Hey, I am actually struggling with the worst issue a founder can face, not knowing the unique value proposition of their product. I am building RealTalk (www.joinrealtalk.co), a peer support app that is similar to a social media platform without the concept of likes, followers, comments. In short, it is a platform for people to express their thoughts, feelings, etc. in the form of a post. The posts do not have any CTAs like like, comment, etc. that can be used to judge a person. Instead, comments are replaced with an option to DM the person. Therefore, RealTalk is basically a feed where people share their stories, and interested peers can directly message the user to engage in a meaningful conversation. The 2 value proposition that comes up and creates confusion are: 1. Is RealTalk a platform that allows people to share whatever they wanted to with the freedom of not being judged through numbers (number of likes, comments, followers) 2. Is RealTalk a platform where people can express their thoughts, feelings, etc. and people that relate or understand, can directly message the person to initiate a conversation. Usually, it is the other way round, where we have to find someone who understands to listen to us. I am really confused as to which one of the above, is the actual UVP of RealTalk. Will really appreciate some help.
I think you build the fundation beautifully yourself in your "About us": "RealTalk is a new age social media, semi-anonymous platform for you to be your true self without filters. We want to provide you a safe space, free from any toxic validation and judgemental remarks. Unbottle as much as you want and relieve yourself from your inner barriers".
So your core audience in my view should the ones looking for true, human interaction, but are held back by the "numbers game" or vicious comments that can be part of the experience on other platforms (Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, etc.). I think, your timing is good - people are fed up with all the online-vitriole and "senseless self-expression" (people posting content with the purpose of just being "seen" - me-me-me!).
So it is not either 1 or 2 for me; but 2 is the most true to your core in my view; people looking for true human interaction avoiding being judged - through numbers or vicious comments.
The question is, if you can achieve critical mass using this approach. In f.ex. Quora, I see a lot of "true" human interaction without any judgement; some people really want to help without judging. So in that sense, there may be platforms, that already offer what you want to, and that already have critical mass. So if you can add any value on top of the interaction, your business case would be stronger, imo.
Good luck with your platform. I hope it will do well as I think a lot of people are holding back in our current environment. Should you want to, I am happy to chat with you about any thoughts you may have about the platform.
Best regards
Kenneth Wolstrup
Answered 4 years ago
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