If you’ve ever read about product-market fit (PMF), you’ve probably heard Marc Andreessen’s famous line:
“You can always feel product-market fit when it’s happening.”
But what does it actually feel like?
Is it a spike in signups? Glowing testimonials? An investor’s nod? The term gets tossed around so much that it starts to sound like a mythical state like love at first sight or “going viral.”
Let’s demystify it.
First, What Is Product-Market Fit?
At its core, product-market fit means:
You’ve built a product that solves a real problem for a clearly defined market, and your users keep coming back because it matters to them.
It’s not about vanity metrics. It’s about retention, resonance, and relentless demand.
So… What Does It Feel Like?
1. You’re Not Pushing. You’re Being Pulled.
Before PMF, growth feels like pushing a boulder uphill. Every sale is a hustle. Every user feels like a gift.
After PMF? It flips. You start getting inbound interest. Users tell other users. You’re not pushing the product they’re pulling it out of your hands.
🗣 “Can we get early access?”
📩 “Hey, I heard about you from a friend.”
🧩 “Does it integrate with X? Because I want to switch.”
2. Your Users Get Mad When You Mess Up.
Pre-PMF users are polite. They ghost you after trying the product.
Post-PMF users? They complain because they care.
“Hey, your app went down and we couldn’t finish our reports!”
“Why did you change this? We rely on that feature every day!”
That frustration means your product is now embedded in their workflow. That’s gold.
3. Your Team Stops Guessing and Starts Iterating.
Before PMF, you’re throwing darts in the dark. Trying new messaging, pivoting often, looking for traction.
After PMF, you’re refining not reinventing. You’re focused on depth, not breadth.
You stop asking, “What should we build next?”
And start asking, “How do we make this 10x better?”
4. You See Retention Before Growth.
PMF isn’t about explosive top-line growth. Not at first.
The clearest early sign? People who sign up… stick around.
Whether it’s:
- DAUs/WAUs that stabilize or rise
- Repeated usage without nudges
- NPS scores improving
PMF whispers before it shouts.
5. Your Users Say the Magic Words: “This Is Exactly What I Needed.”
It sounds small. But it’s seismic.
When users describe your product in their own words without you prompting them and it matches your intent, you know you’re solving a real problem.
“We used to spend hours on this manually. Now it just works.”
“I don’t know how we managed before.”
That alignment is what PMF is made of.
What PMF Is Not
Let’s clear a few myths:
- ❌ A viral spike from a launch post
- ❌ One big enterprise deal
- ❌ A product with lots of users but low engagement
- ❌ A team that’s busy, but reactive
These are signals of potential, not of product-market fit.
So… How Do You Know If You Have It?
Here’s a checklist many PMs use (adapted from Sean Ellis’s PMF Survey):
Ask your users:
“How would you feel if you could no longer use this product?”
If 40% or more say “Very disappointed,” you’re in PMF territory.
Or try this thought experiment:
“If we stopped supporting this product tomorrow, would anyone fight to keep it alive?”
If the answer is yes congrats. You’re not just building a product. You’re building a need.
In Summary: PMF Feels Like This
✅ Users pulling the product from you
✅ Growth driven by word of mouth
✅ Deep, organic retention
✅ Feedback that’s passionate and specific
✅ A team focused on improving, not just surviving
Product-market fit is not a moment. It’s a shift in energy from you chasing users, to users chasing your product.
Final Thought:
Hitting product-market fit isn’t the end it’s the beginning.
It’s the moment your product stops being your idea… and starts becoming their solution.
And once you feel it, you’ll never forget what it’s like.
product.guru 
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