pmf-strategy▌
kostja94/marketing-skills · updated May 25, 2026
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Guides product-market fit (PMF) validation and measurement. PMF occurs when a product precisely meets market needs, creating widespread demand. ~99% of startups fail primarily due to PMF issues (vitamin problems, premature scaling). Use this skill when validating before scaling, measuring PMF, or diagnosing traction problems.
Strategies: Product-Market Fit
Guides product-market fit (PMF) validation and measurement. PMF occurs when a product precisely meets market needs, creating widespread demand. ~99% of startups fail primarily due to PMF issues (vitamin problems, premature scaling). Use this skill when validating before scaling, measuring PMF, or diagnosing traction problems.
When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
Definition
Product-market fit (Marc Andreessen): "Being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market."
Signals: Customers buying rapidly; usage growing; word-of-mouth spreading organically; high retention, low churn.
Sean Ellis 40% Test
Question: "How would you feel if you could no longer use [product]?"
| Response | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Very disappointed | Strong PMF signal |
| Somewhat disappointed | — |
| Not disappointed | — |
| N/A – I no longer use | — |
Threshold: 40%+ answering "very disappointed" = PMF achieved. Below 40% = iterate.
| Score | Action |
|---|---|
| Below 25% | Significant changes needed |
| 25–39% | Close to PMF; iterate and improve |
| 40%+ | PMF achieved |
Best practice: Survey 40–50 active users (used product 2+ times in last 14 days). Segment by user type—some segments may have PMF while others don't.
Limitation: Combine with retention curves, engagement, organic growth; avoid false positives in early stages.
Vitamin vs Painkiller
| Type | Definition | Adoption |
|---|---|---|
| Painkiller | Solves urgent, acute problems; users actively seek solutions | Fast adoption; high retention; willing to pay |
| Vitamin | Nice-to-have; incremental benefit; users can live without | Slow adoption; expensive marketing to succeed |
~99% of failures: Solving vitamin problems instead of real pain. Validate: Would users be genuinely inconvenienced if your product vanished?
Validation: Talk to users; listen for frustration; run pre-sells; check frequency and time-sensitivity of the problem.
Key Indicators
| Indicator | Strong PMF |
|---|---|
| Retention | High; low churn |
| CAC vs CLTV | CAC decreasing relative to CLTV |
| Activation | Strong conversion to paying customers |
| Growth | Organic; word-of-mouth |
| NPS | High; enthusiastic advocacy |
Common Failures
| Failure | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Vitamin problems | Solve urgent pain, not nice-to-have |
| Vanity feedback | Use retention data, not polite opinions |
| Premature scaling | Validate PMF before scaling acquisition |
| Misalignment | Customer-problem fit before product-build |
Product Research & SaaS Context
| Area | Notes |
|---|---|
| Product positioning | Target audience; core value; competitive differentiation |
| Market research | Competitor analysis; surveys; interviews to validate assumptions |
| SaaS form | Cloud delivery; subscription; ease of use; dependency on industry standardization |
| Enterprise / ACV | Customization; data security/private deployment; procurement cycles; buy vs SaaS trade-offs |
Use: When discussing PMF for SaaS or enterprise—factor in product research rigor and ACV-specific challenges. See gtm-strategy for enterprise GTM.
PMF as Continuous Process
PMF is increasingly a continuous validation—markets evolve; re-measure as you expand. Target "PMF for a niche" first (40%+ in one segment) before broadening.
Output Format
- PMF assessment (current signals, Sean Ellis score if available)
- Vitamin vs Painkiller diagnosis
- Validation approach (interviews, pre-sells, metrics)
- Next steps (iterate vs scale)
Related Skills
- cold-start-strategy: First users; avoid large-scale paid before PMF
- indie-hacker-strategy: Indie hacker PMF; monetize day one; Ramen profitability
- paid-ads-strategy: PMF testing (small budget) vs conversion-driven (post-PMF)
- google-ads: PMF testing with landing page + $47–500
- gtm-strategy: GTM framework; PMF validation before scaling GTM
- product-launch: Launch execution; validate PMF before scaling
- retention-strategy: Retention as PMF signal; churn as anti-signal
How to use pmf-strategy on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
- ›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
- ›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with
node --version) - ›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add pmf-strategy
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
The skills CLI fetches pmf-strategy from GitHub repository kostja94/marketing-skills and configures it for Cursor.
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
Reload or restart Cursor to activate pmf-strategy. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /pmf-strategy) or your agent's skill management interface.
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
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Use Cases▌
User Story & Requirements Generation
Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs
Example
Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios
Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage
Competitive Analysis
Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps
Example
Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities
Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days
Roadmap Prioritization
Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs
Example
Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale
Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster
Stakeholder Communication
Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations
Example
Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement
Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead
Implementation Guide▌
Prerequisites
- ›Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
- ›Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
- ›Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
- ›Stakeholder contact information and communication channels
Time Estimate
30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements
Installation Steps
- 1.Install product management skill
- 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
- 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
- 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
- 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
- 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
- 7.Share effective prompts with product team
Common Pitfalls
- ⚠Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
- ⚠Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
- ⚠Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
- ⚠Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
- ⚠Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements
Best Practices▌
✓ Do
- +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
- +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
- +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
- +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
- +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
- +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition
✗ Don't
- −Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
- −Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
- −Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
- −Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
- −Don't ignore company-specific context and culture
💡 Pro Tips
- ★Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
- ★Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
- ★Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
- ★Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs
When to Use This▌
✓ Use When
Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.
✗ Avoid When
Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.
Learning Path▌
- 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
- 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
- 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
- 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation
Discussion
Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)- No comments yet — start the thread.
Ratings
4.4★★★★★74 reviews- ★★★★★Chaitanya Patil· Dec 28, 2024
We added pmf-strategy from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.
- ★★★★★Alexander Anderson· Dec 28, 2024
pmf-strategy fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
- ★★★★★Noor Verma· Dec 20, 2024
We added pmf-strategy from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.
- ★★★★★Sofia Brown· Dec 16, 2024
Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: pmf-strategy is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.
- ★★★★★Noor Nasser· Dec 16, 2024
pmf-strategy has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.
- ★★★★★Dev Thomas· Dec 16, 2024
Useful defaults in pmf-strategy — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.
- ★★★★★Emma Agarwal· Dec 12, 2024
Keeps context tight: pmf-strategy is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.
- ★★★★★Isabella Tandon· Dec 8, 2024
pmf-strategy has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.
- ★★★★★Sofia Anderson· Dec 8, 2024
pmf-strategy reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.
- ★★★★★Sakura Khanna· Dec 4, 2024
pmf-strategy fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
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