Ask HN: How do I pinpoint my initial audience to build a product for them?
As just two examples, if Mr. Trump says I gave away my salary just like George Washington, we examine President Washington's refusal of salary (he was so cash poor that he attempted to borrow money to attend his own inauguration). Or if parents are worried about their kids not getting along with teachers (this was in the news), we bring up the anecdote of John Adams who dropped out of school because he didn't get along with his teacher and how his father handled this.
The site will start with bi-weekly posts, and then add podcasts and from there bring submissions from and interviews with experts, historians, authors, etc.
So I've been wondering whether my audience is history enthusiasts or avid followers of news? I've been leaning towards the latter because our analysis of history sheds light on current news. Also, what age groups, education level, etc.? So far, interest for this has been all over the map. This concerns me, because developing a product for "everyone" is a terrible approach.
So I thought of getting some face-to-face interviews (video most likely) with people I don't know. I thought perhaps Mechanical Turk would be a good tool for this? Or perhaps Facebook. I haven't used either and don't want to spend much money at all. Also, I am not a techie person and am just learning how to work things online, build a website, do social media (it's such a steep learning curve, but huge, huge fun. Loving it!).
I love the community's feedback, and please don't feel limited in your response to the letter of question. You're welcome to share any and all of your thoughts. Thank you in advance.
Please note that I've designed a coming soon page that communicates what the site does. That decision turned out to be a good move on my part, as we've gotten signups and comments. But I haven't posted the coming soon page on any communities.