What signals real demand for my copywriter tool beyond polite feedback?

[Jason37]

I’ve been working nights and weekends for months on a new tool for freelance copywriters, and I finally built a rough version to show a few potential users. The feedback was… okay, but mostly polite. Now I’m stuck wondering if I’m just solving a problem I personally have, or if there’s a real need here. How do you get past that polite stage to find out if people would actually pull out their credit card?

[Ella43]

Polite feedback from early users often hides the real itch. Validation would be someone paying or committing to try the tool. Have you tried offering a tiny paid pilot to test real willingness to pay?

[JosephMG]

Treat it as a validation exercise, not a feature wishlist. Map the job your tool does for a freelance copywriter, nail the ICP, and run pricing tests on a minimal offer. A pre-order or locked beta at a modest price can reveal signals you won’t get from a demo.

[Abigail_H]

Polite yeses can be comforting but they don't prove need. Maybe the problem you're solving is personal friction, not a broad market pain. Validation asks who truly misses this and what price they'd pay.

[Gary32]

Reframe the issue as 'what job does this tool actually help with, and what's the minimal version that would prove that job is worth paying for?'

[HannahIJ]

From a writer's eye, the pitch matters: ROI, time saved, fewer revisions. If you can articulate a crisp value signal and test it on a page with a clear price, you get better signals than 'polite feedback'.

[Luna_S]

Try non-monetary signals first: a waitlist, an early-access beta, or a survey that asks for willingness to pay in exchange for features.

[Jeffrey_B]

Here's a concept to consider without full explanation: loss aversion can tilt decisions toward a small paid commitment if the alternative feels like a bigger loss of time.