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EPISODE · Apr 1, 2000 · 1 MIN

Test marketing

from Derek Sivers podcast

If you want a bigger company to help you some day, imitate what food companies call “test marketing”. When companies create a new product, before they try to release it to the world, they want more proof that it will be a success. So first they’ll release it only in a small city like Albany. They ask customers for feedback, then make improvements based on that. They repeat this process until it’s a local hit. Then they test it in a few more small cities until it’s a local hit there, too. Only after it’s a proven success do they get the financial backing to release it to the world. The investors are confident because it was a hit in all the test markets. So think of what you’re doing with your music as test marketing. Whether you use a physical location or a virtual community, test it somewhere small first. Ask people for feedback, then make improvements based on that. Repeat this process until it’s a local hit. Then test it in a few more places until it’s a hit there, too. Show this proof to a big company, so they can confidently invest and release it to the world.

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Test marketing

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