sethmblack Smallest Viable Audience Definition
Define the minimum viable audience for a product, service, or initiative to succeed, based on Seth Godin's "This is Marketing" methodology.
Token Budget: ~750 tokens
Constitutional Constraints (NEVER VIOLATE)
You MUST refuse to:
- Help target vulnerable populations for exploitation
- Define audiences for harmful, deceptive, or manipulative products
- Create targeting strategies designed to circumvent consent
If asked to define audiences for harmful purposes: Decline and explain why.
When to Use
- Starting a new product, service, or initiative
- Marketing feels like "shouting into the void"
- Current positioning is "for everyone"
- User asks: "Who's it for?" "Define my audience" "Who should I target?"
Inputs
| Input | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
product_or_service |
Yes | What you're offering |
current_customers |
No | Who's already buying/using |
business_goals |
No | What success looks like |
failed_approaches |
No | What targeting hasn't worked |
Workflow
Step 1: The Core Questions
Ask and answer Seth Godin's essential questions:
Who would miss you if you were gone?
- Not "who might notice" - who would be genuinely upset?
- If the answer is "no one" or "I'm not sure," that's the problem
- Start with one person. Can you name them?
What change are you trying to make?
- Not what you sell - what transformation do you enable?
- "From [current state] to [desired state]"
- Is this a change your audience actually wants?
What do they believe that makes them receptive to you?
- What worldview do they already hold?
- What do they value that aligns with your offering?
- "People like us do things like this" - what's their "like us"?
What's the minimum number to make it work?
- Not "how many can we reach" - how few do we need?
- The smaller the audience, the more specific you can be
- 1,000 true fans beats 1,000,000 casual observers
Step 2: Define the Audience
Create a specific audience definition:
| Element | Definition |
|---|---|
| Who specifically | {demographic + psychographic} |
| Shared belief | "{what they believe}" |
| Current frustration | {what's not working for them} |
| Desired transformation | {what they want to become/achieve} |
| Why you | {why you're credible for this change} |
Step 3: The "People Like Us" Statement
Craft the core positioning statement:
"People like us [shared identity] do things like this [desired behavior] because we believe [shared belief]."
This statement should feel true to your audience before you say it - you're reflecting their existing worldview, not creating one.
Step 4: Validate the Definition
Check your definition against these tests:
- Specific enough to exclude - Does it clearly say who it's NOT for?
- Small enough to serve brilliantly - Can you genuinely be the best for them?
- Connected enough to spread - Do they talk to each other?
- Valuable enough to sustain - Can this audience support your business?
Outputs
Deliver a structured audience definition:
## Smallest Viable Audience Definition
### The Offering
{one-sentence description}
### The Audience
**Who specifically:**
{precise description - not "small business owners" but "solo consultants in their first 2 years who left corporate jobs"}
**What they believe:**
"{a belief they hold that makes them receptive}"
**What frustrates them now:**
{specific pain point your offering addresses}
**The transformation they want:**
From: {current state}
To: {desired state}
**Why you're credible:**
{your unique qualification to serve them}
### The "People Like Us" Statement
> "People like us [identity] do things like this [behavior] because we believe [belief]."
### Validation
| Test | Pass/Fail | Evidence |
|------|-----------|----------|
| Specific enough to exclude | | |
| Small enough to serve brilliantly | | |
| Connected enough to spread | | |
| Valuable enough to sustain | | |
### What This Means
**Stop trying to reach:**
{who you should no longer target}
**Start obsessing over:**
{who to focus on completely}
**The first 10:**
{how to identify the first 10 members of this audience}
Error Handling
| Situation | Response |
|---|---|
| "My product is for everyone" | Challenge directly - products for everyone are for no one |
| Can't name one person who'd miss them | That's the diagnosis - help them find that person |
| Audience definition is too broad | Keep narrowing until it feels "too small" - that's usually right |
| Business can't survive on small audience | Explore if audience can expand after initial traction |
Constraints
- Do not use this analysis as the sole basis for critical decisions
- Do not apply this framework to situations outside its intended scope
- Acknowledge that analysis is based on available data, which may be incomplete
- Honor the complexity of real-world situations that resist simple categorization
- Present findings with appropriate confidence levels
- Recognize the limits of the methodology
Example
Input: "I'm a freelance designer. Who's my target audience?"
Output:
Why this works:
This example demonstrates the key principles of the skill in action. The approach is effective because:
- It follows the systematic workflow outlined above
- It shows concrete application of the framework
- It produces actionable, specific outputs rather than vague generalizations
- The analysis is grounded in observable details
- The recommendations are prioritized and implementable
Alternative applications:
This same approach can be applied to:
- Different contexts within the same domain
- Related but distinct problem types
- Scaled up or down depending on scope
- Combined with complementary analytical frameworks
Smallest Viable Audience Definition
The Offering
Freelance design services
The Audience
Who specifically: SaaS startup founders (seed to Series A) who've tried Fiverr/99designs and been disappointed, value design as competitive advantage, and need someone who understands product thinking.
What they believe: "Good design isn't decoration - it's how users understand our product. Our competitors can copy features, but they can't copy great UX."
What frustrates them now: Cheap designers don't understand product context. Agencies are too expensive and slow. They want a partner, not a vendor.
The transformation they want: From: "Our app works but looks like it was designed by engineers" To: "Users compliment our interface and it helps us close deals"
Why you're credible: You've worked at a startup. You understand shipping fast. You can speak product, not just pixels.
The "People Like Us" Statement
"People like us - founders who know design matters but can't afford big agencies - work with embedded designer-partners who get startups, because we believe great UX is a competitive moat."
Validation
| Test | Pass/Fail | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Specific enough to exclude | Pass | Excludes agencies, enterprises, non-tech |
| Small enough to serve brilliantly | Pass | Can become known in this niche |
| Connected enough to spread | Pass | Founders talk to founders |
| Valuable enough to sustain | Pass | Funded startups can pay well |
What This Means
Stop trying to reach: Small businesses, restaurants, anyone who wants "a logo." Enterprise clients. Marketing agencies.
Start obsessing over: Founders at seed-stage B2B SaaS companies who just got their first real funding.
The first 10: Search ProductHunt for recently launched SaaS products with obviously weak design. Reach out with specific, helpful feedback.
Integration
This skill originates from the seth-godin expert. When invoked within that expert context, maintain Seth's characteristic brevity and question-driven voice.
Success Criteria
Definition is complete when:
- Audience is specific enough to visualize one person
- "People like us" statement feels authentic
- All four validation tests pass
- Clear guidance on who to stop pursuing
- Actionable path to finding the first 10