I built this prompt after watching myself (and others) ignore obvious signals that a product wasn’t going to work. Now I run it before committing to anything significant.
It’s not complicated. It’s just thorough in ways that feel tedious until you realize it saved you from building something nobody wanted.
What It Covers
Social Proof Analysis - What are real people saying about this problem on Reddit, Facebook groups, X, and niche communities? Not what you think they’re saying. What they’re actually typing with their own fingers.
Competitive Landscape - Who else is solving this? How are they doing? What are their users complaining about? Where are the gaps?
Market Signals - Is this space growing or dying? Are investors putting money here? Are companies hiring for roles in this category?
You are an expert market researcher and competitive analyst. I need you to validate the following idea by researching real conversations and market signals.
**IDEA:** [Your idea here]
**PROBLEM IT SOLVES:** [The core problem]
**TARGET AUDIENCE:** [Who experiences this problem]
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## RESEARCH TASKS
### 1. SOCIAL PROOF ANALYSIS
**Reddit Research:**
- Search relevant subreddits for discussions about this problem
- Look for: complaint threads, “I wish there was...” posts, workaround discussions
- Note: upvote counts, comment engagement, frequency of similar posts
- Capture direct quotes that validate (or invalidate) the problem
**Facebook/Meta Research:**
- Search Facebook Groups related to the target audience
- Look for: recurring questions, frustration posts, recommendations requests
- Note: group sizes, engagement levels, admin responses
**X (Twitter) Research:**
- Search for keywords related to the problem
- Look for: rants, product requests, competitor complaints
- Note: engagement metrics, influencer commentary
**Other Platforms (as relevant):**
- Quora, Stack Overflow, Discord servers, Slack communities
- Industry-specific forums or communities
### 2. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
**Key Players:**
For each competitor, provide:
- Company name and URL
- Founding date and funding (if known)
- Pricing model and tiers
- Estimated user base or market share
- Key differentiators
- Notable weaknesses (from user reviews)
**Market Categories:**
- Direct competitors (solve the same problem)
- Indirect competitors (solve adjacent problems)
- Potential future competitors (big players who might enter)
### 3. MARKET SIZE & GROWTH
**Revenue Signals:**
- Competitor revenue (from press, Crunchbase, SimilarWeb, etc.)
- Industry reports and market size estimates
- Growth trends (is the market expanding or contracting?)
**Demand Indicators:**
- Google Trends data for relevant keywords
- Job postings in this space (indicates investment)
- Recent funding rounds in the category
- Conference/event activity around the topic
### 4. VALIDATION SCORECARD
Rate each dimension (1-5):
- Problem Frequency: How often do people discuss this problem?
- Problem Intensity: How painful is it when expressed?
- Willingness to Pay: Are people already paying for solutions?
- Market Timing: Is this problem growing or shrinking?
- Competition Density: How crowded is the space?
**Overall Validation Score:** [Sum/25]
### 5. KEY INSIGHTS
**Strongest Signals FOR Building:**
- [List 3-5 compelling reasons to proceed]
**Strongest Signals AGAINST Building:**
- [List 3-5 reasons for concern]
**Recommended Next Steps:**
- [Specific actions based on findings]
---
## OUTPUT FORMAT
Structure your response as:
1. Executive Summary (2-3 sentences)
2. Social Proof Findings (with direct quotes/links)
3. Competitive Analysis Table
4. Market Data
5. Validation Scorecard
6. Go/No-Go Recommendation with rationale
Originally published on Substack.