How to Talk to Users Before You Build Anything

Step 1: Know What You're Trying to Learn

Before you reach out to anyone, ask yourself:What do I actually want to find out?

You're not trying to get compliments or vague support. You're trying to learn:

• Is this a real problem?
• Who experiences it?
• How painful is it?
• How are they solving it today?
• Would they want a better way?

Write down your top 3-5 questions. These will guide your conversations and help you stay focused.

Step 2: Find 5-10 People in Your Target Audience

You don't need a huge sample size. Talking to just 5-10 people can give you enough clarity to move forward.

Start by looking for:

• People in communities (Reddit, Indie Hackers, Discord, Slack)
• LinkedIn connections (for B2B ideas)
• Friends or coworkers (if they're relevant)

It's better to speak with 5 people who really match your ideal user than 50 who don't.

Step 3: Reach Out Without Pitching

This is not a sales call. This is purely a learning opportunity.

Send a short, polite message like:

That's it. Most people are more willing to talk than you'd think. Especially if you make it about them, not your idea.

Step 4: Ask Questions That Reveal the Pain

Once you're in a call or chat, don't try to explain your idea or ask if they "like" it. They will just say yes, but that's not helpful.

Instead, ask open-ended questions that help them share real stories:

• "When's the last time you dealt with [problem]?"
• "What did you do about it?"
• "What was frustrating about that?"
• "What would your ideal solution look like?"

Your goal is to understand what their life looks like without your product. We are still not trying to sell them anything.

Step 5: Take Notes and Look for Patterns

After just a few conversations, you'll start seeing patterns:

• Common pain points
• Workarounds people use
• Similar language in how they describe the problem

This insight is pure gold. It will shape:

• Your MVP feature set
• Your landing page copy
• Your product positioning

And most importantly, it'll show you if your idea is actually worth building. If you find out it isn't, then you just saved yourself months of work.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

These are the most common traps to avoid in early user conversations:

• Pitching too early. Don't try to convince them to use your idea.
• Asking "would you use this?" It's a hypothetical answer.
• Leading the witness. Avoid phrasing like "Wouldn't it be useful if…", or "What if you could…".

Think of these chats as discovery, not validation.

Bonus: Use a Problem-Only Landing Page

If you're shy about outreach or want to test interest at scale, try a simple landing page that:

• Explains the problem clearly
• Hints at a possible solution
• Asks users to join a waitlist or get notified

This won't replace direct conversations, but it's a great supplement and a quick way to gauge real interest.

What Happens Next?

After a few of these interviews, you'll have a much better sense of:

• Whether the problem is real and worth solving
• What your users expect from a solution
• How to describe and market your idea effectively

And all of this before investing time and money into building a product. And if you find out it isn't worth building, then you still just might have gotten some great insights to inspire your next idea.