“How would you feel if you could no longer use this product?”
From Sean Ellis · Founder, GrowthHackers · originator of the product-market-fit survey
Why it works
Disappointment is a stronger signal than satisfaction. Users tell pollsters they like things they would never miss; the absence-of-use framing forces them to imagine the gap, and only real attachment survives that test. Ellis's threshold — 40% answering 'very disappointed' — is the best-known numeric product-market-fit benchmark, though it rests on his benchmarking of nearly a hundred startups, not a published study.
When to ask
Ask people who have recently used the core of the product. Ellis's rule of thumb: they've used it at least twice in the last two weeks.
Good follow-ups
- What type of person do you think would most benefit from this product?
- What is the main benefit you receive from this product?
- How can we improve this product for you?
Watch out for
Asking too early flattens the signal. New users haven't formed attachment yet and default to 'somewhat disappointed' out of politeness.
Where to ask
- In-product surveygreat
This is the survey instrument — the 'very/somewhat/not disappointed' scale is designed to run exactly here.
- Long-form surveygreat
Travels well in an email survey; the scale and follow-ups stand on their own without a moderator.
- User interviewworkable
Good as an opener to hear the 'why' in person — but the percentage only means something at real sample size, so don't judge product-market fit from a single conversation.
Related survey templates
Product-market fit survey
Battle-tested methodology to validate how well your product fits the market.
Use this guidance to tailor the 6-question survey:
- How would you feel if you could no longer use our product?
- What type of people do you think would get the most value from our product today?
- What is the main benefit you get from our product today?
- What is the biggest change that would make this product indispensable for you?
- +2 more
For: Users who have reached their core value milestone · Sent: 2–4 weeks after signup, after completing first key action (creating first project, etc.)
Stage: Get value · A question popularized by Sean Ellis
Source: https://review.firstround.com/how-superhuman-built-an-engine-to-find-product-market-fit/