Time to First Success
The new metric for product-led growth
You've just signed up for a new software tool. You're excited, maybe a little overwhelmed, and definitely hoping this investment pays off. How long does it take before you think, "Yes! This was totally worth it"?
That moment, that first spark of satisfaction, is what we call "Time to First Success" (TTFS), and I see that this is a rising trend in the past few months.
Why TTFS matters
Note: If you're in traditional B2B sales where everything happens through demos and lengthy sales cycles, you can probably skip this. TTFS is really the star of product-led growth scenarios, where customers are trying to figure things out on their own.
You probably know of the metric "time to value": it’s useful, but it's also somewhat broad. TTFS gets specific. It's that exact second when your customer stops wondering if they made a mistake and starts thinking, "Okay, this actually works."
Maybe it's when they generate their first report that doesn't look like garbage. Or when they finally complete a task successfully. Whatever it is, it's personal, it's meaningful, and it's the difference between a customer who sticks around and one who churns.
For those of us managing products, especially in the product-led world, TTFS isn't just another number on a dashboard. It's like having a crystal ball that shows you exactly where your onboarding is failing and which features actually matter to real humans.
Most imporantly, Time To First Success is a great indicator of word-of-mouth growth within an organization. If the first users get to success quickly, they will encourage others to use your software as well.
Making TTFS work for you
Figure out what "Success" actually means
This sounds obvious, but it's trickier than you think. Your idea of success might be completely different from your customer's. Grab coffee with your customer success team (they know things), dig into those support tickets, and actually talk to your users. What made them smile? What made them feel smart? That's your gold.
Stop making onboarding so painful
We've all been there: Signing up for something new only to face a setup process that makes you want to quit right away. Your customers don't have infinite patience. Make it easy, make it clear, and make it fast.
Focus on the features that actually matter
Not every feature is created equal, and your customers don't care about your technical masterpiece if it doesn't solve their immediate problem. Which features are your successful customers using first? Double down on those.
Measure, learn, repeat
Track TTFS, because your retention depends on it. Where are people getting stuck? What's working? What's making people want to cancel their subscription before their free trial ends? You can experiment if you wish.
The counter argument
TTFS isn't magic. It takes work to understand your customers deeply enough to measure this effectively. And if you get too obsessed with quick wins, you might accidentally ignore the features that create long-term value. It's all about balance, like most things in product management. Yet if you want to create word-of-mouth, even if only within your customer organization, Time To First Success will definitely help.
What's next?
TTFS feels like one of those metrics that could stick around. It gets teams focused on what actually matters to customers, and in a world where everyone's fighting for attention, that first positive experience can make or break your product.
Let’s see whether the trend is getting stronger or whether PMs will stick to Time To Value in the long run.
What's been your experience? Have you noticed patterns in when your customers have their "aha" moments? I'd love to hear what's working (or not working) for you.
What I read
As usual, I will list some of the best articles I read on the Internet. I will keep a list of the best articles (currently >900) at https://www.digital-product-management.com. These are today’s picks:
Rulebook of Corporate Politics: How to Use Politics to Your Advantage
Transformation Framework: How to Organize Reformation That Actually Works
Execs aren’t listening if you’re not talking about money: When you work on a product, you need to tie it to your organization’s finances.