Published on: 05/07/2025
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Have a product idea but not sure if people will actually want it? You are not alone. Many startups spend months building something only to find out there is no real demand.
That is where smoke testing comes in.
In this simple guide to smoke testing, you will learn how to test your idea before you build anything. No code and no complicated tools. Just smart tactics like fake door tests, waitlists, and simple landing pages to see if people are actually interested.
Whether you are just starting out or looking for faster ways to test new ideas, this playbook makes everything easy to understand. We will also explain the difference between smoke testing and sanity testing, and why so many marketers and product managers rely on these quick tests.
Let us dive in and help you save time, money, and energy.
Smoke testing is a quick way to check if there is real interest in your product idea before you build it. It is often used by startups, marketers, and product managers to avoid wasting time and money on something no one wants.
Instead of building the full product, you create a basic version of the idea. This could be a landing page, a fake sign-up button, or even an ad. The goal is to see if people take action. If they click, sign up, or show interest, you know you are on the right track.
For smoke tests for lean startup validation, this process helps you answer one important question early: Do people actually care about this?
In product development, smoke testing is often confused with sanity testing. While both are used to check functionality, smoke testing is about checking for initial interest. Sanity testing, on the other hand, is used in software to make sure recent changes did not break anything.
Marketers and product managers use smoke tests to check if people are truly interested in a product idea. Instead of spending months building something, they create a simple test like a landing page, an ad, or a sign-up form. This helps them see if users take action, such as clicking a button or joining a waitlist.
Smoke tests are helpful because they are quick, low-cost, and based on real user behavior. You do not need a full product to find out if the idea has potential. These tests save time and money by showing early signs of demand.
They also help teams make better decisions. Instead of guessing what people want, you can learn directly from your audience. That is why smoke testing is popular in startups and fast-moving teams. It gives you the confidence to move forward with ideas that people actually care about.
Related: What is a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and How to Start
Smoke testing is all about finding out if people are interested in your idea before you spend time and money building it. It is a smart way to test demand using simple tools like landing pages, ads, or email sign-ups.
The main idea is to create a small experiment that looks like a real product or feature. You then track how people respond. Do they click the button? Do they sign up? Do they want to learn more? These actions show real interest.
Here are the core concepts of smoke testing:
You offer a product or feature on a website, but it is not actually available yet. When someone clicks to learn more or sign up, you can thank them and let them know it is coming soon. This helps you measure demand without building anything.
You build a simple page that explains your idea and asks people to take action. This could be joining a waitlist or clicking a “buy now” button. The number of people who take action shows if your idea is worth exploring.
Every smoke test should ask the user to do something. It could be signing up, clicking a button, or filling out a form. A clear call to action helps you measure interest.
You need to measure what people do. Tools like Google Analytics or simple spreadsheets can help you track clicks, sign-ups, and other actions.
Smoke testing is not about making a sale. It is about learning what people really want. The goal is to validate your idea early so you can build with confidence.
Related: When Is the Right Time to Launch Your MVP?
Smoke testing and sanity testing are two types of testing used in product development and software, but they have different goals.
Smoke testing is done early in the process to see if there’s interest in your product idea before you build it. You might use a landing page, an ad, or a sign-up form to check if people would want your product. It’s a fast and low-cost way to test demand and help you avoid wasting time on an idea that no one wants.
Sanity testing, on the other hand, is used after a new update or bug fix to make sure the changes you made didn’t break anything important. It’s a quick check to confirm that the product is still working after the update.
In short, smoke testing helps you see if your idea has potential, while sanity testing makes sure your product is still working after changes.
Related:
There are several smoke test tactics you can use to validate your product ideas. Let’s explore some of the most popular ones:
A fake door test is when you present a product or feature to users, but it is not actually available yet. The goal is to see if people are interested enough to click, sign up, or take action. This helps you test demand without building the product first.
For example, you can create a button that says “Buy Now” or “Learn More,” but when users click, they are met with a message explaining that the product is coming soon.
Tools to Use:
Using waitlists can be a powerful way to gauge interest and build excitement. By creating scarcity and using social proof (like showing how many people have already signed up), you can see how many people are willing to join the waitlist before the product even exists. This tactic helps build anticipation and can also create a sense of exclusivity, which gets people excited.
How It Works:
A phantom landing page is a web page that describes your product or service even though it doesn’t exist yet. The goal is to see how many people click on it, sign up, or express interest. You track clicks, email signups, and other actions to measure how much demand there is for the idea.
These pages can be simple and focused on what the product will offer, with a call to action to sign up for more information or to join a waiting list.
What to Track:
Validating your ideas quickly helps you save time and resources. Instead of building a product first and hoping people will buy it, you can use simple tests to see if there is real demand. Here’s how you can
do it:
Before you begin testing, define what you want to learn. Ask yourself: Is there a demand for this product? Will people pay for it? A clear hypothesis helps you stay focused on what you are trying to validate.
Choose one of the smoke test tactics like a fake door test, waitlist, or phantom landing page. Keep it simple. The goal is to see if people are interested, not to create a fully developed product. Focus on one aspect of your idea to test, such as the main feature or value proposition.
Now that you have your test set up, you need to get people to see it. Use social media, email newsletters, or paid ads to drive traffic to your landing page or waitlist. The more traffic you get, the more reliable your results will be.
Pay close attention to key metrics like click-through rates, sign-ups, or engagement. These numbers show how interested people are in your idea. Tools like Google Analytics, Typeform, or Unbounce can help you track this data.
Once you have collected enough data, analyze it to see if there is real interest. If your test gets positive results, for example, a high number of sign-ups or clicks, then you may have a promising idea. If the results are low, you may need to rethink or tweak your idea.
If you find that there is interest, you can continue developing your product with confidence. If not, use the feedback to refine your idea. You might need to change your approach, improve your value proposition, or target a different audience.
Validating your ideas early can save you a lot of time and money. Smoke testing helps you find out if people are interested in your product before you spend time building it. By using methods like fake door tests, waitlists, and phantom landing pages, you can quickly learn what works and what doesn’t.
Whether you’re a marketer, product manager, or entrepreneur, smoke testing allows you to make better decisions and avoid unnecessary risks. Start testing your ideas today to make sure you’re building something that people really want!
Yes, you can. Smoke testing allows you to validate demand before building a product. You can use tactics like fake door tests, waitlists, or phantom landing pages to measure interest without developing the actual product.
Tools like Unbounce for landing pages, Typeform for sign-up forms, Google Analytics for tracking, and Mailchimp for email campaigns are all great for running smoke tests and measuring interest.
A smoke test should typically run for 1-2 weeks. This gives you enough time to gather meaningful data and decide whether to move forward with your product or make changes.
Eximius Capital Ventures Private Limited is the investment manager of the funds licensed by SEBI under AIF categories CAT I – Eximius Trust I (IN/AIF1/20-21/0855) and CAT II – Eximius Fund (IN/AIF2/24-25/1566).
Eximius Capital Ventures Private Limited is the investment manager of the funds licensed by SEBI under AIF categories CAT I – Eximius Trust I (IN/AIF1/20-21/0855) and CAT II – Eximius Fund (IN/AIF2/24-25/1566).
