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Ask HN: Where do you find potential customers to validate your idea / MVP?

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Re: Ask HN: Where do you find potential customers to validate your idea / MVP?

#11

Post by takinola »

This is actually a very insightful question. You get them the same way you plan to get customers after you have built the product. If you do not have a way to get customers to test the idea, then you do not have a way to get customers after you build the product. The process of building an MVP includes the process of figuring out distribution.

That said, it depends a lot on what type of product you are building. If you are building a consumer product, then throw some money at digital ads and drive some traffic towards your idea. If people are signing up but not using it, that's feedback right there. They are intrigued enough to sign up but find it lacking in some way to stick around. Fix one thing and see if that changes anything. If it does, great. If not, fix something else. Hint on what to fix, think about user engagement in steps. Always fix the first possible step that you know is not working. When users start crossing that step then go to the next one. Repeat until IPO.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you find potential customers to validate your idea / MVP?

#12

Post by arunsivadasan »

shiado wrote: post #9

Discord is actually great for having people test things. Search for a server related to what your idea focuses on and get random people to test and provide instant feedback.

+1 Discord community is quite under utilized. I recently posted on a Discord forum where my potential users hang out and it was a great experience.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you find potential customers to validate your idea / MVP?

#13

Post by vincentmarle »

adav wrote: post #8

Check out The Mom Test and find an audience to talk to first. Validate any idea long before you build an MVP. In my opinion it's two separate steps. I must admit I've also fallen in your trap many times myself. It's too fun to just go ahead and build something sometimes without considering the best way to find those early users first.

I wish this book wasn’t called the Mom Test, people I’ve recommended it to didn’t take it seriously because of that. But it’s definitely one of the best books ever written on problem validation.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you find potential customers to validate your idea / MVP?

#14

Post by 1_over_n »

I would say ideally wherever they hangout. Figuring that out is a big part of the job, next is to find out how to engage with them. Going through that process will lead to a lot of learning. Figuring out a distribution channel for whatever you are doing is essential for getting to market and finding early users will inform that process. Read the mom test if you haven't already so you have a framework for how to speak to potential users.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you find potential customers to validate your idea / MVP?

#16

Post by JamesBarney »

For OP: What is your product and who is your target audience?

Generally ways you find users are

outbound: find potential users then call/email them.

Inbound: find out what your potential users are searching for

Community: find online communities where your potential users hang out

For other people besides poster who are earlier in this process. Figure out your marketing/sales/go to market strategy before you start coding.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you find potential customers to validate your idea / MVP?

#17

Post by f6v »

> without spamming HN or reddit

Do you customers spend time there? Then go ahead and ask for feedback.

> P.S. A fiverr clone for product owners or analysts might be what I'm looking for here.

Cold emails through LinkedIn? Or product owners and analysts your friend/former colleagues can introduce you to? Product meet-ups are a thing as well (most likely online). You might try talking to people and asking for feedback there. https://www.meetup.com/topics/product-owners/

> I'm getting ready to use it myself

If that's a fiverr clone, is it sort of marketplace?

Re: Ask HN: Where do you find potential customers to validate your idea / MVP?

#18

Post by wiggumspiggums »

mindcrime wrote: post #4

Start with your personal social circle, and/or 1st level referrals from your personal social circle. It's what Steve Blank calls "Friendly First Contacts". If you can't figure out a way to get useful feedback / sign of a reason to move forward from this group, then pivot or give up. The other option is "spend money to blast your thing to a wide audience and hope for the best." Buy Reddit ads, Facebook ads, LinkedIn a…

+1 for 1st level referrals. But folks within your own social circle can be tricky because it might be hard to figure out their true opinion if your idea sucks. When a friend has sought my feedback, I find myself balancing between trying to be honest with being supportive and open-minded. I'm sure people have done the same to me.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you find potential customers to validate your idea / MVP?

#19

Post by jppope » 

  - Go through your linkedin/twitter/instagram account. Find people who would be interested. Send them an email/message. 
  - Search online for thought leaders, industry people that work in that specific field. Could be as easy as a twitter search, it could be more complex like going through white papers and emailing researchers. 
  - There are websites where you can request all sorts of feed back including MVP feedback. Fiver has a section (https://www.fiverr.com/categories/programming-tech/user-testing-services), and there are niche sites https://www.usertesting.com/
  - Hacker News?
  - Reddit has subs dedicated to that sort of thing: https://www.reddit.com/r/websitefeedback/
  - Meetups. 2 different versions. 1) Prepare your elevator pitch and bring your phone 2) Message meetup founders and ask them where they would go for feedback, since they are thought leaders of sorts.
  - Dischord (mentioned elsewhere) 
  - Just start trying to sell it the way that you planned on marketing it (hopefully you've thought about your marketing plan)

Re: Ask HN: Where do you find potential customers to validate your idea / MVP?

#20

Post by adav »

vincentmarle wrote: post #13
adav wrote: post #8

Check out The Mom Test and find an audience to talk to first. Validate any idea long before you build an MVP. In my opinion it's two separate steps. I must admit I've also fallen in your trap many times myself. It's too fun to just go ahead and build something sometimes without considering the best way to find those early users first.

I wish this book wasn’t called the Mom Test, people I’ve recommended it to didn’t take it seriously because of that. But it’s definitely one of the best books ever written on problem validation.

I had also previously dismissed it because of the stupid name (...and it should be Mum Test if anything...) but luckily my friend insisted that I read it.

I often skim the crib sheet on the last few pages to remind myself of the goodness within.

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