I'm looking to build a SaaS service that I think could be really valuable. I've heard from almost every indie developer or founder that you should try to promote your idea before actually building anything. The idea is to see how many people would join your waiting list or even pay upfront.
But honestly, I'm a bit uncomfortable with this approach—especially the part about asking for money in advance. It feels a bit like crowdfunding gone rogue. Still, I totally get the philosophy behind it: spreading the word to potential users to gauge if it's worth pursuing.
So, I'm really curious—where do you all usually go to share your ideas or landing pages?
With the people you want to serve. The way to know if you have product/market fit is to put your product on the market. If you can't reach that market (segment), then you have many problems.
It is one way to know that you can reach them, that they actually do have the problem you're trying to solve, that there is value in solving that problem, that they are willing to reward you solving that problem, and that the reward is worth the work.
It is also one way to get the messaging right and the sales motions tight.
You'll confirm you can distribute your product, and that there is a market for your product.