Tech I'm building video tools for creators. How do I conduct discovery?

[sam_adultlm]

I am in the process of building some cool tools for creators - AI Assisted editing, Deaging, Seamless green screening, even generation.

I have really good tech, but no creators to validate / test with. And reaching out randomly to creators means I come across as a horny rando when I am not even looking for that, I just want to build a good product.

What's the best way to connect? Feeling a little lost and down.

[CharliGo]

Go through existing creator communities instead of individual cold messages. Discord servers, Reddit and Twitter/X circles around AI tools are less personal and feel more like peer discussion.
Offer clear value up front. Something like "I’m building X, looking for 5 people to test a free early version and give feedback" works better than "hey can I show you my tool".
Partner with small-to-mid creators who already post about tools and workflows. They’re usually more open to testing than big names.
Post publicly about what you’re building (short demos, before/afters) and let interested people come to you. A simple "looking for beta testers" under the post often gets better responses than cold outreach.
If you have a waitlist or private Discord for testers, that creates a filter and makes the interaction feel less one-sided.