Demand Testing Plan
Priestley's framework: test demand before you create supply
Core Hypothesis to Validate
“Leaders and founders will exchange their email for practical AI/automation frameworks from a Meta engineer and IE professor, and a subset will pay for deeper engagement.”
Customer Needs Analysis (CNA) Script
Use in LinkedIn DMs or calls with 10-20 target audience members. 4 situational questions + 3 pricing questions.
“When you think about AI or automation for your business/role, what's the biggest thing you're trying to figure out right now?”
Identify the core pain point and situational model ('where are you now?')
“Where do you currently go to learn about AI -- podcasts, newsletters, courses, colleagues?”
Map existing alternatives and information sources
“Have you tried implementing any AI tools or automating any workflows in the last 6 months? What happened?”
Understand experience level and past failures ('what's in the way?')
“If you could sit down with someone who builds AI systems at scale for an hour, what would you ask?”
Reveal the highest-value content topics directly from the audience
“If there were a weekly newsletter that broke down AI and automation developments practically, would you subscribe? What would make it worth paying for?”
Validate newsletter concept and discover premium value triggers
“If someone offered a 2-hour workshop on 'AI & Automation Strategy for Your Business,' what would be a fair price?”
Anchor pricing for the first paid product
“What's the most you've ever spent on professional development or a course? What made it worth it?”
Establish ceiling pricing and understand value perception
Demand Test Sequence
4 phases over 12 weeks -- test demand before you create supply
Publish & Track
Weeks 1-4
Publish consistently and track which topics get the most engagement
- 2 LinkedIn posts per week (tech-credibility focus)
- Track engagement per topic (likes, comments, saves)
- Identify top-performing content themes
- Set up newsletter infrastructure
Key Metric: 8 posts published, engagement per post tracked
Lead Magnet Launch
Weeks 3-4
Launch lead magnet and measure email signups
- Finalize lead magnet PDF based on 4D Filter
- Set up email capture (Substack/Beehiiv)
- Promote lead magnet in LinkedIn posts with CTA
- Send Newsletter Issue #1
Key Metric: 25-50 email subscribers
CNA Conversations
Weeks 5-8
Run 5-10 CNA conversations via LinkedIn DMs
- Reach out to engaged followers and connections
- Run full CNA script (7 questions)
- Document patterns in responses
- Refine positioning based on feedback
Key Metric: 5-10 CNA conversations completed
Paid Offer Test
Weeks 8-12
Test a paid offering (workshop or mini-course) to email list
- Launch 90-minute paid workshop (99-199 EUR)
- Offer to email list first (warm audience)
- Collect feedback and testimonials
- Run 90-day Go/No-Go assessment
Key Metric: 20+ signups (free) or 5+ paid
Publish & Track
Weeks 1-4
Publish consistently and track which topics get the most engagement
- 2 LinkedIn posts per week (tech-credibility focus)
- Track engagement per topic (likes, comments, saves)
- Identify top-performing content themes
- Set up newsletter infrastructure
Key Metric: 8 posts published, engagement per post tracked
Lead Magnet Launch
Weeks 3-4
Launch lead magnet and measure email signups
- Finalize lead magnet PDF based on 4D Filter
- Set up email capture (Substack/Beehiiv)
- Promote lead magnet in LinkedIn posts with CTA
- Send Newsletter Issue #1
Key Metric: 25-50 email subscribers
CNA Conversations
Weeks 5-8
Run 5-10 CNA conversations via LinkedIn DMs
- Reach out to engaged followers and connections
- Run full CNA script (7 questions)
- Document patterns in responses
- Refine positioning based on feedback
Key Metric: 5-10 CNA conversations completed
Paid Offer Test
Weeks 8-12
Test a paid offering (workshop or mini-course) to email list
- Launch 90-minute paid workshop (99-199 EUR)
- Offer to email list first (warm audience)
- Collect feedback and testimonials
- Run 90-day Go/No-Go assessment
Key Metric: 20+ signups (free) or 5+ paid
Go/No-Go Criteria
End-of-90-day assessment. Green means proceed. Red means pause and adjust.
| Metric | Green Light | Pause & Adjust |
|---|---|---|
| Email subscribers | 200+ | <50 |
| LinkedIn follower growth | +500 | <100 |
| Average post engagement | 50+ reactions | <15 |
| CNA conversations completed | 10+ | <3 |
| Workshop/course interest | 20+ signups (free) or 5+ paid | <5 signups |
Lead Magnet Concepts
Pick 1 for Week 3. The first option is recommended based on the 4D Filter framework.
Should We Use AI? (A 1-Page Decision Tree)
Visual decision tree based on the 4D Filter. Walks leaders through Data, Demand, Delivery, and Defensibility gates before committing to an AI project.
1-page visual PDF5 Questions That Save You 6 Months of AI Mistakes
Checklist-style PDF with the five diagnostic questions every leader should ask before investing in AI. Practical, printable, shareable.
Checklist PDFAutomate, Hire, or Wait?
Decision framework for when to automate a process, when to hire someone to do it, and when to do nothing. Based on real automation decisions at scale.
Decision framework PDFAI in 2026: What to Ignore
Short report cutting through the noise to what actually matters in AI right now. Contrarian take on what leaders can safely ignore.
Short report (2-3 pages)Product Ladder (90/10 Model)
Give 90% of audience free value. Monetize the top 10% with premium offerings.
| Tier | Product | Price | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free (90%) | LinkedIn content + Newsletter ("AI Without the Hype") | Free | Now |
| Free (90%) | Lead magnet PDF | Free (email gate) | Week 3-4 |
| First paid test | Live workshop (90 min) | 99-199 EUR | Month 2-3 |
| Mid ticket | Cohort / advisory-lite | 500-1,000 EUR | Month 3-4 |
| Low ticket | Book (digital/physical) | 15-25 EUR | Month 6-12 |
| High ticket | Corporate AI/automation training / Advisory | 5,000-20,000 EUR | Month 6+ |
The Priestley Principle
“Test demand before you create supply. Run cheap, fast experiments to prove people want what you are planning to build -- and learn exactly how to position it -- before you invest real resources.”
For $200 in Facebook ads, Priestley tested 70 book title variations. The best title converted at 15%. The worst at 0.3%. A 1,500% difference -- discovered before writing a single word.