Smoke Test

A lightweight experiment, usually a landing page with a real call to action, that measures whether people will sign up or pay before you build the product. You test demand with behavior, not opinions.

Build a simple page describing the offer, add a clear action (email, pre-order, deposit), drive relevant traffic to it, and measure conversion. Keep the message honest so the signal is real.

It varies by traffic quality and offer, but a paid pre-order converting in the low single digits from targeted traffic is meaningful. Email signups convert higher but mean less. Always compare against the cost of acquiring those people.

They are close. A fake door test puts a button or feature in front of users that does not exist yet, to measure click intent. A smoke test usually means a standalone landing page. Both measure demand before building.

Enough for the result to mean something, not 20 visits. A few hundred targeted visitors is a reasonable minimum to read conversion with any confidence. Unqualified traffic makes the number meaningless.

They are a weak signal. People give an email freely; they part with money reluctantly. Whenever you can, test with a pre-order, deposit, or paid commitment instead.