PRD Template

2-3 sentences explaining what this product does, who it's for, and why it exists. This is the elevator pitch.

[Product Name] is a [type of product] that helps [target customer] to [primary value proposition] by [how it works].

Unlike [main competitor/alternative], it [key differentiator].

What specific problem does this solve? Ground it in real user pain.

The problem:

Who has it:

Current alternatives and why they fail:

What happens if this problem isn't solved: (cost, time wasted, opportunity lost)

Describe 3-5 personas with entry points, workflows, and conversion triggers. These should map to real humans you could find online.

Persona 1: [Name] — The [Archetype]

• Role:
• Context: (Company size, industry, team structure)
• Entry point: (How they first encounter your product — search, referral, ad, community)
• Initial workflow: (What they do in their first session)
• Aha moment: (The specific moment they realize the product is valuable)
• Conversion trigger: (What pushes them from free to paid — or from trial to committed)
• Retention driver: (Why they keep coming back daily/weekly)

Persona 2: [Name] — The [Archetype]

• Role:
• Context:
• Entry point:
• Initial workflow:
• Aha moment:
• Conversion trigger:
• Retention driver:

Persona 3: [Name] — The [Archetype]

• Role:
• Context:
• Entry point:
• Initial workflow:
• Aha moment:
• Conversion trigger:
• Retention driver:

Free Tier

Free must provide real standalone value. If free users get nothing useful, they'll never convert.

Free tier value proposition: (In one sentence, why would someone use the free tier?)

Free tier goal: (Activation metric — what counts as an "active" free user?)

Pro Tier — $___/mo

Pro removes limits and adds power features. The gap between free and pro should create natural upgrade pressure.

Pro upgrade trigger: (What specific moment makes a free user need Pro?)

Core Flow (the one thing users do most)

• User arrives at...
• User clicks...
• System processes...
• User sees...
• User completes...

Onboarding Flow

• Sign up via...
• First screen shows...
• User completes first action...
• System confirms value with...
• User is guided to...

Upgrade Flow

• User hits a free tier limit...
• System shows...
• User clicks upgrade...
• Checkout via...
• Pro features immediately available...

If your product uses AI, define exactly how.

Model Selection

• Primary model: (e.g., Claude Sonnet 4.5 via OpenRouter)
• Secondary model: (for summarization, quick tasks)
• Why these models: (reasoning quality, speed, cost)

Cost Estimates

• Average tokens per request: (input + output)
• Cost per request: $___
• Estimated cost per active user per month: $___
• At 1,000 users: $___/month
• At 10,000 users: $___/month

Prompt Strategy

• System prompts: (Are they static or dynamic? What context do they include?)
• Context management: (How do you handle long conversations? Summarization? Windowing?)
• Output format: (Free text, structured JSON, markdown?)
• Guardrails: (What should the AI never do? Rate limits? Content filters?)

What AI does NOT do

Be explicit about what's human-driven vs. AI-driven:

-

-

• Frontend:
• Backend/API:
• Database:
• Auth:
• Payments:
• AI Provider:
• Email:
• Hosting:
• Monitoring:

Pricing Tiers

Revenue Assumptions

• Free to Pro conversion rate: ___% (industry avg: 2-5%)
• Monthly churn rate: ___% (target: <5%)
• Average customer lifetime: ___ months
• Customer LTV: $___
• Customer acquisition cost (CAC): $___
• LTV:CAC ratio: ___:1 (target: >3:1)

Revenue Projections

Why we win: (One paragraph explaining your competitive moat)

North Star Metric

The one number that tells you the product is working:

Activation Metrics

• Metric: Target ___% within ___ days of signup
• Metric: Target ___% within ___ days of signup

Conversion Metrics

• Free → Pro rate: Target ___%
• Trial → Paid rate: Target ___%

Retention Metrics

• Day 7 retention: Target ___%
• Day 30 retention: Target ___%
• Monthly churn: Target < ___%

Engagement Metrics

• DAU/MAU ratio: Target ___%
• Average sessions per week: Target ___
• Core action frequency: Target ___ per week

Phase 1: Private Beta

• Goal: (What you're testing)
• Size: ___ users
• Source: (Where you'll find beta users)
• Duration: ___ weeks
• Success criteria: (What metrics mean you're ready for public)

Phase 2: Public Beta

• Goal: (What you're optimizing)
• Launch channels: (ProductHunt, HackerNews, communities, etc.)
• Pricing: (Free? Discounted? Full price?)
• Feedback loop: (How you'll collect and act on feedback)
• Success criteria: (What metrics mean you're ready for growth)

Phase 3: Growth

• Channels: (SEO, content, paid, partnerships, viral)
• Content strategy: (Blog topics, templates, tools)
• Community strategy: (Where you'll build presence)
• Partnership opportunities: (Integrations, co-marketing)

Positioning Statement

For [target customer] who [situation/need], [product name] is a [category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [competitor], we [primary differentiator].

Distribution Channels (ranked by priority)

• [Channel]: (Strategy, expected CAC, timeline to results)
• [Channel]: (Strategy, expected CAC, timeline to results)
• [Channel]: (Strategy, expected CAC, timeline to results)

Launch Day Plan

• Pre-launch: (Email list, waitlist, community seeding)
• Launch day: (Where you'll post, who you'll notify, what assets you need)
• Post-launch: (Follow-up, responding to feedback, iterating)

First 30 Days After Launch

• Week 1:
• Week 2:
• Week 3-4:

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