When "minimal viable product" doesn't work: Inherent in the process of minimal viable product, then, is a trusting, large permission base that will eagerly listen to you, try your new work and let you know what they think. And you don’t have the option of building that audience once the product is ready–that’s too late.

[Yeah. I’ve screwed this up more than once. It’s often hard to know when you’ve got a strong core.]
Source: Seth’s Blog