It’s a common trap in marketing: the idea that if you cast the widest net, you’ll catch the most fish. The reality? That approach leaves you with a tangled mess and very few actual wins.

Your product or service can’t be all things to all people—and trying to make it that way only dilutes your message, your positioning, and ultimately, your effectiveness. The smarter play? Deeply understanding the wants, needs, and desires of a specific audience so well that when they hear your marketing message, they feel like you were in the room with them, listening as they vented their frustrations, or that somehow you read their mind, anticipating their need before they could even articulate it themselves.

That level of insight doesn’t come from guesswork. It comes from going where your audience already gathers and listening intently to what they say.

I was first introduced to this approach a few years ago in a Sales Safari session conducted by Amy Hoy and Alex Hillman of Stacking the Bricks and it was a game-changer. The idea is simple: instead of making assumptions about what your target audience wants, find their “watering hole”—the online spaces where they freely share their experiences, frustrations, and desires. Then shut up and start listening.

Here are two practical ways to do just that:

1. Amazon Reviews: The Goldmine of Customer Insights

If you know of a product or service that serves the same audience as yours (even if it’s not a direct competitor), Amazon reviews are your best friend. People leave detailed feedback about what they love, what they hate, and what they wish were different.

What do they consistently rave about? That’s what your marketing should reinforce.

What do they repeatedly complain about? That’s your opportunity to differentiate.

What patterns emerge? Pay attention to the language people use because that’s how they describe their problem (and it’s the language you should mirror in your messaging).

A three-star review is often the sweet spot. Five-star reviews are all sunshine. One-star reviews can be venting. But three-star reviews? Those are the ones where people are saying, “This is good, but here’s what would make it great.” And that’s where your positioning can shine.

2. Reddit: Passion, Pain, and Unfiltered Honesty

Reddit is a bumper crop of authentic conversation. If there’s a topic, there’s a subreddit for it—and people post with passion. Ask yourself the following questions:

What are people constantly asking for help with?

What’s making them frustrated?

What do they get truly excited about?

The beauty of Reddit is that people aren’t filtering their opinions for marketing speak. They’re raw, real, and emotional. And that’s exactly what you need.

Let’s say you’re launching a new project management tool. Instead of throwing darts in the dark, jump into r/projectmanagement or r/productivity and see what people are actually struggling with. You might find endless complaints about how existing tools overcomplicate things, or how they wish software would just “stay out of the way.” That insight is marketing gold.

Now what?

Once you’ve done your research, use their exact words in your marketing. When you reflect back the language your audience already uses, they feel seen. Understood. Like you get them. That’s what builds trust—and ultimately, drives action.

This isn’t theory. It’s a practical approach that works. When your audience feels like you’re speaking directly to them, they’re far more likely to listen.

So, before you try to be everything to everyone, find your watering hole and observe the wildlife. The answers you need are already out there—you just need to know where to look.