Video · ~4 min

The Original Dropbox Demo Video (MVP)

Drew Houston · Drew Houston (archived on YouTube) Free Beginner

The Original Dropbox Demo Video (MVP)

The most famous fake door in startup history, the three minute video that grew Dropbox's waitlist from a few thousand to seventy five thousand overnight before the product was ready. Watch it to see that the door does not have to be a page: a video demoing a product that barely exists can measure real intent through waitlist signups. Note how it was aimed at exactly the audience most likely to sign up.

  • A demo video can stand in for a product that is not built yet
  • The waitlist signup was the costly action that proved demand
  • Target the test at the audience most likely to want it
Watch on YouTube ↗

It answers 3 questions

  1. How do I run a landing-page / 'fake-door' test?
  2. What's the difference between a customer saying they'll pay and actually pulling out a card, and how do I test the real one early?
  3. How do I define an ideal customer for a product no one is searching for yet?

Read with it

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