August 28, 2025
Here's the thing about product-market fit: everyone talks about it, but most founders are measuring the wrong things while they're trying to get there. You're probably tracking downloads, signups, or social media followers when you should be looking at completely different numbers.
Product-market fit takes a really long time to find. The industry standard puts it around a million dollars in revenue, which is when you've tested everything and can create that flywheel effect for growth. But what do you measure before you get there?
Here's what you need to track while you're still figuring things out, plus why these metrics actually matter for building a sustainable business.
Churn is one of the best signals you have for whether your solution actually works. It doesn't automatically mean you're on the wrong track, but it definitely means you're not executing well somewhere.
When people stop using your product, it's usually telling you one of several things: maybe the solution isn't quite right, the product isn't well-built, the engagement isn't good, or people need more handholding than you're providing.
Don't just track churn rates and feel bad about them. Use them as a diagnostic tool. Is this the wrong solution entirely? Is the onboarding process confusing? Do users need more support to get value from your product?
Each churn event is data about where your product or process is breaking down. The key is being systematic about figuring out which problem you're actually solving.
Your job before PMF is to figure out what marketing channel or topic actually gets people interested. This means throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks, but doing it strategically.
For example, if you're posting different content on social media without spending money on ads, you need to identify which topics or formats drive the most engagement and conversions. The whole point is figuring out your funnel from the top down.
Most founders create content or marketing campaigns and never connect them back to actual business results. You need to know which channels and messages are bringing people down your funnel to convert.
This isn't about vanity metrics like likes or shares. It's about understanding what actually moves people from awareness to action.
Your website has one job: help people understand what you do and why it benefits them, then convert them. If that's not happening, it's usually because of three problems:
First, your messaging isn't clear about what you actually do. Second, people can't tell if it's for them specifically. Third, your conversion process is too complicated or slow.
Here's the key: speak to your audience like they're right in front of you. If you're targeting women tech founders with ideas who are trying to figure things out, talk directly to her in everything you put out there.
Don't use elusive terms or marketing buzzwords that never work. The clearer and more direct you are, the better your conversion rates will be.
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Once you hit product-market fit, your focus shifts completely. You're no longer trying to figure out if your solution works. Now you're refining and testing new ideas to broaden your audience and find new places to reach them.
This is when you should start thinking about other channels and untapped locations you haven't considered yet. You'll want to measure different channels against each other to optimize your growth strategy.
The metrics that matter post-PMF are about efficiency and scale. You know your solution works, so now it's about doing more of what's working and finding new ways to reach similar audiences.
Here are the metrics that actually matter before you hit PMF:
Stop tracking vanity metrics that make you feel good but don't drive business results. Start measuring the things that tell you whether your solution actually works and whether people can figure out how to buy it.
Focus on churn, conversion rates, and channel performance. These numbers will tell you what's working and what needs to be fixed before you worry about scaling.
Take action: Pick one of these metrics to focus on this week. Set up proper tracking, identify your current baseline, and start testing improvements. The data will tell you exactly where to focus your energy.
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