Read PMF with a blend of metrics and customer voice rather than a single score. Triangulate retention, advocacy, and usage patterns to know when to scale.
Which quantitative survey is widely used as an early PMF indicator?
a vanity follower count threshold
the 40% ‘very disappointed’ test (often called the Sean Ellis test)
a single five‑star app‑store rating
a press‑mentions quota
Which retention pattern most reliably indicates PMF in cohort charts?
curves that flatten at a healthy level after initial drop‑off
flat lines near zero from month one
steady linear decline to zero
erratic spikes driven by discounts only
Which advocacy metric often complements PMF assessment?
open rate of a single email
homepage bounce rate
Net Promoter Score tracked alongside retention and growth
number of pricing tiers
For subscription products, which revenue metric best reflects durable fit?
gross revenue retention above 60%
net revenue retention (expansion minus churn) above 100%
total trials started
marketing spend as a % of ARR
Which ratio is a common capital‑efficiency check once PMF is emerging?
ROAS of 10:1 in every channel
LTV:CAC around 3:1 or better
CPA always below $1
zero support tickets
Which qualitative signal is most persuasive in early PMF reviews?
a temporary homepage traffic spike
customers spontaneously describe the core benefit in their own words
an industry award
a viral post from a single influencer
Which usage metric is commonly used for engagement‑based products?
number of SKUs listed
DAU/MAU ratio trending upward toward healthy benchmarks
total website pages indexed
count of press releases
In PMF measurement, relying on a single metric is risky because ______.
signals can be noisy or gamed; triangulation reduces false positives
benchmarks never change over time
finance teams reject all qualitative data
surveys are banned in most markets
Which post‑launch motion best preserves read on PMF quality?
running controlled pricing/packaging tests while watching churn and expansion
switching all trial flows weekly
turning off analytics during scale
maxing discounts across all channels at once
Which leading indicator often precedes improvements in retention?
activation rate rising for the key ‘aha’ action
total ad impressions served
count of blog posts published
domain authority score
Starter
Rebalance toward retention and voice‑of‑customer; don’t lean on one vanity metric.
Solid
Great—triangulate NRR, activation, and qualitative proof to confirm PMF.
Expert!
Excellent—your metrics and customer quotes align; scale with disciplined tests.
