You've poured your life into building an innovative product, but something isn't clicking with customers. No matter how many features you add or websites you launch, you just can't seem to find product-market fit. The startup graveyard is littered with companies who never nailed that crucial intersection of solution and audience need.
So, how do you really know if there's a market for it before investing tons of time and money? One incredibly powerful tactic is to start a podcast around your idea.
Sounds unconventional, right? But hear me out. Podcasting allows you to not only build an audience of potential customers, but to get invaluable feedback and validation by discussing your startup concept on the mic.
I'll give you a real-world example that may blow your mind. Today, the podcast Startups for the Rest of Us has over 500,000 downloads per month. But it actually began as a way for the host Rob Walling to validate and refine his startup MicroConf - an events company for self-funded startups and entrepreneurs.
By interviewing his target audience on the podcast - indie software developers bootstrapping their startups - Rob was able to learn about their biggest pain points, fears, and what they most wanted from events and resources for self-funded startups.
That's precisely the kind of priceless market feedback that enabled Rob to tweak his MicroConf offering until he achieved product/market fit. The first few events sold out, and it's still going strong over a decade later.
Now let's dig into some specific ways you can leverage podcasting to validate your own startup vision:
One of the most powerful ways to use a podcast is to interview people in your intended target market. Ask about their biggest challenges related to your product idea and what their dream solution would be. Their answers will reveal insights you never could have uncovered through surveys or focus groups alone. You can dive deep into their pain points, motivations, and objections in a conversational way that helps you refine your offering.
As you develop a following around your podcast's topic and category, you'll naturally attract people interested in solutions related to your business idea. This dedicated audience of enthusiastic listeners becomes a prime source of beta testers, pre-order customers, and some of your first paying clients. You're essentially building a warm lead list that's eager to support your vision.
When you consistently publish high-quality episodes centered around your expertise and interests, you position yourself as a trusted authority. This credibility goes a long way when you eventually go to launch and sell your product or service. Earning that authority upfront makes the sales process much smoother once you actually have an offering.
Now let's walk through some specifics on starting a podcast to validate your startup idea:
To get started, you'll need a decent USB mic ($50-100), pop filter, and easy recording/editing software like GarageBand or Audacity. YouTube has tons of budget podcasting setup tutorials.
Brainstorm a bank of 10-20 potential episode topics that allow you to highlight your entrepreneurial journey and vision. Create a basic content calendar to stay on track producing weekly episodes.
Publish 3-5 episodes at launch instead of just a trailer. This gives listeners enough content to help them decide if they want to subscribe.
Share each new episode on your website, social media, email lists, relevant online communities, and more. Repurpose episodes into YouTube videos or written content to attract listeners through other channels.
The bottom line? Podcasting facilitates the type of real audience feedback, validation, and rapport that every startup founder dreams of as they strive for product/market fit. It's one of the most exciting, interactive ways to bring an idea to life.
So what are you waiting for? Grab a mic and start podcasting your way to startup success! Let me know if you have any other questions.
