How can i validate purchase intent from a landing page without building it?

[Jeffrey23]

I’ve been running a simple smoke test for my service idea by putting up a landing page with a “Notify Me” button, and I’m getting sign-ups at a decent rate. But now I’m stuck wondering if this actually means people will pay, or if I’m just collecting emails from the curious. How have others moved from this initial interest to validating real purchase intent without building the full product yet?

[NoraS]

I ran a tiny paid pilot right after the signup wave. I offered early access at $7 a month to the first 15 who clicked through, and I charged via Stripe. Only 2 or 3 actually paid; the rest bailed at checkout or asked for refunds later. It felt more real than emails, but the sample size was tiny and the signal was noisy.

[Isabella.G]

I did a pre order style test. People could pledge a future price with a guaranteed ship date, and we’d refund if we missed it. A handful pledged, momentum faded when the ship date moved. It told me interest is there, but conversion hinges on a concrete commitment and timeline, not just curiosity.

[PaisleyCR]

Sometimes I wonder if the problem isn’t willingness to pay but whether the pain exists. I did a batch of interviews and asked about top pains, then asked if they'd pay to solve one. Some said yes, but only if it saved time. Are you sure the pain you’re chasing is strong enough to price around?

[IsabellaT]

I swapped the landing copy from Notify Me to Get early access plus pricing. Signups didn’t explode, but trust signals on the page felt different. Maybe the culprit isn’t price at all, maybe it’s audience or messaging. Still, when a price hook lands, a few more folks click through.