Have you ever put something out into the world that you weren’t sure of?
Only to have the world respond with nothing but those proverbial crickets?
Me too.
It’s hard.
And confusing.
Confusing because without feedback, you can’t tell what the problem is. Do people not care, or do people not know?
A great idea, launched in obscurity, will help as many people as an uninspiring idea with lots of eyes on it.
Actually, the great idea will probably help fewer people. (It’s a numbers game.)
But if you then go back to the drawing board and scrap your great idea, you’ll be fixing the wrong problem.
You’ll have mistaken your obscurity for their apathy.
That’s why the most important thing you can do when you’re launching something new is to tell people. Talk to as many of your ideal customers, clients, listeners, or readers as you can.
You’re not selling, you’re informing, inquiring.
Asking questions like:
“Would something like this help you?”
“What would make this better for you?”
“Do you know anyone else I should talk to about this?”
It won’t remove all the risk – nothing can – but you’ll at least have a better idea of where to start improving.
Anti-apathetically,
James
P.S. Jonathan Stark and Rochelle Moulton call this a “listening tour.”
P.P.S. Want a second set of eyes on your webpages or emails before taking them into the world (or on a listening tour)? Check out my Optimization Audit offering.
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