The Startup Ideas Podcast
The best businesses are built at the intersection of emerging technology, community, and real human needs.
Marketing-First Product Validation
A product development approach that validates marketing channels and customer acquisition before building the actual product
How It Works
Uses keyword research, Reddit analysis, and landing page tests to prove demand exists and acquisition is viable before development starts
Components
Research keyword search volumes using tools like Keywords Everywhere
Analyze Reddit threads and discussions for pain points
Create landing pages and run test ads to validate conversion potential
Measure click-through rates and email signups before building product
Only build after proving people will pay for the solution
When to Use
When building any new product, especially B2B SaaS or tools targeting specific niches
When Not to Use
When you have existing proven distribution or when building internal/enterprise tools with guaranteed users
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Example
“Before building a YouTube email extractor, research shows 'YouTube channel email extractor' has search volume, Reddit threads exist requesting this solution, and test landing pages generate signups - validating the market exists before development”
Related Knowledge
ICE Score Feature Prioritization
A scoring system for prioritizing product features using Impact × Confidence ÷ Effort to determine what to build next
Three-Technology Product Validation
Validate product ideas by ensuring they work with three key technologies: 3D printing for prototyping, AI for ideation,
Start Small, Iterate Agent Development
A development approach for AI agents where you begin with the simplest possible version and progressively add complexity
validate people want to buy this thing see if you can build it
Prove market demand and distribution viability before spending time building the actual product
impact times confidence over effort put it into score
Prioritize product features using quantified impact, confidence, and effort scores rather than subjective preference