How to test your startup idea using a minimal viable product

You have a great idea for a startup. You spent months, maybe even years building it. Then there is the day your product goes live. And guess what? Nobody wants to use it.

This is something that happens every day to new startups. And there is a way to avoid this. The solution using a so called Minimal Viable Product. A Minimal Viable Product (or MVP) has just the core features of the product. The goal of a MVP is to test the idea and receive feedback from early adopters. This minimizes the risk of building something that nobody wants.

1. Landing Page

Create a landing page with a presentation of your product and have have a the option for people to leave their email to receive updates. By doing this your already gathering users for your future product pre-launch.

You can build a landing page yourself or you can check a service like Launchrock. You will have your page up in no time.

2. Explainer video

One of the best ways to bring across an idea is by using an explainer video.  It gives you the opportunity to really show how will work. One of the most famous examples of a startup who used this technique is Dropbox. They posted their video on Hackernews and overnight over 70,000 people signed up for their idea. The rest is history.

 

3. Kickstarter

Kickstarter is awesome to test your idea’s. Not only will you find a lot of early adapters to test your pitch. It also enables you to start generating revenue before launching. Which will help to overcome many financial bottlenecks to develop your product.

There are many ways to test your idea by using a MVP. These are just a few to get your started. Keep things Lean and use your creativity.