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    Rock Your Launch (Get It?) With This Email-Collecting WordPress Theme

    John Biggs

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    Biggs is the East Coast Editor of TechCrunch. Biggs has written for the New York Times, InSync, USA Weekend, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Money and a number of other outlets on technology and wristwatches. He is the former editor-in-chief of Gizmodo.com and lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. You can Tweet him here and G+ him here. Email him directly at... → Learn More

    Thursday, March 1st, 2012
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    Screen Shot 2012-03-01 at 10.36.17 AM

    Although I think you’re better off not hosting your hot, hot beta launch screen yourself, if you simply must have complete control there’s LaunchEffect, a WordPress theme that recreates the complex process of asking for – and storing – email addresses of wannabe beta users.

    The system supports three basic functions:

    Visitors to your website sign up using their email.
    Upon signing up, the page generates a special URL for them to share with their friends.
    Use the URL to track your most active referrers and reward them for spreading the word.

    You can then track the most excited folks – the folks who referred the most people – and give them a special prize like a beta account, a goldfish, or a bag of onions.

    LaunchEffect is free but a premium version adds an animated countdown, a more brandable experience, and a more formal blog layout. You can check out a demo of the premium version here. The premium version costs $35 for a single-site license.

    Again, some folks like to have complete control and some like to cede a little control for proven performance. Either way, it’s a fun way to build a buzz.

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