Product-market fit survey
The core question is one line: how would you feel if you could no longer use this? The follow-ups make it useful. They tell you who answers 'very disappointed', what they get out of the product, and what to build next for the people who are almost there.
Best for: Early-stage teams checking for product-market fit and working out who their core audience is.
Use this template freeHow would you feel if you could no longer use this product?
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The questions
- 1How would you feel if you could no longer use this product?Single selectVery disappointed / Somewhat disappointed / Not disappointed. Sean Ellis uses 40% 'very disappointed' as the benchmark.
- 2What type of person do you think would most benefit from this?Long textThe people who love it describe your ideal buyer better than you can.
- 3What is the main benefit you get from it?Long text
- 4What's the one thing we could improve for you?Long text
- 5What would you likely use instead if it disappeared?Short text
- 6What's your role?Short textLets you split the 40% by group.
Sample replies, counted
These replies are made up to show the method.
Asked: What is the main benefit you get from it?
I don't take notes in meetings anymore. I just listen.
Can focus in meetingsthe summary lands in slack before i'm back at my desk
Saves time after callsSaves me maybe 30 minutes a day writing up client calls.
Saves time after callsMy manager stopped asking me what was decided. It's all there.
Decisions are easy to shareSearching what a client said three months ago. That has saved a deal for us once already.
Finds old conversationsFewer follow-up emails asking 'wait, who owns this?'
Decisions are easy to sharefaster write-ups
Saves time after callsNot sure yet, I've only used it twice.
Other
| Label | Replies |
|---|---|
| Saves time after calls | 3 |
| Decisions are easy to share | 2 |
| Can focus in meetings | 1 |
| Finds old conversations | 1 |
| Other | 1 |
Three of eight name time saved after calls, so lead your homepage and onboarding with it. Check whether those three are also in your 'very disappointed' group before you build for anyone else.
How to run it well
- Only survey people who reached the core value more than once and used it recently.
- Look at the 'very disappointed' group on its own. What they have in common is where to focus first.
- Run it again every quarter to see whether the score moves as you ship.
- Read the 'main benefit' answers word for word. They often make your best homepage copy.
When not to use this: If only a handful of people have reached the core value, the percentage means little. Talk to them one at a time with a Mom Test interview script instead.
FAQ
What's a good PMF score?
When is it too early to measure PMF?
Where the method comes from
Related templates
- NPS surveyThe 0-10 question plus the open follow-up that explains the score.
- Customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveyRate one real interaction, not a vague overall feeling.
- Onboarding feedback surveyFind the exact step where new people stall before they see value.
- Feature prioritization surveyMake people pick one feature and drop one, so the ranking means something.