It's an interesting ploy, but the success is going to be based entirely on what type of beta tester you're trying to attract.<p>Personally, as an introverted tech, I'd be interested in signing up, poking around, and filing bug reports, but requiring me to spam my friends list for an invite isn't something I'm willing to do.
StackExchange did something similar with their private beta where they asked you to embed an image and link to their site somewhere on the web. Clever SEO hack...
Kind of reminds me of Dropbox's viral referral program. The spam-ish aspect can get annoying at a point, but the interesting thing is that it's not the website that's spamming you, it's your friends, so you can't really be mad at the website.<p>This makes me think the viral referral model still has some untapped potential.
I think for the "viral" launch page, there should be some vague information about what the site/product is about.<p>This was covered on HN previously, although misleading title.
"Wordpress Themes for Launching your Minimum Viable Product"
<a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1697302" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1697302</a>
It reminds me of Living Social referral program:<p>After you buy the deal, you'll get a unique link to share. If three people buy the deal using your link, then your deal is free.
What if this idea is changed to some sort of competition? Something like the top 10 people who refer the most friends will get a free subscription as a prize.