Any advice on idea validation strategies? I'm a software engineer by trade, the building part is easy. The validation part is not natural to me. I will not promote.

If this has been asked before, forgive me. I would really like to know how everyone is validating their ideas early? I always jump straight into design and development, its the most natural and fun part for me of course. However, getting to the end I have no way to reach people who would even want it. My partner in crime so far just been Copilot & Claude AI, I use them all the time for software work these days. It always suggests reaching out on Reddit groups, however this has only landed me with getting a ban on a few communities. What actually works well? Was the reddit approach correct? I always try to be careful with my postings and follow the rules, I dont promote, I dont call on anyone to visit sites or click links. I want to get some real traction here, I cant escape the idea phase. Appreciate any and all advice, thanks