Pre-launch tips?

Over the past 6-7 years, I have worked with/for many startups while being an insider (read employee). Some of them were tiny and some were well-oiled machines. Some were funded, some bootstrapped.

Closely, with marketing teams of all sizes I have strategized, developed and designed launch campaigns that have been—for a good amount of them—a success. From increasing sign-ups to reducing CAC through to building trustworthy brands.

Now that I'm building my own product, it feels like a breeze thinking about anything from strategy to branding, to copywriting, to interface design and so on.

That said, now that we're closing in on a first usable version of the product, and need to start marketing it all (lead generation, brand awareness, etc) to gain beta users, a part of me is wondering if we're doing this all the right way.

Anything you folks have done for your pre-launch, that was critical to your success, and are willing to share with me today?