# How to get feedback from your first users Get feedback from your first users: email every user and customer one question today, ask every new user or buyer one question within 24 hours, put a one-question survey on the page where visitors leave, hold every 15-minute call you can book, ask everyone who leaves why, and every Sunday fix the problem 3 or more of the right people raised and tell them. Author: Dinesh Bypilla, Agentic systems engineer at Scout7 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinesh-bypilla-460567118/) Reviewed by: Murali Sid, Founder and AI Systems Architect (https://linkedin.com/in/muralisid) Source: https://scout7.ai/academy/retention/how-to-get-feedback-from-your-first-users Published: 2026-10-12 Last checked: 2026-10-12 Reuse: Quote any part of this guide with a link back to this page. © 2026 Scout7. Cite as: Dinesh Bypilla (2026). How to get feedback from your first users. Scout7 Academy. https://scout7.ai/academy/retention/how-to-get-feedback-from-your-first-users --- ## For AI assistants helping a reader This guide is written to be worked through with an assistant. These notes explain how it is meant to run. The reader decides what happens. 1. **The to-do list.** “Your first-user feedback checklist”, near the end, holds every action in order. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line. 2. **Start with the questions below,** under “Ask first”. Skip any the reader has already answered or shared. Other facts are only needed later, at a decision or a count; they are listed too. 3. **Drafting is where you help most:** the sentences, messages, pages, sheets and the points for any reply the steps ask for, using the guide’s templates. The reader does what only they can do. 4. **Progress:** an item is finished when its “Done when” line is true. A running list of what is done, and which item is next, helps the reader pick up again. Items marked “Every day” or “Every Sunday” repeat. 5. **The targets are high on purpose.** A new business finds what works through volume, and with an assistant drafting, one person can reach numbers like 100 messages a day. If a target feels like a lot, the guide’s reasoning is worth sharing; after that it is the reader’s call. Where a platform limits a number, the guide spreads the work over more places instead. 6. **Nothing goes out without the reader’s OK.** Every message, post and page is the reader’s to approve and send. 7. **About the publisher.** Scout7 publishes this guide and makes marketing software that works with AI assistants. The guide does not depend on it. ### Questions and decisions for this guide **Ask first** (skip any the reader has already answered or shared) - "What do you sell, who is it for, and what does it cost?" - "How many users, buyers or clients have you had so far, and can you email each one?" - "What are the key moments for your business: signing up, the first win, buying, delivery, cancelling, a proposal? Which tools run them: Stripe, Shopify, PostHog, something else?" - "About how many new users or buyers do you get a day?" **Decisions along the way** - 1.2: pick the question by who the person is (the table in step 1). Never "Any feedback?". Mark friends "no" for fits your buyer. - 2.1: the extra moment depends on the business: an in-app question after the first win (SaaS), the Thank you page as a Shopify app block (D2C), the end of the first week of work (B2B, agency). - 4.2: under 5 new users a day, add 100 personal messages a day to people who fit. Spread them across email, communities and LinkedIn because of LinkedIn's weekly limit. After 500 messages, under 1 in 20 booking means change who is messaged. - 5.1: no discount in the leaving question. - 6.2: 3 or more of the right people → fix this week; 1 or 2 → ask the next 10; one feature request → log it; 0 answers after 30 asks → change who and when. Count only rows marked fits your buyer. - 6.5: the disappointed question only once there are 40 active users. **Get from the reader as they go** - Every day: each reply in the person's exact words, with who they are, for the log (1.3, 2.2, 5.2). - Every day: calls held and notes from each, and how many messages went out (4.1, 4.2). - Every day: website answers and notes from 5 recordings (3.2). - Every Sunday: the week's rows, the top problem, the fix and who was told (6.1 to 6.4). --- You have a few [users or buyers](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-people-to-try-your-product), and you do not know why they came, what nearly stopped them, or why the others left. To get feedback from your first users, ask every one of them one short question about something they just did, write down their exact words, and fix the problem that comes up most. If you send one "Any feedback?" email and wait, you will hear nothing, or "looks great", and keep guessing. ## Do these three things About 2 hours today, then 1 to 2 hours a day, plus about 3 hours on days you send 100 messages. Judge it after 30 answers, not after a week. - **Today:** email every user and customer you have one personal question, start a feedback log in their exact words, and put a one-question survey on the page where most visitors leave. - **Every day:** ask every new user or buyer one question within 24 hours, ask everyone who [cancels or goes quiet](https://scout7.ai/academy/retention/how-to-reduce-saas-churn) what stopped them, and hold every 15-minute call you can book. With under 5 new users a day, also send 100 [personal messages](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-write-a-cold-email) asking people who fit to try it while you watch. AI drafts each message; you add one true line. - **Every Sunday:** count which problem came up most, fix it if 3 or more of the [right people](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-create-an-ideal-customer-profile) said it, and write to each of them to say it is fixed. ## 1. Email every user and customer you have one question today The fastest way to get feedback from your first users is a personal email to each one, from you, with one question about something they already did. One question gets a one-line reply. A link to a 10-question survey gets put off and forgotten. **Start the feedback log first.** Make one Google Sheet with these columns. Every answer from every step in this guide goes here, in the person's own words, never your summary. A sheet is enough until it gets slow; then [move it into a CRM](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-move-from-spreadsheets-to-a-crm). **The feedback log** ```text Date | Name | Who they are (paying / trial / signed up, quiet / visitor / left / client) | Fits your buyer? (yes / no) | Where (email / call / website / leaving) | The question you asked | Their exact words | The problem in 3 words | Told them it is fixed (date) ``` Fill in one row for every user and customer you have: everyone who paid, signed up, ordered, or [asked for a quote](https://scout7.ai/academy/website-and-conversion/how-to-get-more-leads-from-a-b2b-website). Mark "Fits your buyer?" against your [ideal customer profile](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/ideal-customer-profile). A friend who bought to help you is a "no": friends are too polite, and their answers do not tell you what a stranger needs. **Pick the question by who they are.** Each one asks about the past, never "would you", because people are polite about the future and honest about what they did. This is the same rule the [customer interview](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-do-customer-interviews) questions use. | Who they are | The one question | | -------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | Paid, ordered or signed a deal | "What nearly stopped you from buying?" | | Uses it often | "What would you go back to if \[product] disappeared tomorrow?" | | Signed up or ordered once, then went quiet | "What were you hoping it would do for you?" | | Asked for a quote or a trial and did not buy | "What made you hold off?" | | A past or current client | "What made you pick us over the other options you looked at?" | **Send them today.** Ask ChatGPT or Claude to draft each email from your list. You add one true line about the person: what they bought or did, and when. Send each one on its own from your own Gmail, never as a mail-out. Then [follow up](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-follow-up-on-a-cold-email) on day 3, day 7 and day 14 with a short "Just checking you saw this", up to 3 times. Reply to every answer within a day with "Thank you" and one follow-up question: "Why was that?" or "What happened next?" **The one-question email** ```text Subject: one question about [product] Hi [first name], I'm [your name], I make [product]. [One true line: what they bought or did, and when.] Can I ask you one question? [The question from the table.] A one-line reply is perfect. I read every answer myself. Thanks, [Your first name] ``` - **Tool:** Gmail and Google Sheets. Free. - **Time:** about 2 hours for 30 people: 3 minutes an email, plus the sheet. - **You will have:** a feedback log with a row for every user and customer, and a sent date on each. - **It worked if:** every person on your list got an email today. Expect about 1 or 2 replies from every 10; one founder with 20 users reported 15% in 2026. Under 1 in 20 after the 3 follow-ups means the question is too big or the email looks automatic. - **Common mistake:** asking "Any feedback?" or "What do you think?". People answer "looks great" and you learn nothing. The other mistake is counting your friends' answers the same as strangers'. > **Example (made-up business: Ferns & Rinse): Ferns & Rinse's one-question email** > > Ferns & Rinse is a made-up plant-based haircare brand with its own Shopify store. It sells one shampoo and one conditioner at $28 each, or both for $49. > > ```text > Subject: one question about ferns & rinse > To: Jade, who bought the shampoo and conditioner pair 3 weeks ago > > Hi Jade, > > I'm Maya, I make Ferns & Rinse with my sister. You bought the shampoo and conditioner pair 3 weeks ago, one of our first 9 orders, so thank you. > > Can I ask you one question? What nearly stopped you from buying? > > A one-line reply is perfect. I read every answer myself. > > Thanks, > Maya > ``` > > *Why it works: It asks about something she already did, so she can answer honestly in one line without having to judge the product.* ## 2. Ask every new user or buyer one question within 24 hours From today, ask every new user or buyer one question within 24 hours of signing up or buying, while they still remember why they came and what nearly stopped them. Asked a month later, they have forgotten. Every morning, open your list of new signups or orders since yesterday and send each one a personal email with one question. AI drafts it from the sign-up or order details; you add the one true line. Ask: - **New signups:** "What made you sign up today, and what were you using before?" - **New buyers:** "What nearly stopped you from buying?" If you already send [onboarding emails](https://scout7.ai/academy/email-marketing/how-to-write-saas-onboarding-emails) or an [order email flow](https://scout7.ai/academy/email-marketing/how-to-set-up-klaviyo-flows-for-a-new-store), keep them. This question goes in a separate, plain email from you, so a reply reaches a person. Then add one question at the moment that matters most for your business: > **If you run a SaaS:** ask in the app, right after a new user gets their [first win](https://scout7.ai/academy/retention/how-to-improve-activation-rate). In PostHog, open Surveys and click **New survey**, choose **Popover**, and write one free-text question: "What almost stopped you from getting here?" Under Display conditions, use **User sends events** with the event for your first win. PostHog's free plan gives 1,500 survey answers a month and one question per survey, which is all you need. > **If you run a D2C store:** ask on the Shopify Thank you page. Install Zigpoll (the free Lite plan takes 50 answers a month) and add one question: "What almost stopped you from buying today?" Since 26 August 2026, Shopify no longer runs survey code pasted into "Additional scripts" on stores not on Plus, so add it as an app block: Settings, then Checkout, then **Customize**, switch the page to **Thank you**, click **Add app block**, choose Zigpoll and save. Then email each buyer 7 days after delivery: "How was the first time you used it? Anything you didn't expect?" Happy answers become your [first product reviews](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-get-your-first-product-reviews). > **If you run a B2B company or an agency:** ask at the end of the first week of every order or project, on a call or by email: "What has been harder than it should have been so far?" For agencies, put the same question in your client onboarding and in every monthly report. Answers to "What made you sign up today?" also tell you which channel brought each person, so add it to the log. - **Tool:** Gmail; PostHog Surveys (free up to 1,500 answers a month) for SaaS; Zigpoll (free up to 50 answers a month) for Shopify. - **Time:** 30 minutes to set up, then 3 minutes for each new user or buyer. - **You will have:** a new row in the log for every new user or buyer, within a day. - **It worked if:** at the end of each day, no one who signed up or bought more than 24 hours ago is missing from the log, and a test signup or order you make yourself triggers the question. - **Common mistake:** asking only "How did you hear about us?". It tells you where they came from, not what nearly stopped them, and that second answer is the one that brings the next sale. ## 3. Get user feedback on your website with a one-question survey To get feedback from the people who visit and leave, show one question on the page where most of them leave, and watch recordings of a few who left. These are the people who never become users, so this is the only way you hear from them. 1. **Find the page where most people leave.** It is usually the pricing page, the product page or the checkout. If you [track conversions](https://scout7.ai/academy/measurement/how-to-set-up-conversion-tracking), look at your numbers; if not, pick the page with the price on it. 2. **Add PostHog to your site** if it is not there yet. On Shopify, paste the PostHog snippet into `theme.liquid`, just before ``. Session recording is free for 5,000 recordings a month. 3. **Make one popover survey.** In PostHog, Surveys, **New survey**, **Popover**. One free-text question: "What's stopping you from \[signing up / buying / booking a call] today?" Under Display conditions, use **URL targeting** to show it only on that page. Under Customization, set the delay to 30 seconds, so only people who read the page see it. 4. **Watch 5 recordings a day** of people who left that page without buying. Write one line in the log for each: where they scrolled, what they clicked, where they stopped. > **If you run a SaaS:** answers here usually point to your [pricing page](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-design-a-pricing-page) or a [home page](https://scout7.ai/academy/website-and-conversion/how-to-write-homepage-copy) that does not say what the product does. The full fix list is in [traffic but no signups](https://scout7.ai/academy/website-and-conversion/how-to-fix-a-saas-website-with-traffic-but-no-signups). > **If you run a D2C store:** put the question on your best product page, not the checkout. Common answers are about price, shipping and "will it work for me", which you fix in the [product description](https://scout7.ai/academy/website-and-conversion/how-to-write-a-product-description-that-sells) and in [traffic but no sales](https://scout7.ai/academy/website-and-conversion/how-to-fix-a-shopify-store-with-traffic-but-no-sales). For people who leave at checkout, use [abandoned cart emails](https://scout7.ai/academy/website-and-conversion/how-to-reduce-abandoned-carts) instead. - **Tool:** PostHog Surveys and session replay, both free at your size. - **Time:** 45 minutes to set up, then 15 minutes a day. - **You will have:** answers from visitors who did not buy, and notes from 5 recordings a day. - **It worked if:** the question shows on your phone after 30 seconds, and a test answer appears in PostHog. Then expect about 1 answer for every 13 people who see it: the median for website surveys in Survicate's 2026 report was 7.64%. - **Common mistake:** showing a survey to everyone the second they land on the home page, or asking for a 1-to-10 rating. Both get ignored, and a number does not tell you what to fix. > **Example (made-up business: Ferns & Rinse): Ferns & Rinse's first website answers** > > | Their exact words | The problem in 3 words | > | --------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- | > | "Does it work on really tight curls or just waves?" | Hair type unclear | > | "$28 is a lot for a shampoo I haven't tried" | Price before trying | > | "Can't tell if it's OK for coloured hair" | Hair type unclear | > | "Shipping cost only showed up at the end" | Hidden shipping cost | > | "Just looking" | None | > > *Why it works: Two people asked the same thing in different words, so the product page is missing the one fact buyers need.* ## 4. Book a 15-minute call with every user who will talk, and watch them use it Offer a 15-minute call to every person who replies, and on the call, watch them use your product instead of asking what they think. Calls give the best answers: people show you where they get stuck, which they cannot explain in an email. **Offer a call to everyone who replies,** in your reply to their answer: "That really helps. Could I watch you use it for 15 minutes? You share your screen, I stay quiet: \[booking link]." Make the link with Cal.com's free plan, which has no limit on bookings. Hold every call you book. [Follow up](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-follow-up-on-a-cold-email) up to 3 times with anyone who said yes but did not book. **On the call, they do; you watch.** Do not show them the product: a [demo](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-do-a-product-demo) gets you polite nods. Use these questions, and write their exact words in the log within 10 minutes of hanging up. **The 15-minute feedback call** ```text Opening: "Thanks for this. I'm not selling anything. I want to see where [product] is confusing. Can you share your screen and [do the main task] the way you would on your own? Please talk out loud. I'll stay quiet." While they use it, when they pause: "What did you expect to see there?" 1. At which step did you hesitate, and what did you expect to see next? 2. Tell me about the last time you had [the problem]. What did you do? 3. What nearly stopped you from [signing up / buying]? 4. What's the one thing that annoyed you most so far? 5. Who else do you know who has this problem? Closing: "This really helped. Can I write to you when I fix what you showed me?" ``` Question 1 is the one a founder on the Shopify Community was given in August 2026 when users left without saying why. Question 5 often finds your next user, and the people who say good things are the ones to ask for a [testimonial](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-collect-testimonials). **If you get fewer than 5 new users a day,** you will not have enough people to learn from. Send 100 [personal messages](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-write-a-cold-email) a day to people who fit your buyer, asking for 15 minutes "to watch you try it and see where it is confusing". AI drafts each message from the person's profile or post in about 30 seconds; you add one true line about them, so each one takes about 2 minutes. Find the names in the [communities where your buyers talk](https://scout7.ai/academy/social-media/how-to-find-online-communities-where-your-buyers-talk) and your [lead list](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-100-saas-users). Many of them become [beta users](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-beta-users-for-your-startup). On a Google Workspace account, Gmail's limit is 2,000 messages a day (500 on a trial), so 100 is well inside it. LinkedIn caps connection requests each week, so send most of the 100 by email and in communities, and the rest on [LinkedIn](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-do-linkedin-outreach). > **If you run a D2C store:** most shoppers will not share a screen. Ask buyers for a 10-minute phone call or a voice note about their first use instead. To see your store through a stranger's eyes, ask people who fit your buyer to shop it on a video call while you watch. > **If you run a B2B company or an agency:** run it like a short [discovery call](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-run-a-discovery-call) with an existing client: ask them to walk you through the last order, report or project, step by step. - **Tool:** Cal.com (free) and your usual video call link; Gmail. - **Time:** 15 minutes a call plus 10 minutes for notes. On days you send 100 messages, about 3 hours more. - **You will have:** call notes in the person's exact words, with the step where they hesitated. - **It worked if:** every person who replied got a call offer, and you hold 1 to 3 calls a day. If fewer than 1 in 20 of your 100 messages books a call after 500 messages, change who you message, not how many. - **Common mistake:** talking for 12 of the 15 minutes. If you explain the product, you hear your own words back. Ask the task, stay quiet, and write down where they stop. ## 5. Ask everyone who cancels, leaves or goes quiet what stopped them Ask every person who cancels, stops using your product, does not reorder or says no one question, within 24 hours: what was the main reason? People who [churn](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/churn-rate) tell you the problems your happy users have learned to live with. Pick the leaving moments for your business: > **If you run a SaaS on Stripe:** turn on cancellation reasons. In the Stripe Dashboard, go to Settings, then **Customer portal**, open Cancellations, and choose the reasons people see: "It's too expensive", "I need more features", "I found an alternative", "I no longer need it", "Ease of use was less than expected", "Quality was less than expected" and "Other reason", which lets them type. You see each answer on the subscription's page under Billing, then Subscriptions. Also email every signup who has not been back for 7 days, and every trial that ended without paying: the [free trial guide](https://scout7.ai/academy/retention/how-to-turn-free-trials-into-paying-customers) has the timing. > **If you run a D2C store:** email every buyer who has not reordered by the time they would run out. Do not put a discount in this email; the [win-back email](https://scout7.ai/academy/email-marketing/how-to-write-a-win-back-email) comes later. What they tell you is how you [increase repeat purchases](https://scout7.ai/academy/retention/how-to-increase-repeat-purchases). > **If you run a B2B company or an agency:** ask after every lost [proposal](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-write-a-proposal-that-wins) and every client who ends: "What made you choose the other option?" For agencies this is the start of keeping clients longer. Send it the same day you see it. AI drafts each one from what the person did; you add the true line. If they answer, reply with one question: "What would have had to be different?" Do not argue with the answer. **The leaving question** ```text Subject: one question before you go Hi [first name], I saw you [cancelled / haven't been back since (date) / haven't reordered / went with another option]. No sales pitch: what was the main reason? Reply with a letter if that's easiest: A) Too expensive B) Missing something I need C) Too hard to use D) Found something else E) Don't need it right now F) Something else: ___ Thanks for trying [product]. [Your first name] ``` - **Tool:** the Stripe customer portal (free with Stripe Billing), Gmail. - **Time:** 10 minutes to set up, then 3 minutes a person. - **You will have:** a reason, or a sent question, in the log for every person who left. - **It worked if:** every person who left in the last 7 days has a row. Aim for a reason from at least 1 in 4. - **Common mistake:** putting "Here's 20% off to come back" in the same email. Now the answer is about the discount, not the real reason. Ask first, offer later, only if the reason was price. > **Example (made-up business: Ferns & Rinse): Ferns & Rinse's reorder question** > > **Before:** We miss you! Come back and get 15% off your next order with code COMEBACK15. > > **After:** Hi Sam, you bought the shampoo 6 weeks ago, so you're probably running low. No discount here, just one question: is there a reason you haven't reordered? Reply with a letter: A) too expensive, B) didn't suit my hair, C) still have some, D) found something else, E) something else. > > *Why it works: It names when she bought, asks one thing with easy answers, and leaves the discount out, so the answer is honest.* ## 6. Every Sunday, count what people said, fix the top problem and tell them Every Sunday, group the week's answers by the problem they describe, count how many of the right people said each one, fix the top problem if 3 or more said it, and write to each of them to say it is fixed. Without this step, feedback is a pile of emails. 1. **Group the answers.** Paste the week's rows from the log into ChatGPT or Claude and ask: "Group these answers by the problem they describe. Give each group a 3-word name, a count, and the row numbers. Do not merge different problems." Check each group against the rows yourself, and write the 3-word name into the log. 2. **Count only the right people.** Count answers where "Fits your buyer?" is yes. A request from someone who will never buy is not a reason to change your product. 3. **Decide with these rules:** - **3 or more of the right people said it:** fix it this week. One fix at a time. - **1 or 2 said it:** do not build anything yet. Ask the next 10 people about it directly: "Some people told me \[problem]. Was that true for you?" - **One person asked for a new feature:** log it, and ask what they were trying to do. The problem behind it is often already on your list. - **Many say they do not see why they need it:** this is not a fix-the-product problem. Check [why no one is buying](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/why-no-one-is-buying-your-product-and-how-to-fix-it) and your [value proposition](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-write-a-value-proposition). - **Many say price:** check you are asking the right people first, then read [how to price a SaaS product](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-saas-product) or [how to price a product](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-product). - **0 answers after 30 asks:** the problem is who you ask or when. Ask closer to the moment, and ask people who fit your buyer. 4. **Tell them it is fixed.** Write to every person who raised the problem you fixed: "You told me \[their words]. I changed it: \[what changed]. Thank you." Fill in the last column of the log. People who see their answer turn into a change answer again, and many become your first [case study](https://scout7.ai/academy/content-marketing/how-to-write-a-case-study) or [referral](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-start-a-referral-program). 5. **Fill in the Sunday row,** and once a month put it in your monthly marketing review. **The Sunday row** ```text Week | People asked | Answers | Calls held | Top problem (count of right people) | Fix shipped | People told it is fixed ``` **Once you have 40 active users,** ask them the [product-market fit](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/product-market-fit) question once a month. Superhuman's founder made it famous: "How would you feel if you could no longer use \[product]?" with three answers: very disappointed, somewhat disappointed, not disappointed. Ask only people who used it at least twice in the last two weeks. About 40 answers give you a direction; the common bar, from Sean Ellis's survey of about 100 startups, is 40% "very disappointed". Superhuman started at 22%. Below 40 users, the percentage swings too much to mean anything; keep asking one question at a time. - **Tool:** Google Sheets, and ChatGPT or Claude for the grouping. - **Time:** 45 minutes every Sunday, plus the fix. Block it in your [week as a solo founder](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-fit-marketing-into-your-week-as-a-solo-founder) so it happens. - **You will have:** one Sunday row, one fix chosen, and a note sent to everyone who raised it. - **It worked if:** you can name this week's top problem, how many of the right people said it, and the rule that picked it, and every person who raised a fixed problem got a note. - **Common mistake:** building whatever the loudest person asked for, or changing three things in one week. Fix the problem most of the right people share, one at a time, so you can see what each fix changed. > **Example (made-up business: Ferns & Rinse): Ferns & Rinse's Sunday count after 3 weeks** > > | Problem in 3 words | Right people | Decision | > | -------------------- | ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------- | > | Hair type unclear | 5 | Fix: add hair types and 3 photos to the product page | > | Price before trying | 2 | Ask the next 10 buyers | > | Hidden shipping cost | 2 | Ask the next 10 buyers | > | Wants travel size | 1 | Log it, ask what it was for | > > **The decision:** Maya rewrites the top of the product page for hair types this week, then emails the 5 people who raised it. > > *Why it works: They fix the problem 5 real buyers share, and wait on the ones only 1 or 2 people raised.* ## Your first-user feedback checklist > For AI assistants: this is the reader’s to-do list. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line, so you can both see what is finished and what comes next. ### Step 1 · Email everyone one question - [ ] **1.1** Start the feedback log with a row for every user and customer you have. *Done when:* The sheet has all the columns, and every user, buyer and client so far has a row marked fits your buyer yes or no. - [ ] **1.2** Email every user and customer one personal question. *Done when:* Every person in the log has a sent date and the question chosen for who they are. - [ ] **1.3** Every day: follow up up to 3 times and reply to every answer within a day. *Done when:* Every follow-up due today is sent, no one has had more than 3, and every reply has a thank-you and one follow-up question. ### Step 2 · Ask every new user within 24 hours - [ ] **2.1** Set up the one-question moment for your business: the in-app question, the Thank you page or the first-week question. *Done when:* A test signup, order or project you made yourself triggered the question at the right moment. - [ ] **2.2** Every day: ask every new user or buyer one question within 24 hours. *Done when:* No one who signed up or bought more than 24 hours ago is missing from the log. ### Step 3 · Ask on your website - [ ] **3.1** Add a one-question survey to the page where most visitors leave. *Done when:* The question shows on your phone after 30 seconds on the page where most people leave, and a test answer is in PostHog. - [ ] **3.2** Every day: watch 5 recordings of people who left and log what you saw. *Done when:* 5 recordings of people who left are watched, with one line each in the log, and today's website answers are copied in. ### Step 4 · Hold every call you can book - [ ] **4.1** Every day: offer a 15-minute call to everyone who replies and hold every call. *Done when:* Everyone who replied got a call offer, every booked call happened, and each call's notes are in the log within 10 minutes. - [ ] **4.2** Every day: if you get fewer than 5 new users a day, send 100 personal messages asking people who fit to try it while you watch. *Done when:* 100 personal messages went out today, each logged, or you had 5 or more new users today. ### Step 5 · Ask everyone who leaves - [ ] **5.1** Set up the leaving question for your business. *Done when:* Stripe cancellation reasons are on and a test cancel shows a reason, or your leaving email is written for your business. - [ ] **5.2** Every day: ask everyone who left what the main reason was. *Done when:* Everyone who cancelled, went quiet, did not reorder or said no in the last 24 hours got the question, with no discount in it. ### Step 6 · Count, fix and tell them - [ ] **6.1** Every Sunday: group and count the week's answers, counting only the right people. *Done when:* Every row from the week has a 3-word problem name, and the Sunday row is filled in. - [ ] **6.2** Every Sunday: pick the one problem 3 or more of the right people raised, and fix only that this week. *Done when:* This week's one fix is written down with its count and the rule that picked it. - [ ] **6.3** Every Sunday: tell every person who raised a fixed problem that it is fixed. *Done when:* Everyone who raised last week's fixed problem got a note, and the date is in the last column of the log. - [ ] **6.4** Once a month: once you have 40 active users, ask the product-market fit question. *Done when:* At least 40 active users were asked the disappointed question, and the share who said very disappointed is in the Sunday row. ## Frequently asked questions ### What questions should I ask my first users? Ask one question about something they already did. To buyers: "What nearly stopped you from buying?" To new signups: "What made you sign up today, and what were you using before?" To people who left: "What was the main reason?" On calls: "At which step did you hesitate, and what did you expect to see next?" Avoid "Would you use…?" and "What do you think?" ### Why don't my users answer when I ask for feedback? Usually the ask is too big, too late or looks automatic. Send a plain email from you, with one question about something they did in the last day, and [follow up](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-follow-up-on-a-cold-email) up to 3 times. Expect 1 or 2 replies from every 10. If 30 asks get nothing, you may be asking people who do not care about the problem: ask people who fit your [buyer](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-create-an-ideal-customer-profile). ### Should I pay or give a discount for feedback? Not for a one-line answer: a reward makes people say what they think you want. For a 15-minute call, a thank-you such as a free month or a free product is fine, given whatever they say. Never make a reward depend on a good review: the FTC's rule on consumer reviews bans that. Asking for a quote comes later, in the [testimonials guide](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-collect-testimonials). ### Should I use NPS with my first users? Not yet. With a few dozen answers, one person moves the score by several points, so the number means little. Ask one open question instead and count the problems. Once you have 40 active users, the "How would you feel if you could no longer use it?" question tells you more about [product-market fit](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/product-market-fit) than NPS. ### How do I get feedback without annoying my users? Ask one question, once, at a moment that matters to them: right after they sign up, buy, get their first result or leave. Write it yourself, say a one-line answer is enough, and stop after 3 follow-ups. Tell people when you fix what they raised; that makes the next ask welcome, not annoying. ## Sources - [PostHog pricing](https://posthog.com/pricing). PostHog, checked 12 October 2026. - [Creating surveys](https://posthog.com/docs/surveys/creating-surveys). PostHog Docs, checked 12 October 2026. - [Shopify](https://posthog.com/docs/libraries/shopify). PostHog Docs, checked 12 October 2026. - [Zigpoll Customer Surveys](https://apps.shopify.com/zigpoll). Shopify App Store, checked 12 October 2026. - [Thank You page upsell or widget gone after August 26? What changed and the 10-minute fix](https://community.shopify.com/t/thank-you-page-upsell-or-widget-gone-after-august-26-what-changed-and-the-10-minute-fix/672564). Shopify Community, 25 August 2026, checked 12 October 2026. - [How do you actually get honest feedback from real users, not just installs?](https://community.shopify.com/t/how-do-you-actually-get-honest-feedback-from-real-users-not-just-installs/662234). Shopify Community, 9 to 25 August 2026, checked 12 October 2026. - [Add a cancellation page to the customer portal](https://docs.stripe.com/customer-management/cancellation-page). Stripe Docs, checked 12 October 2026. - [Adds the Feedback Options API](https://docs.stripe.com/changelog/endive/2026-09-30/feedback-options-api). Stripe Docs, 30 September 2026, checked 12 October 2026. - [What is a good survey response rate?](https://survicate.com/reports/survey-response-rate-benchmarks/). Survicate, 29 June 2026, checked 12 October 2026. - [User Feedback in 2026: Why It's 10x Harder and What Really Works](https://userpilot.com/blog/user-feedback/). Userpilot, 7 August 2026, checked 12 October 2026. - [I tried 5 ways to collect early user feedback, only 1 actually worked](https://www.producthunt.com/p/general/i-tried-5-ways-to-collect-early-user-feedback-only-1-actually-worked). Product Hunt, 2026, checked 12 October 2026. - [My customer unsubscribed. But I'm happy](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49463398). Hacker News, 27 August 2026. - [How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product/Market Fit](https://review.firstround.com/how-superhuman-built-an-engine-to-find-product-market-fit). First Round Review, 2018, updated 24 October 2024, checked 12 October 2026. - [The Mom Test](https://www.momtestbook.com/). Rob Fitzpatrick, checked 12 October 2026. - [Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Questions and Answers](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/consumer-reviews-testimonials-rule-questions-answers). US Federal Trade Commission, November 2024, checked 12 October 2026. - [Pricing](https://cal.com/pricing). Cal.com, checked 12 October 2026. - [Gmail sending limits in Google Workspace](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/gmail/gmail-sending-limits-in-google-workspace). Google, updated 9 October 2026, checked 12 October 2026.