SUPERHUMAN: Why Market Fit Matters More Than Product Fit

Achieving market fit is crucial for startups aiming for sustainable growth. Product fit—making sure your product meets specifications and user needs—is important. However, aligning your product with market demands (market fit) is what drives a company forward. This alignment ensures your product works well and connects with a large customer base, addressing their specific needs.

Understanding Market Fit vs. Product Fit

• Product Fit: This means developing a product that meets desired features and quality standards. It’s about building the product right.

• Market Fit: This focuses on creating a product that satisfies a significant market demand. It’s about building the right product for the right market segment and its unmet needs.

A deep understanding of market segments and unmet needs will help founders build the right product

A product can have great features (product fit), but it won’t thrive without strong market demand (market fit). A product must be more than functional; it must be desirable to enough customers to sustain a business.

“Most founders focus on product fit—making a product that works well. But what really matters is whether enough people need it and would be very disappointed if they couldn’t use it.” - Rahul Vohra, Superhuman

A deep understanding of market demand and segmentation will help you build a scalable product.

Superhuman: A Case Study in Market Fit Over Product Fit

The Genesis of Superhuman

Rahul Vohra, founder and CEO of Superhuman, had built Rapportive, a Gmail extension acquired by LinkedIn. After selling his first company, Vohra focused on email. He saw that email inefficiencies were a widespread issue. He envisioned a fast email experience to help professionals save hours each week.

Unlike most startups that quickly launch an MVP, Superhuman spent 18 months building its initial product and another 18 months refining it. Vohra’s focus was on ensuring it found a fit with the right market segment.

“A well-built product doesn’t guarantee success. What matters is whether it truly solves a deep, urgent problem for enough people.” - Rahul Vohra, Superhuman

The Role of Product-Market Fit in Superhuman’s SuccessVohra followed a systematic approach to measure product-market fit. Inspired by Sean Ellis’ method, he asked users:

“How would you feel if you could no longer use this product?”

Early product-market fit is when at least 40% of users say they would be “very disappointed” without the product. Initially, Superhuman’s score was only 20%, showing a lack of strong market fit.

Instead of launching too soon, Superhuman used data-driven insights to refine its offering.

The team:

• Segmented users to find those who loved the product.

• Refined positioning to target high-productivity professionals who valued speed.

• Iterated based on feedback to improve usability, design, and efficiency.

  
  

By adapting to what their target market wanted, they raised their product-market fit score to 60% in just three quarters, ensuring long-term customer retention and organic growth.

“If more than 40% of your users would be very disappointed without your product, you have early product-market fit.” - Rahul Vohra, Superhuman

Superhuman’s Key Strategies for Market Fit

Onboarding Customers Slowly & Perfecting Experience

• Unlike many startups that rush user acquisition, Superhuman onboarded only 4–5 users per week to ensure a high-quality experience.

• This allowed the team to fix problems, enhance features, and create a premium experience that users loved.

  
  

Understanding & Targeting the Right Customers

• Superhuman didn’t aim to please everyone—it focused on a niche of high-powered professionals willing to pay for speed and efficiency.

• By filtering out customers who weren’t a good fit, Superhuman improved retention and user satisfaction.

  
  

“Don’t build for everyone. Find the users who already love your product and double down on making it indispensable to them.” - Rahul Vohra, Superhuman

Creating Built-in Virality

• Features like “Sent via Superhuman” in email signatures and a referral-only signup process fueled organic growth.

• Instead of relying on traditional marketing, users themselves became the main drivers of adoption.

  
  

“A great product doesn’t just sell itself—it creates so much joy that people can’t help but tell others.” - Rahul Vohra, Superhuman

Key Takeaways for Founders

1. Prioritize Market Research & Segmentation

   • Superhuman's approach was to uncover unmet needs through surveys, data segmentation, and careful testing of demand before large-scale development.

   • Understanding your target audience (ICP) and their needs is crucial. This is likely what they pay you for.

     
     

2. If a Pivot is Needed, Pivot Early

   • Many successful companies, including Superhuman and Airbnb, adjusted their focus based on market demand. The sooner you do this, the better.

   • Being flexible in adapting your product based on user feedback leads to higher adoption rates.

     
     

3. Optimize for the Right Customer Segment

   • For Superhuman, this meant targeting productivity-focused professionals rather than casual email users.

   • Not all users are your ideal audience. Focus on the segment that values your product the most.

     
     

4. Focus on Optimizing the Value Proposition

   • Superhuman’s success wasn’t just about email design; it was about saving professionals hours every week.

   • A well-built product doesn’t guarantee success. What matters is how well it solves a real problem.

     
     

Why Market Fit Must Come First

Building a high-quality product is vital, but ensuring it fits within the market landscape drives success. Market fit confirms there is demand for your product, making it the top priority for any startup aiming for growth.

Superhuman’s journey shows that achieving market fit first is the foundation for product success. Startups should take a user-focused approach—just as Rahul Vohra did—to create something people not only want but feel they cannot live without.