How to Know When You’re Onto Something?
I write television, mostly. I wouldn't say I’m a great writer. At best, I’m a good storyteller. Over my seven years in TV, I’ve fine-tuned a simple trick for knowing when you’re onto something. It goes as follows:
Step 1: Tell Everyone Your Idea
And I mean everyone, don’t discriminate. Tell people you trust, people you hate, people's kids, grandparents, and strangers. Tell people you know will hate your idea, or never in a million years use or watch it. You’re gonna want a wide pool of people in order for Step 2 to be effective. Oh and don’t worry, ideas are worthless and people are highly unlikely to steal them. 99.9% of your ideas are terrible, and the sooner you embrace that the sooner the good ones come.
Here’s the golden rule though. Do not pitch your idea. Do not sell your idea. Simply, tell everyone your idea. Talk about it like it’s happening, with or without their approval — You’re simply informing them of your latest idea.
We’re building an app that helps people sound off. Sounding off is a little like sending a voice note to future you. You can reflect on the day, set goals, and hold yourself accountable. There’s gonna be an audio guide, with prompts and playlists like Happiness, Calm, and Relationships which help you reach your personal goals. I guess it’s a little like keeping a vocal journal, and the opposite of meditation, with similar benefits.
— Me to Everyone
Step 2: Be Patient & Pay Attention
Over the next few hours, days, weeks, and months, one of six events will occur with every person you told your idea to. Each event must take place completely unprompted. Don’t force the idea back into the conversation, that’ll ruin this wonderful method. Instead, pay close attention to which events occur naturally. The six possible events are as follows:
A. The Vanishing Act
They will never bring up your idea again. In this case, I recommend you continue telling everyone your idea and get better at telling everyone about your idea.
B. The Update Me
They’ll ask for an update: “Hey, how’s that app your building going?” In this case, I recommend keeping them informed and remember to tell, don’t pitch.
C. The Suggestion
They’ll offer a suggestion for your idea: “Hey, did you think about adding filters?” This happens often, I recommend you act like you hadn’t thought of their suggestion and ask them questions. It’s a sign they care about you and your idea, take it positively.
D. The Meme
They’ll bring up your idea as a punchline to a joke. A friend of mine saw a celeb having a hectic day and texted me saying “They should sound off.” When I wound someone up, they joked that they can’t wait to sound off about me. In TV land, this is a real winner. Channels desperately want that viral/meme moment. It means your idea can be relatable, digestible, and popular. When people start using your idea as a punchline, it means people will be conscious of it and share your idea. But, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll love or use it.
E. The New Language
They’ll start using your idea naturally within conversations. Your idea folds into their language. When my Mom started using ‘Sound Off’ as a verb, I knew we were onto something. This is an especially good sign if the people using your idea as a new language are not people you expected would enjoy/use your idea. My mother is not someone I thought would quickly appreciate the benefits of sounding off. When she began using the word as a verb unprompted, even before she fully understood the what, who and why behind the idea, it was a good sign. This is a sign that people will be able to effectively sell your idea on your behalf to others. Your idea makes sense and will withstand a chain of whispers.
You’ll get excited when you notice this new language shifts beyond your control. Friends began inventing words for sound off recordings without even realizing they were doing so; sound offs, notes, memos, entries, recordings, memories, etc.
An important TV writing lesson is that if you do not give something a name, the audience will — and you should never trust the audience. Good TV writers name literally anything and everything on the screen, from Queer Eyes Gurus to Love Island’s Islanders, Diary Room, Glam Room, and Hideaway. If left to the audience, the islanders may have easily been named contestants or Boaty McBoat Faces.
F. The Need It
This is not people asking for updates, they’re telling you they need it. They’re pleading for a copy, begging to get it early. They’re looking for alternatives and trying to do it themselves. In my first company, I realized I had this when people started building the product themselves because they wanted it faster than we could make it. My Co-Founder, Paavan’s Sister, just last week shared that she was using her voice notes as a placeholder for our app. She’s not the only one, a large group of people who we told our idea to began sounding off on their own accord, with any recording app they could find, in anticipation of our purpose-built app. The good news is sounding off is greatly improved via a purpose-built app.
The people who need it will likely be your early adopters, your first viewers, and your biggest fans. Tell them everything, ask questions, and be kind. Secrets are lame, these are your champions and they deserve to be a part of the story.
So, What Happens Next?
If one in one hundred times, F. The Need It occurs…
You should build your idea …
What’s your newest idea?
Go on, tell everyone in the comments.
We’re building a voice journal app, follow us: co-founders Elly, Paavan, & Rory post on the Sound Off publication every week.
