Mistake #2 on my 10 mistakes list was skipping the demand check — building first, discovering later that nobody was actually looking for it. That one line gets more replies than almost anything else I've written, always with some version of the same question: "okay, but how do I actually check demand? What does that look like in practice?"
Fair question. "Validate your idea" is advice everyone gives and almost nobody explains. Here's the actual process — specific enough to run today, before you write a single page of your product.
Why validation isn't the same as "does this sound good"
The trap most people fall into is validating their idea against their own opinion. They think about it, it sounds reasonable, maybe a friend says "oh that's a good idea!" — and that becomes the green light. None of that is validation. That's just confidence, and confidence isn't the same as demand.
Real validation means finding evidence that people are already looking for an answer to the problem your product solves — independent of whether you personally find the idea exciting.
The four-step validation process
Step 1: Search it the way a buyer would. Not the way you'd describe your product internally — the way someone with the problem would actually type it into a search bar.
Step 2: Look for existing competition — and treat it as good news. Existing products mean people are already paying for a solution to this problem. Zero competition usually means zero demand, not an untapped opportunity.
Step 3: Find the specific question, not just the general topic. Go looking for the exact phrasing people use when they're stuck — forum threads, comment sections, "does anyone know how to..." posts.
Step 4: Ask a small group directly — before you build, not after. Ask about actual willingness to pay, and pay attention to who answers with specifics versus who answers with vague enthusiasm.
What a validated idea actually looks like
- You can find people asking your exact question in their own words, unprompted.
- At least a few competing products already exist and appear to be selling.
- When you describe the problem to someone in your target audience, they immediately recognize it as something they've personally struggled with.
- Someone asks "when can I buy it" before you've even built it.
That last one is the strongest signal there is.
What a weak signal looks like
- Your only evidence is that you personally find the topic interesting.
- People respond to the idea with polite agreement but no specifics.
- You can't find anyone else searching for or selling anything similar, anywhere.
- The audience you asked is small, or isn't actually made up of the people you'd be selling to.
A weak signal doesn't necessarily mean scrap the idea — but it does mean dig further before committing real building time to it.
Mistakes to avoid during validation
- Asking leading questions. "Wouldn't it be great if..." invites agreement, not honest signal.
- Validating with the wrong audience. Your friends and family are rarely your buyers.
- Stopping at one data point. One person's enthusiasm isn't validation.
- Treating validation as a one-time gate. Keep listening after you build, too.
- Confusing "I could sell this to anyone" with "I've found who actually wants this."
A validation checklist
- Have I searched this the way a buyer would, not the way I'd describe it internally?
- Do competing products already exist and appear to be selling?
- Can I find people asking this exact question, in their own words, unprompted?
- Have I asked a small group a direct willingness-to-pay question?
- Has anyone asked when they can buy it, without me prompting them to ask?
The real point
Validation isn't about killing your enthusiasm for an idea. It's about finding out whether that enthusiasm is shared before you spend weeks finding out the hard way. Ten minutes of honest searching can save you a month of building something the market already told you it didn't want.
Before you validate your next idea, grab the free Brand Voice Blueprint — knowing your own voice makes it much easier to tell whether an idea is genuinely you, or just something that sounded good in the moment.
If your idea passes validation and you're ready to build it, the Digital Marketing eBook: Launch Blueprint picks up exactly where this post leaves off — pricing, launch sequencing, and the full 12-step checklist. Founder price is $13.00 with code FOUNDER100 for the first 100 people.
— Tony
FAQ
How do I validate a digital product idea with no audience yet?
Search the way a buyer would and look for existing competitors and forum questions — you don't need your own audience to find evidence that a problem is already being searched for and paid to solve.
Is having competitors a bad sign for my idea?
No — it's usually a good sign. Competitors mean proven demand. Zero competition more often means zero demand than an untapped opportunity.
What's the strongest signal that an idea is validated?
Someone asking when they can buy it before you've built anything.
How many people should I ask before I trust the validation?
More than one, and look for a pattern rather than a single enthusiastic response.
What if my idea gets a weak validation signal?
It doesn't necessarily mean scrap it — dig further into the specific phrasing people use and the exact problem before committing real building time.
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