Every founder knows what product-market fit (PMF is). But there’s another acronym that plays an outsized role on deciding if that PMF can be turned into an actual growing business.

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AMF - audience-marketing fit.

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Put simply, it’s the way you ensure that your startup’s PMF is conveyed to your audience in a way that makes them understand that your product is truly a fit for them.

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You’re a founder who’s done the grunt work of talking to hundreds of potential customers.

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You found their pain points and what they’ll pay money for.

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You honed the product to alleviate those pains at a price they’re fine with.

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Users are signing up in increasing quantities. You’ve got revenue. People are talking.

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Congratulations, you’ve reached the sacred peak most startups never truly summit.

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But how do you turn this new superpower into mega growth? You’re not out of the trough of despair just yet. This is the point where you have to find AMF.

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Imagine: Your SaaS solution revolutionizes how fencing companies source materials.

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You've nailed the price and features. Companies are hooked.

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You then wallpaper social media, radio and billboards with ads explaining what you do. If a fencing company owner sees it, they should be the moth to your flame, right?

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Unlikely.

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What is likely is wasting a bunch of your precious runway on ads that don’t convert. You’re assuming that PMF spelt out plainly in any format, to any audience will drive sales alone.

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“But I don’t understand….we know they need it, can afford it and there’s lots of them. What the hell?”

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This founder hasn’t translated that PMF into AMF. They’ve found the product that fits the market, but not the marketing that fits. 

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Your all-star slugger is at bat. 

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She knows how to hit this pitcher. 

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But you haven’t given her a bat to hit the ball with!

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Huge lead opportunity wasted.

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So what do you need to find? The messaging, marketing tactics and audience selection that conveys your PMF’s ultimate benefits to the right person, at the right time, in the right way.

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In the above example, you’re testing the right words to show fencing company owners how much money you save them, finding the place to get the words in front of them, and the point in their business when they’re likely to buy.

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An ad with a testimonial about how you saved Gary at Acme Fences $6,000 a month in material costs, targeting company owners and managers on Instagram. Hypothetical example that demonstrates the specificity you want.

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A likely winner.

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The benefits of finding AMF? You start the exponential growth graph as early as possible, as cheaply as possible. Find the message that works, and milk it for all its worth.

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Skipped over? You waste your runaway on ads that don’t work, your team loses momentum and doubt starts to creep into your team and investors that you actually found PMF.

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It’s an often overlooked step that comes up when I talk with founders. Easy to miss, painful to skip altogether.

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PMF isn’t just something you articulate to investors. Your future customers need to see that you have it too.

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Find your bat. Hand it to your slugger. Now.