinds of beta tests on Betabound, and explain the process behind how they get added to our homepage. In short, we vet every opportunity that appears on the Betabound homepage — here’s how:
Private Betabound Exclusives
Private Betabound Exclusives are the betas run by Centercode’s Managed Betas Team within our community using the Centercode platform. Our team runs these tests for all sorts of different products from some of the biggest names in tech.
Private Betabound Exclusives are dependent on the schedule of the company whose beta test we’re running. When that company is ready to recruit testers, our team works with the company to craft the messaging of their opportunity announcement post, which will then be posted to the Betabound homepage using the ‘Betabound Exclusive’ tag.
Betabound members will also receive emails about these opportunities before they’re posted on our homepage, so they can be the first to apply for the beta tests that catch their eye!
![Exclusive-Opportunity-Screenshot](https://www.betabound.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Exclusive-Opportunity-Screenshot.jpg)
Partner Betas
Partner Beta Tests are also run using Centercode’s beta management platform, but they are managed by the companies themselves rather than our Managed Betas Team. These are companies that believe in the power of customer feedback and have asked us to help find them enthusiastic testers for one of their products!
By licensing the Centercode platform, these partners are able to post their testing opportunities to the Betabound homepage, as well as email Betabound members about new testing opportunities. Like with exclusive Betabound tests, our team works with these companies to create a post and email that appropriately advertises their new beta test.
The testing experience of Partner Betas is similar to a Betabound Exclusive, because these beta tests are managed within the Centercode platform. However, you’ll need to create an account within a partner’s beta community to apply for and participate in their beta test(s). Also, when you join a partner’s beta tester community, you’ll likely receive emails about future testing opportunities from that company (which may or may not be promoted on Betabound).
![Partner-Opportunity-Screenshot](https://www.betabound.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Partner-Opportunity-Screenshot.jpg)
Unaffiliated Betas
If a beta test opportunity on our homepage doesn’t have a tag on it, then it’s an Unaffiliated Beta. These testing opportunities are from companies that are either publicly recruiting testers, or requested that we announce their beta test on Betabound, but are otherwise unaffiliated with Betabound or Centercode.
Internally, our team breaks unaffiliated betas down into two sub-groups. The first group are beta tests we’ve found online or that testers tipped us about. Since the information about these beta tests is publicly available, we’ll re-package it on our site and let the developers know that their beta has been posted on Betabound.
The second group are from developers who requested an announcement of their beta test on our site. At a basic level, we require these opportunities to be products that would be interesting to the Betabound community, have a high-quality website for their beta test, and are products that are actively in the beta phase. It’s free for product developers to request these announcements, and our team reviews every submission (no automated robots here!).
While these companies aren’t affiliated with Centercode or Betabound, we do our best to confirm that the company is running a genuine beta test and looking to collect feedback. That said, we can’t predict what the testing experience will be like. On the plus side, these tests can be a great way to work closely with a company creating a new product and can often give you the chance to help shape it directly!
![Unaffiliated-Opportunity-Screenshot](https://www.betabound.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Unaffiliated-Opportunity-Screenshot.jpg)
No matter the beta test type, every testing opportunity listed on our homepage is vetted by a member of our team — so everything is legit! If you ever come across a beta test on our site that raises any red flags, please reach out to us at hello@betabound.com. Conversely, if you ever see an awesome beta testing opportunity, be sure to send us a tester tip so we can check it out. Thanks to your help, you may even see it up on our homepage!
Learn more about the three different beta tests on Betabound!