To recruit cofounders, the core pitch isn't the idea, but momentum. Show undeniable progress—buying the domain, hiring designers, raising capital. This creates urgency and a narrative that the opportunity is fleeting, forcing a decision to join now or miss out.
The $30/month price point for Superhuman was a psychological play. It positioned the product as a premium tool for 'prosumers'—power users whose work and time are so valuable that they feel good about spending significant money to solve their email problem.
To find product-market fit, ignore feedback from users who are 'not disappointed'. Instead, focus on converting the 'somewhat disappointed' users who already grasp your core value proposition. They are only a few features away from becoming evangelists.
Instead of a self-serve model, Superhuman used mandatory, 1-on-1 onboarding to ensure every user was deliriously happy. This allowed them to control the narrative, identify every bug, and turn early users into powerful net promoters, justifying the high initial cost.
Split your product roadmap evenly. Dedicate 50% of your energy to enhancing what users already love (innovation) and 50% to fixing 'boring' complaints. Focusing only on innovation leaves a leaky bucket, while only fixing bugs means you'll be outmaneuvered.
Superficial gamification (points, badges) can reduce intrinsic motivation. Instead, use game design principles to build 'toys'—features that are inherently fun to explore and have 'squishy affordances,' like the unnatural but fun mid-air steering of Mario's jump.
The fastest way to improve your product-market fit score is not to build features, but to redefine your market. By segmenting your users and focusing only on the cohort that already loves your product, you can dramatically increase your 'very disappointed' score with zero development work.
While a contrarian product vision is compelling, ground your VC pitch in an undeniably massive market. Superhuman's founder highlighted email's trillion-hour annual time sink as a dislocated market, making the 'crazy' idea of a premium client seem like a logical bet.
Actively refuse to sell to customers you can't serve well (e.g., users on unsupported platforms). This prevents negative word-of-mouth and protects your brand by ensuring only users who can be deliriously happy get access, a concept Superhuman used with Android users.