Product Demand Research
Overview
Use public social data to understand whether people actually complain about, ask for, buy, hack around, or recommend solutions in a product category. The output should help founders and marketers decide what to build, position, or test.
When to Use
Use this skill when the user asks to:
- validate a startup or product idea
- find pain points in a niche
- mine Reddit/TikTok/YouTube comments for product ideas
- find buyer language and objections
- understand alternatives people use today
- create messaging from demand evidence
Signals to Extract
- repeated complaints
- "I wish" / "is there a tool" / "how do I" phrases
- workarounds and spreadsheets/manual processes
- comparison and alternative mentions
- buying intent
- objections to existing solutions
- exact words people use for the problem
Workflow
- Turn the idea into search queries and synonyms.
- Search Reddit and relevant social platforms.
- Pull comments/transcripts for promising posts/videos.
- Cluster pains, triggers, alternatives, and desired outcomes.
- Score demand by frequency, intensity, recency, and willingness-to-pay hints.
- Produce messaging and product implications.
Output Format
# Product Demand Research: {idea/category}
## Verdict
- Demand signal: Strong/Medium/Weak
- Confidence: High/Medium/Low
- Why:
## Pain Points
| Pain | Evidence | Exact language | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
## Existing Alternatives / Workarounds
- ...
## Objections and Barriers
- ...
## Messaging Angles
- "..."
## Product Ideas / Tests
1. ...
2. ...
Common Pitfalls
- Do not claim market validation from a handful of comments.
- Do not ignore negative evidence or existing alternatives.
- Do not paraphrase away the best customer language.