Finding customers
Are your possible customers in this community?
Published . Updated
You may be posting regularly without knowing whether you are reaching people who could use your product.
Look at who is there
Being able to post in a community does not mean its members are likely to buy from you. Look at what they do, what they need and whether your product fits.
Other founders may be customers too. It depends on what you sell.
Ask these questions
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Do members have the problem you solve? | Their interest in the topic may not mean they need your product |
| Can they decide to buy it? | The person using a product may not control the budget |
| What do they use now? | Their current choice gives you something to compare with |
| Can you take part under the community’s rules? | You need a suitable way to talk with people |
| What happens after someone shows interest? | A conversation, trial or purchase tells you more than a like |
Consider other reasons for a poor response
You may be reaching the wrong people. Your explanation may be unclear. People may not trust the offer or feel a need to act now. The product itself may not be useful enough.
The amount of time you spend posting does not tell you which reason applies.
Try a small test
Choose one type of customer and one problem they need to solve. Find a community where people discuss that problem. Follow its rules and take part in a useful way.
Decide what you want to learn. Record relevant conversations, product trials or purchases, depending on the test. Likes alone will not answer whether people need the product.
If little happens, check whether you reached the intended people before ruling out the whole community.
What remains uncertain
Finding possible customers does not mean you can reach enough of them at a reasonable cost. People who need the product may not have the budget to buy it.
One founder’s success with replies does not mean the same approach will work for you.
- Related article: What Reddit posts can tell you about an idea
- How I use research
Sources
These are the public posts and pages behind the original research. A source link may show the writer's name even though this page does not.
Posts by founders
“I sat there staring at my analytics dashboard”
A founder describes a launch that brought no paying customers.
“Approval felt like the finish line. It was the starting line”
A founder whose app was approved for a store describes being stuck on finding customers.
“You validate my idea and I will validate yours”
Founders offer to give each other feedback. It shows founders talking mostly with other founders.
“How do I go about getting my first customers outside of my warm network?”
A founder asks how to reach customers beyond people they already know.
Earlier background post
“I got my first $159 in sales after realizing I was building in silence”
One founder's own report of first sales after replying in existing discussions. The link was checked before the main research period, so it is listed as background. It is one report and does not show the approach will work for others.