How and where do you validate your idea?

Question

To validate idea we have to decide who is our target audience and reach out to the people who represent it. 
Ideally, to solve this audience's problems, we have to listen more than we talk, ideally not jumping into sharing our product idea at all. 
We should formulate questions in a way, that even mom would tell us the truth (thanks, The Mom Test).
But how do you reach out to those people? Write to them in LinkedIn or X? But will strangers want to help... And what to tell them so they wanted...
Use Reddit topics? I have found that lot's of communities are not very responsive there. Moreover, with small reputation (and when you start on Reddit, it's small) your posts will be moderated for who knows how long.
Please, share your ways of validating idea and reaching out to potential customers.

Marina K · Accepted Answer

Thank you @annie_engelhardth! Could you please tell more about collaboration process? Where do you find people to send surveys to or for interview? It is not the first touch to the client I presume?

Marina K · Answer

Thank you, @eric_lens! Could you elaborate more on where do you find people to talk to? Do you gather first insights and then build an mvp?

Oliver Charlotte · Answer

I look for more feedback through online forums or local meetup!

Annie Engelhardth · Answer

We collaborate to test our ideas, gathering data through surveys, interviews, and experiments.

Answer

I check if people need my idea by talking to them, building a small version, and seeing if they like it.

Answer

I validate ideas through market research, customer feedback, and testing prototypes.

Peter Victor · Answer

I usually start by talking to friends and family to see if they think my idea is useful.

Addau Rabiu · Answer

Use social media to ask people what they think about my idea.

Lanfranco Iwanaga · Answer

Engaging in relevant online communities and networking events provides opportunities to test ideas and receive valuable input.

Yung ruwala · Answer

Using LinkedIn or industry forums can be effective for connecting with potential customers and gaining insights.

Jermaine Lafond · Answer

Reaching out to target audience through surveys or interviews helps gather honest feedback and validate the idea.

Jason Jackson · Answer

I've found that Reddit communities like r/startups, r/SideProject and r/Entrepreneur can be good for getting feedback, if you frame your questions well. You can also try niche communities that are specific to your target audience. LinkedIn can work if you have connections in your industry who might be your target customers. The key is asking insightful questions to dig into their problems and pain points, without pitching your idea. 'The Mom Test' book has great advice on this. Talking to people 1-on-1 tends to get better engagement vs posting in online communities. Hope this helps validate your idea!

Answer

Validating an idea involves:
1. Market Research:
   - Conduct surveys, interviews, and competitor analysis.
2. Prototyping:
   - Develop a minimum viable product (MVP).
3. Testing:
   - Test the MVP with a target audience for feedback.
4. Metrics:
   - Analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) and user feedback.
5. Iteration:
   - Refine the idea based on insights and repeat the process if necessary.

How and where do you validate your idea?

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