Use case Product Market Fit (PMF)

Product Market Fit Survey designed for scaling products

A Product Market Fit Survey (PMF survey) helps product leaders answer the most important question in product development: Do customers actually need this product or could they live without it?

Example of a Product Market Fit (PMF) survey asking how disappointed would you be if you could no longer use this product
Product Market Fit Example

Discover the Product Market Fit Survey from HintGo

HintGo is an AI-first product market fit survey tool and product market fit survey software built for startup founders, product leaders, and product teams.

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How to calculate your Product Market Fit score (PMF scoring)

If you want to track product market fit over time or compare against a PMF benchmark, you need consistent PMF scoring.

This section is your how to calculate PMF score guide and the same logic used by our built-in PMF calculator and PMF score calculator.

1

Ask the Product Market Fit question (PMF questionnaire standard)

Run the same core question in your product market fit survey every time:

"How would you feel if you could no longer use [Product]?"

Standard response options:

  • Very disappointed
  • Somewhat disappointed
  • Not disappointed
  • N/A I no longer use the product (optional)

This is the standard product market fit questionnaire used for benchmarkable PMF scoring.

2

Count "Very disappointed" responses

For product market fit scoring, the key signal is the share of respondents who select Very disappointed.

Example with 50 responses:

22 Very disappointed
18 Somewhat disappointed
10 Not disappointed
3

Calculate the PMF score (Product Market Fit scoring)

Divide the number of Very disappointed responses by total responses (excluding N/A), then multiply by 100.

PMF score = (Very disappointed ÷ Total responses) × 100

Example:

PMF score = 22 ÷ 50 × 100 = 44%

This is the standard PMF scoring model and the foundation of any PMF calculator, PMF score calculator, or product market fit calculator.

4

Interpret the Product Market Fit benchmark

A widely used product market fit benchmark is the 40% test:

PMF score < 40%

→ PMF not achieved yet (iterate and narrow)

PMF score ≥ 40%

→ strong PMF signal (prepare to scale)

Product Market Fit Survey Templates

Launch faster with a proven product market fit survey template. Every HintGo PMF survey template includes the standard product market fit questionnaire, adaptive follow-up product market fit survey questions, and built-in summaries and routing.

Here are PMF survey templates commonly used by product teams and founders:

HintGo vs alternatives

A product market fit survey is easy to launch with almost any tool. The real difference is what happens after the PMF score.

Form tools
Typeform, Google Forms
Feedback tools
Sprig, Pendo

Standard PMF survey question

⚠️
Manual setup
Standard
Built-in

Follow-up questions after PMF score

⚠️
Fixed follow up
⚠️
Fixed follow up
AI follow ups

Summarize insights into themes

Manual
⚠️
Manual
AI summaries

Route insights to the right teams

Manual
⚠️
Manual
Auto routing

Ongoing triage effort

High
High
Automated

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Product Market Fit Survey Best Practices

Common questions about running a product market fit survey and using PMF scoring effectively.

When should I run a Product Market Fit Survey?

Run a PMF survey only after users have experienced core value. Common moments include:

  • after a major product iteration or pivot
  • when retention plateaus
  • before scaling GTM or fundraising
  • after onboarding improvements have stabilized
Who should receive the PMF questionnaire?

Survey users who:

  • have used the product at least twice
  • recently experienced core value
  • represent your intended target segment

This avoids misleading PMF scores.

How many responses do I need?

Most teams aim for 40–50 qualified responses for a directional PMF read. Quality matters more than volume.

What's a good Product Market Fit benchmark?

The most common PMF benchmark is the 40% test:

  • 40%+ "Very disappointed" = strong PMF signal
  • Below 40% = iterate and narrow focus
What Product Market Fit survey questions should I ask?

In addition to the core PMF question, common follow-up product market fit survey questions include:

  • "What type of people would benefit most from this product?"
  • "What is the main value you get from the product?"
  • "How could we improve the product for you?"

ℹ️HintGo uses AI to adapt follow-up PMF questions based on responses, helping product teams learn faster without increasing survey length.

What should I do if my PMF score is low?

If your product market fit score is below benchmark:

  • identify the segment with the highest PMF
  • double down on the value they love
  • remove friction in activation and onboarding
  • refine positioning and targeting

Most teams find PMF by narrowing, not expanding.

What are common PMF survey mistakes to avoid?
  • surveying users who haven't reached core value
  • mixing very different segments without segmentation
  • treating PMF as a vanity metric
  • scaling before PMF is validated
  • re-running PMF surveys too frequently