More on this -- realize that the "insider" you're talking to will have some dissonance of his own going on. After all, if he's in the industry and hasn't done

More on this -- realize that the "insider" you're talking to will have some dissonance of his own going on. After all, if he's in the industry and hasn't done it yet, (to him) the idea's not worth doing! If he thought it was a good idea, he probably would be acting on it. Just because he passed on the idea doesn't mean it's a bad one. Now, if your customers (maybe his readers, by proxy) hate the idea... then you've got some work to do. I'd suggest that you ask him if you can write up a post for him, for his blog, explaining the idea (make sure it seems like idea generation, rather than pitching your product). Have a poll / encourage comments. That's a cheap way to do customer discovery and validation. If he won't post your article, try making him a bet. Something like, "I bet 75% of people who respond to the poll will love the idea" or "I bet you get 15 comments on this post." Wager a small amount, like $20 amazon gift card on it. Step 3: profit!