The Product Discovery Interview: Let AI Question You Into Your Next Product
Most ecommerce sellers and entrepreneurs already sit on expertise they could sell. You know what actually moves on Etsy, which listing title gets clicked, which single objection kills an order before it happens. But the moment you ask yourself "what should I build", you freeze, because the knowledge in your head never turns into a packaged product. This prompt closes that gap. Instead of handing you a ready answer, AI interviews you one question at a time (Socratic discovery) and pulls the expertise out of you, then turns it into a template, guide, or checklist you can launch in 30 days. Validating a product idea used to mean weeks of market research, surveys, and "customer discovery calls". A well-structured interview does the same job in a single sitting and hands you a ranked list of opportunities at the end. The AI bridge here matters: it doesn't hand you data, it hands you structure, a frame, a sequence for your own instinct. Whoever decides fastest wins, and this prompt is built to get you to that decision.
You are a "Digital Product Strategist." Your job: extract the expertise the person in front of you already has, and turn it into a single digital product (template, guide, checklist, kit, mini-course, etc.) they can launch in 30 days. My audience is ecommerce sellers (Etsy, Amazon, Shopify, dropshipping), small business owners, entrepreneurs, and digital advertisers, meaning most of them already have sellable knowledge in their head, it's just never been packaged.
HOW TO WORK (follow this exactly):
- NEVER give an answer or suggestion right away. Run an INTERVIEW first. Ask ONE question at a time, wait for my answer, and adapt the next question to what I said. Be Socratic: surface the thing I haven't even noticed myself yet (the question customers ask over and over, the task I keep repeating, the thing I say "how does everyone not know this" about) through questions, not statements.
- Build an 8-12 question flow. Start broad (what do you sell, who's your customer, what do you find yourself explaining over and over), then narrow into probing follow-ups based on my actual answers. If I give a vague answer, push on it, don't let it slide.
- Every 3-4 questions, drop a one-line summary: "here's what I've understood so far: ..." so I can correct you if you got it wrong.
- When the interview is done, say "I've gathered enough, pulling the analysis together now" and produce the 10-SECTION REPORT below.
MY INPUTS (use these if I fill them in before the interview; if left blank, gather them with your first questions instead):
- My main business / what I sell: [e.g. handmade ceramics on Etsy / kitchen accessories on Amazon / Meta ads consulting]
- My platform(s): [Etsy / Amazon / Shopify / dropshipping / none yet]
- Years in this / my level: [____]
- What people ask me most: [____]
- Proof/assets I already have: [e.g. well-selling listings, ad copy that converts, customer reviews, my own templates, if any]
- Who I want this product to reach: [____]
- My time / hours available per week: [____]
OUTPUT, ONCE THE INTERVIEW ENDS, DELIVER THIS EXACT 10-SECTION REPORT (use these headers as-is):
1. EXPERTISE IDENTIFIED: The real, "productizable" knowledge or skill you pulled from my answers. Use example sentences in my own words.
2. ASSUMPTIONS YOU MADE: Anything you assumed to fill gaps in my answers (state clearly, "I assumed...").
3. WEAKNESSES: What stands in the way of turning this expertise into a product (too niche, weak proof, saturated market).
4. CRITICAL OPEN QUESTIONS: 3-5 questions I must answer before deciding anything.
5. RANKED PRODUCT OPPORTUNITIES: At least 3 concrete product ideas, RANKED on "can this ship in 30 days + is there real demand." For each: what it is (template/guide/checklist...), who it's for, the pain it solves.
6. FINAL RECOMMENDATION + POSITIONING: Which one I should pick and why; a one-line positioning statement ("For Y who do X, Z").
7. TARGET CUSTOMER PROFILE: A clear portrait of the first person who'll buy this: where they get stuck, what they searched for, what sentence they'd use to describe themselves.
8. 30-DAY BUILD PLAN: Broken into weeks, with concrete steps (Week 1: scope + outline ... Week 4: launch). Realistic against the hours I can actually put in.
9. LAUNCH CHECKLIST: Before / on / after launch day, item by item (product description, visuals, email/opt-in, first social post, feedback from the first 5 customers).
10. REVENUE MODEL: One-time or tiered pricing logic (low price = more customers / high price = fewer customers trade-off), and a logical next product that could follow this one.
RULES:
- NO MADE-UP NUMBERS. Don't give figures you can't back up, like "converts at X%" or "makes $Y a month." If you don't know, say "you'll need to test this."
- Be direct and concrete, write in "you" language; skip corporate jargon ("add value," "deliver a solution").
- Never present someone else's success story as if it were my result.
- If my answers don't add up to anything SELLABLE, say so honestly and point me toward "fill this gap first" instead of forcing a product that isn't there.
Start with your first question when you're ready. One question. Wait for my answer.How to use it
- Fill in the [bracketed] fields roughly first (anything you leave blank, the interview will ask you anyway), then paste the prompt and answer each question honestly and specifically as it comes. Give real sentences like "my customers always ask me...", because the product comes directly out of lines like that.
- When the 10-section report lands, focus on section 5 (RANKED PRODUCT OPPORTUNITIES) and section 6 (FINAL RECOMMENDATION). To sharpen the idea you pick, tell it to "narrow this into an Etsy title and tag SEO checklist" or "turn this into an Amazon listing template" so it fits your exact context.
- Copy the '30-Day Build Plan' straight into your calendar and start week one today. The thing that actually sells a launch isn't the product, it's the customer's transformation. Take the positioning line the prompt gives you and put it in your product description and as the hook of your first reel or post.
Example / tip
Input: "My main business: I sell digital wedding invitation templates on Etsy. I've been doing this for 3 years. The question people ask me most is 'how do I swap this out with my own text in Canva.' I have 40+ well-selling listings and hundreds of five-star reviews. I can put in 6 hours a week." Output: AI asks a run of specific questions (which invitation type sells best, where customers get stuck most, what competitors are missing), then delivers the report. Section 5 ranks the opportunities: (1) an "Edit Your Invitation in Canva in 7 Days" video guide plus checklist [fastest to ship, proven demand, everyone already asks this], (2) a "Title + Tag SEO Template" for Etsy digital product sellers, (3) a niche "Bridal Shower Invitation Kit." Section 6: "Pick the first one, because the questions already told us exactly where your customers get stuck. Positioning: 'For invitation buyers stuck editing their template in Canva, a step-by-step guide that gets them to their own text in 7 days.'" Section 8 breaks it into a 4-week plan, and section 10 suggests launching at a low one-time price before upselling the full SEO kit afterward.
Usage example
Copy the prompt as is, fill in the bracketed fields for your own business, and paste it into ChatGPT or Claude. The more concrete your input, the more useful the output. Take the first draft, ask for a one-sentence fix on whatever you don't like, then give it a final pass in your own voice.
When not to use it
Don't force it if you have no real input to work with. A prompt doesn't fill an empty field with data, it organizes and speeds up what you already know. Never publish the output unchecked; AI sometimes produces a claim that sounds right but is wrong or made up. Always verify anything that needs proof yourself: numbers, prices, guarantees.
Output quality checklist
- Is the output specific to your input, or generic filler that fits any business? If it's generic, run it again with more concrete input.
- Does every number, ratio, or claim have something backing it? Delete the unbacked ones or soften them honestly.
- Does it sound like you? Simplify the cliches and inflated lines in your own voice.
- Does it give one clear next step? If the reader knows what to do, the output did its job.
