ideas, Houston developed an early concept. Then he created
and narrated a three-
minute video demonstrating the benefits of this easy-to-use file sharing service.
Houston packed his video with pop-culture Easter eggs and humorous
references that resonated with the target audience of early adopters in the
technology industry. At the end of the video, he asked viewers to register their
interest by visiting the product’s website.
Houston later said about his minimum viable product:
It drove hundreds of thousands of people to the website. Our beta
waiting list went from 5,000 people to 75,000 people literally
overnight. It totally blew us away.”
After watching the rapid growth
of this waiting list, Houston knew his
underlying assumptions were right. People wanted an easy-to-use file-sharing
service that worked. And he had proof.
From there, Houston and his team avoided wasting time and resources on
things like mainstream PR and developing features that beta users didn’t want.
Instead, they built a simple product that worked and people wanted. Then
they were able to acquire money and resources to turn their minimum viable
product into something they could sell.
You might not be concerned with software or products, but nothing is more
dispiriting than creating something no one wants.
Wasting time, money and your
creative energy hurts.
So, how can you find out what your audience wants instead of relying on
assumptions?
Remember intuition is helpful, but knowing your idea works is better. So, get
an early version or minimum viable product of your idea in front of your would-
be audience or peers.
Ask them for constructive feedback that you can use to improve and expand
upon your original idea.
Find the sweet spot between what you create and what your fans will
pay for
I
F
YOU
’
RE
A
WRITER
, release early chapters of your book
to early or beta readers
who provide you with feedback on how you can improve your work. Then, ask
them if they’ll pre-order your book so you have the financial resources to finish
it.
Writer Hugh Howie (b. 1975), for example, didn’t write all of his epic
science-fiction series
Silo in one go before releasing it. He wrote novella after
novella and released each one separately because he recognised a demand for his
ideas.
Others demonstrated their enthusiasm for his stories by opening their wallets.
If you’re
a musician, release some of your songs on social media or play
them for people who aren’t friends or family. Bands on tour often try out new
and reworked songs in front of smaller audiences to see what works and what
doesn’t.
Bob Dylan (b. 1941) continually explores what his audience wants and likes.
He constantly changes and rearranges his classic songs, sometimes to his
audience’s consternation and sometimes to their delight. He says,
Getting an audience is hard. Sustaining an audience is hard. It
demands a consistency of thought,
of purpose, and of action over a
long period of time.”
If you’re a painter, show an inner group of peers what you’re working, and
use what they tell you to improve your work. Hell, even artists like Matisse and
Picasso had patrons who supported their work financially
before it was complete.
Your audience could love your idea; they could offer some harsh critical
feedback or they could tell you it’s terrible.
You could benefit from these opinions before you go any further. You don’t
want to spend months or years working on an idea only to find a big issue that’s
going to take months to fix or – worse – you’ve
created something nobody
wants.
After you’ve tested your minimum viable idea, you can do one of two things:
Use your audience’s critical feedback to improve your work or abandon your
idea altogether and create something new.
Do you see what I’m saying? Good. Now that you know what your audience
wants, let’s cover . . .
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