If you truly believe the patent would be valuable - e.g. a blocker patent excluding competitors from a valuable opportunity - then it really is worth seeking patent council.

Releasing establishes a prior art date for US patent purposes and starts a 12 month window within which you can file. Releasing your product publicly may mean giving up your rights in certain countries for a global patent filing.

However if your innovation would not be obvious to a user of the product, then releasing may not even constitute disclosure.

Like I said, get some professional patent advice. It probably won't even cost you anything for an initial consultation.