2 builders who never spoke to each other

Write down five people you could email today

Before anything else, name specific individuals who need the thing, counting people you only know from forums and social platforms. If nobody comes to mind, that is not a marketing problem: you do not yet know the category well enough to launch into it, and solving one named person's problem is a better start than a general one.

The method

1. 01

   Write down the names of five specific people who need the product; failing that test means you have no connection to the market you are aiming at.

2. 02

   Count people you only know online - from forums, Twitter and other communities - as named potential customers, since being present in their community is the point.

3. 03

   If nobody comes to mind when you try to write these emails, treat it as evidence that you don't yet know your category, industry or community well enough to launch into it.

4. 04

   Build and write for one identified individual; if it is genuinely valuable to that person it will be valuable to many.

5. 05

   If you cannot name ten people you know who would want what you plan to teach, reconsider the audience choice

What it returned

• Alex Hillman's point that people build tools without thinking about who uses them.

• Nathan Barry's writing advice, which he applied by aiming Designing Web Applications at his brother-in-law.

• Egghead began as Joel Hooks helping a single friend put courses up for sale.

Sources

• First, write 100 emails to people you knowJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Write 100 emails to people you know · undated
• A simple way to validate your startup ideaJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · A simple way to validate your startup idea · undated
• 9 email marketing wins that take less than an hourNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · 1. Use the 10 person rule to kickstart your blog · 2015-04-08
• Education Platforms: Gamification, Income Share Agreements, UpskillingJoel Hooks · trends.vc · ☁️ Opportunities · 2022-05-07