How do you start validating an idea when your audience is hard to reach?

Recently I write about our 0 to $$ journey, i hope it helps:

9 questions we answered to go from idea to revenue in 30 days

1. Are people talking about the problem or looking for a solution?

2. Will people pay to solve this problem?

3. Who will be our primary customer?

4. Can we develop a solution that addresses the core problem within 2-3 days?

5. Will this solution add value either by saving time or money for the user?

6. How will we reach our primary customers to get feedback and first 10 sales?

7. How will we collect testimonials from early adopters?

8. What data do we need to track to gain insights?

9. How can we bring 1,000+ users to our website?

Let me share an example from our previous productized service where we submitted Black Friday deals on behalf of our users on multiple platforms to boost visibility and sales.

1. Are people talking about the problem or looking for a solution?
In November 2023, we started exploring ideas on Twitter. After a couple of days, we saw a trend where founders were actively discussing and submitting Black Friday deals on multiple platforms. This was our first validation that people were looking to list their deals on as many platforms as they can.

2. Will people pay to solve this problem?
We observed that finding platforms and submitting their deals would require some effort and time. Even if the platforms are known, each platform had different requirements, such as product details, logo size, pricing details, etc.

This will save at least 2+ hours of searching and submission time. Hence we assumed that people will be happy to pay for the Done For You submission service.

3. Who will be our primary customer?
Based on the research from the first question, we understood that our primary users will be founders who were sharing Black Friday discount codes on twitter.

4. Can we develop a solution that addresses the core problem within 2-3 days?
After brainstorming for a few hours, we came up with a solution which can go live quickly using no code tools. We quickly collected 15+ platforms in google sheet and created a landing page using softr in 2 days.

5. Will this solution add value either by saving time or money for the user?
From the answer to Question 2, we assumed that people would pay for it but this is where we need to validate our solution.

To increase the chances of success, we kept the process quick and simple. We created a simple form based on a generic field which we came up with based on different platform requirements. User can make a purchase and fill in the product details in 10 minutes. That’s it!

Further we added a 48 hours timeline which means we will submit the user's product on 15+ platforms in the next 48 hours of purchase.

To validate it quickly, we created early bird offers for the first 10 users.

6. How will we reach our primary customers to get feedback and first 10 sales?
We didn't have much time as Black Friday was near, so for marketing, we did 3 things in 3 days:

1. Started engaging with founders on twitter who were sharing Black Friday Deals and recommended our solution wherever we felt it can add value.

2. DMed founders who were already looking for platforms or doing submission on such platforms.

3. Launched on Product Hunt.

And boom, our early slots were sold out in 72 hours. Then we added 10 more slots at $10 each, and they were gone too.

7. How will we collect testimonials from early adopters?
One way(and maybe the only one) to make a user happy is to overdeliver. We didn’t have much to over deliver at that point of time but we did it with quality, speed and more platform submissions. And voila, we got testimonial from our favorite founders Ayush with this process.

While the testimonial is important you should focus on feedback as well. That part will play an equal role in building a great product.

8. What data do we need to track to gain insights?
As our black friday deal submission service was relevant for only period of time, we didn’t focus much on data part but we still did napkin math on below things:

1. Number of people sharing the Black Friday deals on Twitter.

2. Number of Black Friday deals listing platforms (both free and paid).

3. Initial feedback from our early users to determine if they understand our offering. This helps in optimizing our landing page based on their input.

You can track more things as you go like website visitors, conversion rate, and different sources of acquisition.

9. How can we bring 1,000+ users to our website?
Unfortunately, we had to close the service as we had to submit 20+ products manually before Black Friday and also it was relevant for only a period of time. Hence, scaling to 1k users was out of question.

After Black Friday Submission Service, we came up with a similar idea using the above questions and launched Boringlaunch in the end of November, 2023. We are currently focusing 100% on building and growing Boringlaunch where we submit Startups on 100+ platforms to increase SEO score in 30 days.

PS: We answered these questions for building a productized service, but I guess they are pretty much valid if you are building a SaaS as well.

P.S. Here’s a sample DM I use to get early feedback:

Hey [User Name] 👋

We’ve just launched (product name) for [Industry/Category/Domain/Target Audience]

It might be a great fit for your [product name].

[Quick line about what your product does + how it helps]

We're offering a 70% discount to the first 10 users in exchange for feedback and testimonials. Let me know if you're interested or have any questions!

[Website link]

Hello Aryansh:

Have you tried to reach people who host their podcasts on Spotify, iTunes etc.?

For early validation, i found it easier to position the idea as a tool or solution to a very specific pain, rather than something broad.

During a quiet stretch, i shifted focus to building something really small and useful for the same audience and offrf it free

What kept me going in the early days was having a Notion doc where i tracked every little piece of feedback. It reminded me that progress was happening, even it slowly

Hey @resonancex , I totally feel this. That early stage where you're trying to validate your product but it feels like you're talking into the void? It's draining and messy, but you're not alone.

One thing that helped me was changing the game a bit. Instead of cold outreach for feedback, I just started showing up in places where my audience hangs out. Not pushing my product, but joining the conversations they were already having. Slowly, people got curious, and I ended up having better, more natural chats. It felt lighter, less like I was begging for attention and more like I was part of something.

You’re in the right stage—it's a tough one, but also where the real work happens. The fact that you care this much puts you ahead of a lot of people. Keep pushing through. It gets better, I promise.

Also, remember: You’re not building in isolation. A lot of people are in the same boat, just trying to figure it out. Don't lose sight of the fact that caring is what matters most.