Steal My Testing Strategy to Find Out if Anyone Wants Your Product ASAP

Testing your idea early is crucial for startup success. Too many founders spend ages building the “perfect” product — only to find out nobody wants it.

That’s why testing is one of the most important steps in launching a startup.

Basically, you want to answer two questions:

• Does anyone want it?

• Can I build it?

And you want to find out as lean and cheap as possible — fast and with minimal effort.

How I tested Pingvite

I wanted to know if people thought it was a cool idea. So I built a landing page with some screen designs, pretended the app already existed, then ran Instagram image ads.

I tested:

• How many people clicked the ad (CTR)?

• How many clicked “Get Pingvite” on the landing page (conversion)?

I was quite happy with the results: 4% clicked the ad, and 24% of those clicked “Get Pingvite.” Consider I have zero marketing background.

👉 Here's the landing page:

And here’s the best part: this testing strategy is so simple, you can copy it right away. Build a quick page, run a few ads, and you’ll know within days whether anyone actually cares about your idea.

But take these results with a grain of salt. They show people think they want it—not that they’ll actually use it. What people say they want and what they actually adopt are two very different things. Many startups have learned that the hard way.

My next step

Now my mission is to build a first prototype in 3 weeks. To make that possible, two things are crucial:

1. Strip the app to the bare minimum. Only build the core flow (for Pingvite: creating hangouts).

2. Use AI for everything. Don't write code by yourself.

Why?

• Most likely, people won’t use the product exactly as you designed it—especially consumer apps, where users churn instantly if there’s no immediate value.

• If people do want it, you’ll rebuild your shaky MVP anyway.

→ The goal: Find out as quickly and cheaply as possible if people really want to use your product.

For Pingvite, there are countless ways to solve the problem: location-based, hobby-based, group hangs, 1:1 hangs… That’s why testing the market’s actual preferences is key.

Painted doors

To test features without building them, I use “painted doors.” Pretend a feature exists — see if users click it — then show a “coming soon” message.

Example: To test group hangs, I added a New Group button. Users can select friends and a group name. But when they click Create Group, they get: “We’re working on the implementation.”

Why this works:

• Better than asking: People’s answers are hypothetical. Their clicks show real interest.

• Better than building right away: Saves time. But if you can build super fast, go ahead — real beats fake.

And always track behavior (I use Posthog) and log your results. If you confirm group hangs aren’t important, write it down so you don’t waste time building later.

Another tip: add live chat to your app or website. Users will quickly tell you which features are missing or broken.

Your next step to make your business fly:

1. Build a landing page. I recommend Hostinger (cheap + fast: $40–$80/year for 50 sites). Use AI, the website builder, or Horizons. Here’s my referral link for 20% off: Hostinger

2. Run a lean ad campaign. Image ads are much faster to create than videos.

3. Build an MVP. Solve only the core problem. For everything else: use painted doors.

4. Use AI. I started with ChatGPT Plus but switched to Claude Code. It’s better for coding but pricier ($100/month vs. $20).

5. Track analytics. I use Posthog.

If you get stuck:

• Ask ChatGPT or Claude.

• Still stuck? Hire someone on Fiverr. I got Instagram Ads help from a pro for $20.

But whatever you do — keep doing. Action is what separates doers from dreamers. Start ASAP, execute fast, learn faster. And never give up.

Remember: you don’t need permission, perfect timing, or years of preparation. You just need to start. The tools are already in your hands.

Join launchASAP to become part of the family. You belong here.

What should I cover in the next episode? Drop me a line!

All the best,
Michael

PS: Start tonight.

PPS: When you're still stuck: Ping me. I'll help you out.

Let's go!