How Do I Find a Market for My Product or Service? How Do I Even Define That Market?

If you skip this step, you're not building a business—you're building hope (and unfortunately, hope doesn't pay the bills). Finding your market means knowing exactly who has the problem you solve and is willing to pay for it. Without that clarity, your product is just noise.

Let’s break it down so you know exactly what to do:

1. Define the Problem You're Solving

Your market starts with a problem. Ask:

• What pain point do I solve?
  

• Who feels that pain the most often, and most intensely?
  
  

🔥 Pro tip: Don’t guess. Look for online forums, Reddit threads, or Quora questions where people are already complaining about this issue.

2. Identify Your Ideal Customer (ICP)

Build a profile of your ideal customer—not just who could use your product, but who wants it.

Use these filters:

• Demographics: Age, gender, income, education, location
  

• Psychographics: Interests, fears, goals, values
  

• Behavior: What do they buy, follow, read, or search for?
  
  

You don’t need to guess—tools like Meta Audience Insights, TikTok Creative Center, and SparkToro can give you actual data.

3. Validate the Demand

You need proof people want it:

• Run a poll or simple ad ($10–$20 test ad)

  • Need help on how to set up meta ads? CLICK HERE
    
    

• Launch a landing page with a waitlist button

  • You can use Linktree to do this for free
    
    

• Talk to 5–10 people in your ICP—ask what they’ve tried and if they’d pay for a better solution

  • This works great with family, friends, and acquaintances. Don’t be salesy; be genuinely engaged and curious to get the most relevant information from them.

If no one’s excited, or you don’t seem to be solving an issue better or faster than already available, revise your product or your market.

4. Look for Existing Communities

Where does your market already hang out?

• Facebook groups, Subreddits, Discords, YouTube channels
  

• Offline: clubs, meetups, conferences
  

• Go to these communities - post, comment, and like. Become a part of these communities and get valuable data about your solution. You can even search most groups' past conversations. Companies used to have to spend millions of dollars on focus groups to gain insight on potential products - we now have this for free in the form of social media groups and online communities. 
  
  

🔥 Protip: If your market has no communities, it might not be a real market yet.

5. Niche Down Hard

Broad = broke. The riches are in the niches. The tighter your niche, the faster you’ll get traction.
Example:

• Bad: “I help people with stress”
  

• Better: “I help new moms reduce stress through journaling”
  

• Best: “I help first-time moms with colicky babies reduce stress in under 5 minutes a day with guided journal prompts”

That third one? You can target, market, and sell to it. The more you niche down = the fewer competitors you have, and the easier your marketing efforts are. 

6. Spy on the Competition

Search your idea on:

• Amazon (books, products)

• Etsy (handmade solutions)

• App stores (software)

• Google (agencies, services)

• Social Media (online solutions)
  
  

Ask:

• What are they missing?

• What are customers complaining about?

• Can I do it better, faster, cheaper, or with more style

• Can I take this solution and apply it to another niche?
  
  

TL;DR ACTION PLAN

✅ Write out the #1 problem your offer solves
✅ Create a one-sentence ideal customer profile
✅ Search for online communities and competitors
✅ Interview or survey at least 5–10 target customers
✅ Test a waitlist page, DM offer, or $10 ad to gauge interest
✅ Refine your niche until it’s scary specific

Remember: You don’t find a market—you define one by getting painfully specific. It’s not about being for everyone. It’s about being the one for someone.