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P/MF survey template: the Sean Ellis question and the follow-ups that matter

By Adi ShmorakUpdated 2026-10-08Read as markdown

Most founders run the P/MF survey for one number: the share of users who'd be "very disappointed". Sean Ellis's benchmark is 40%. Hit it and you're likely onto something.

The number is useful. But the real gold is in the follow-up answers, and most surveys don't ask them.

Who to send it to

Send it to people who've actually used the product, recently and more than once. Opinions from people who signed up and never came back measure your onboarding, not your fit.

Then segment the answers. A 25% overall score can hide a group of users at 60%. That group is your ICP.

The template

Copy this, replace [product], and keep it short. Five questions at most per person.

Question 1 (everyone)

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

• Very disappointed
• Somewhat disappointed
• Not disappointed
• I no longer use it

If "very disappointed"

These are your best customers. Learn how they see you.

1. What would you use instead if [product] disappeared? This tells you who you really compete with: the job they hired you for.
2. What type of person do you think would benefit most from [product]? This is your ICP, described by your ICP.
3. How would you describe [product] to a friend? This is your value proposition, in their words. Steal it for your homepage.

If "somewhat disappointed"

These people like you, but something's missing. They're your roadmap.

1. What's missing that would make [product] something you couldn't live without? The gap between what you promise and what you deliver.
2. What do you mainly use [product] for, and what do you use alongside it? This shows where you fit in their workflow, and which job is still unsolved.

If "not disappointed" or "no longer use it"

1. What did you hope [product] would do for you? Often these people were never your ICP. That's useful to know too.

How to read the results

• Under 40% overall? Don't panic yet. Segment by role, company size, use case and acquisition channel. Look for the group that scores highest.
• One segment far above the rest? Narrow your ICP to them. Rewrite your messaging using their answers to "how would you describe it?". Here's how to define your ICP with signals, not labels.
• Lots of "somewhat disappointed" pointing at the same gap? That's the next thing to build.
• Everyone "somewhat" and nobody "very"? You may be a vitamin, not a painkiller. Revisit the ICP and the problem before adding features.

Don't stop at the survey

A survey measures what people say. P/MF is about what they do.

"Very disappointed" is a strong signal, but it's still stated intent. Back it with behaviour: do these people come back without a nudge, pay, renew, and refer others? Usage proves people want it. Paying proves it's a business.

So treat the survey as a map, not a verdict. It tells you where to dig.

Common mistakes

• Surveying everyone who ever signed up. Inactive users drag the score down and add noise.
• Reporting the score and ignoring the follow-ups. The why is worth more than the what.
• Running it once. P/MF moves. Run it again after every major change to your ICP, offer or product.
• Leading questions. "How much do you love our new feature?" isn't research. Keep the wording neutral.

What to do next

1. Copy the template and send it to your active users.
2. Segment the results before you read the overall score.
3. Put the "very disappointed" answers next to your homepage copy. If the words don't match, change the homepage.

Want to see where the survey fits in the bigger picture? It's the experiment in row 1 of the P/MF Matrix.

Ran the survey and not sure what the answers say? Send them to me. Reading between the lines is the detective part.