J
J. Marsh
Lead Editor, Startup & Product
Updated
Product-market fit is famous, fuzzy, and often misdiagnosed. The good news: there are concrete, observable signals that distinguish a startup with fit from one without.
The Sean Ellis test
Ask your active users: 'How would you feel if you could no longer use this product?' If 40 percent or more answer 'very disappointed', you likely have early fit.
Retention curves that flatten
Plot week-over-week retention by cohort. A curve that flattens above zero means a stable user base. A curve that decays to zero means you do not have fit yet.
Organic pull beats paid push
When customers refer others, journalists write unprompted, and demand outruns supply, you are no longer pushing the rock uphill.
Key takeaways
- -Use multiple signals, not one
- -Retention is the most honest metric
- -Pull beats push
Frequently asked questions
- Can you have partial fit?
- Yes. Most startups have fit with a subset of customers before they have it broadly. Double down on the subset.
Keep reading
Run a workshop on this
Turn the ideas in this article into a structured working session.