Sadly enough "entice your friends to sign-up to get an earlier access" is now a cliche. It worked when it was a novelty, but it is something that is being frowned upon now.
I believe this kind of strategy still piques the interest of "regular folks" - in the same way that "buying virtual goods" is kinda cliche and unappealing for most of us on HN, yet the mainstream world still does it.
This might even be an advantage for LaunchRock's customers - getting a healthy mix of early adopters, tech insiders AND passionate + well connected 'normal folks' to try out the customer's beta.
Where we see the opportunity now (and what we're building) is how you interact with that person after they show their trust and allow you to contact them. it's very important to win them over in a way that is authentic.