What is the best way to validate a startup pricing model before building?

[DonaldHW]

I’m trying to figure out if our startup’s pricing model is actually viable before we build the full platform. We ran a smoke test with a basic landing page and a “sign up for early access” button that collected emails, but the conversion rate was so low it’s making me question the core value proposition. I’m stuck on whether this is a problem with how we’re communicating the offer or if the market just doesn’t see enough value at the price point we’re considering.

[LukeJ]

We did a smoke test once with just an email capture and a short pitch, and the conversions were embarrassingly low. It felt like the core offer wasn’t landing, not even the price, just the idea.

[EleanorGH]

We tried two quick variants of the value proposition and watched signups swing a bit, but not enough to call it signal. It reminded me how small tweaks can move nothing if the audience isn’t resonating.

[Madison_R]

Maybe the real issue isn’t the deal structure at all but trust or visibility. A few people signed up from warm intros, but the broader audience vanished after landing. Is that the problem?

[Natalie84]

We did a couple of qualitative checks instead of more numbers, like talking to a handful of potential users and showing a live demo. The feedback suggested people want concrete outcomes, not abstracts. I even wandered into tweaking the landing colors for a while before pulling back, which felt like avoiding the real signal.