Before solving the problem, it is wise to test if it is actually a problem. Let's say that you find a problem to solve from a forum. You start building a solution but then you put it out there and come to find out there was only one person with that problem. You wasted time and possibly money.
Whereas if you put up a landing page showcasing the solution to the problem outlining the #benefits of the solution, then ask people to signup for the beta program you can really see who needs your potential solution. If they signup, then you have a higher chance of getting those people to actually use the product.
To test, you can use Webflow, yep.so, or Carrd.
- https://marketingexamples.com/landing-page/guide - Guide to creating landing pages that convert
- https://www.julian.com/guide/startup/landing-pages
- Good Twitter Thread on setting up a landing page:
To figure out the proper language, use AI to create the features and benefits like this example:
How To Use Copy AI to write great landing page text by Jacob Miller
- So we brainstormed our best one-liners with a supporting sentence to create variables for the tool to pull from and then we copied the generated results into the Notion page, highlighted our favorite parts, and then crafted our favorite lines for the landing page.
- I hope this loom recording helps explain the above explanation better and shows you what we did with copy.ai and notion together.
- https://www.loom.com/share/7f8f0dc48657465aa069e2927766e518
- Set a KPI: IE: If 100 people signup for this landing page, then I'll begin to build this solution.
- You can run ads (Facebook, Google, YouTube, Twitter), message people in forums, and Slack groups, or email the customers you've researched to see if the landing page with the solution resonates with them.
- If you did customer research prior, then, it should be easy to understand the exact pain point the solution should solve.
Examples of this:
Once you have the proper KPI sets and confidence, and evidence that you can build the solution to the problem then start building the MVP
The MVP should be nimble and do one thing well. You can possibly use no-code or low-code tools to get the initial version up and running in less than one month.
Do NOT overcomplicate the MVP with features. Offer the MVP to the users who signed up for the beta as a lifetime deal to get initial capital or give a discount on the monthly price. This only works if the solution doesn't require hosting or anything that would make the project increase drastically in cost over time.
If you decide to offer a lifetime deal, cap it. Meaning only x amount of people can purchase to keep the cost down down the road.
The point of an LTD is to give you the freedom (and micro validation that your product is worth something) to work on your product without worrying about cash. Yes, you will get feedback but be VERY cautious of the feedback from these customers. Do not let them steer the product too far off your initial vision.
If you don't want to do LTD, then you can follow this method by Denis Shatalin: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SavId13-lIEmV6-LTeX4HDaxMc2W8AxK/view, which also works well.
If customers ask for specific features, take note but do not implement them immediately. Only implement or consider implementing when more than three paying customers have asked for a specific thing.
Regardless if you launch with an LTD or not, you will need to figure out pricing.
MRR gets the bills paid and makes VCs (if you want) happy.
Read more about pricing.
Pricing