So, you’ve built a new app, showed it to a close group of your friends and coworkers, but are now stuck thinking how you can get more users to test the app and get unbiased feedback. In this article, we’ll show you two different but equally efficient ways how to receive valuable responses from real users.

Attracting Users Without Paying a Single Cent

If you are a single developer or a very small startup, chances are that you need to cling to every dollar, minimizing expenses whenever you can. In that case, your best strategy is to actively reach out to potential users through various social media networks and news sites.

The key is to focus on giving users something valuable — something they want. A site like Quora is a perfect example of a social platform through which you can get users for free. Simply look for relevant questions and problems that your new app answers, and don’t forget to mention that the app is still new and you appreciate any feedback you get.

Alternatively, you can market your app on Reddit or relevant sites and blogs, such as Hacker News. Again, don’t just go around pushing your app on random bystanders. Instead, focus on presenting how exactly they will benefit from it, and make sure to ask for feedback. You can often get more users to give you feedback if you present your app in its early stage. There’s just something alluring about the opportunity to try an alpha version of an app that could become the next big thing.

Paying Users to Test Your New App

The cost-saving method has a few disadvantages. First, there’s no guarantee that you get any feedback at all. Second, the feedback you get could be of very low quality. After all, there’s only so much you can ask people to do for you without providing adequate compensation for their time and effort.

A very good option is to use mTurk.com, a crowdsourcing Internet Marketplace owned by Amazon. It doesn’t matter how large or small your budget is, with mTurk, you are guaranteed to get results, as there are always people looking to earn a few cents by completing various odd jobs.

A step-up from mTurk is a site like Fiverr or UserTesting. There, you’ll encounter people who specialize in app testing, making it that much more likely that you’ll get the right kind of feedback. Of course, expect to pay more as well.

Be Ready for the Feedback

It may not seem that way, but getting users to test your new app is just the beginning. The next step is to process all the feedback you receive, preferably using a feedback workflow tool, such as Usabilla. The purpose of feedback tools is to extract valuable insight and eliminate the guesswork that’s typically associated with app or product testing.