North Star Metric FAQ
The 15 questions founders ask most. Answers come from 300+ exercises run and real case studies in the library.
What is a North Star Metric?
A North Star Metric (NSM) is the single number that best captures the core value your product delivers to customers. It's not revenue, it's not signups, it's not DAU. It's the thing that only moves when you actually did something good for a customer. Amplitude's NSM Playbook popularised the term, but the concept predates it.
How do I pick one?
Run the 15-minute exercise at batko.ai/operate/northstar. You'll identify your game type (attention, transaction, productivity, network or outcome), brainstorm candidate metrics, score them against six criteria, and land on the one that best captures value delivery.
What's the difference between a North Star Metric and an OKR?
An NSM is a lagging measure of value - it tells you whether you're winning. OKRs are the quarterly bets you make to move the NSM. Your NSM lives for years. Your OKRs change every 90 days. Good OKRs always point at the NSM, directly or through an input metric.
Can my North Star change?
Rarely. If you're changing it more than once every 18 months, you either picked wrong or the company is pivoting. Small refinements (adjusting the exact threshold, adding a qualifier) are fine. Swapping the metric every quarter means you don't have an NSM - you have a dashboard.
Should a B2B company have one?
Yes, and the best ones measure the unit that benefits from your product - a team, an account, or an ops team, not a seat. Atlassian measures weekly active teams. Slack measures teams past the 2,000-message threshold. Linear measures issues shipped per team per week.
What are the most common mistakes?
Picking a vanity metric (signups, downloads, pageviews). Picking revenue (it lags). Picking something the team can't influence weekly. Picking something that doesn't capture both sides of a marketplace. Measuring intent, not outcome (drafts created vs sites published).
How many input metrics should a Ray have?
Three to five. Any fewer and you can't tell where the NSM is moving. Any more and no one holds any of them. The four dimensions (breadth, depth, frequency, efficiency) are a good check - cover at least three of them.
What's an 'attention' game vs a 'transaction' game?
Attention games win by keeping users engaged (Spotify, Instagram, Duolingo - measure time, posts, streaks). Transaction games win when value changes hands (Airbnb, Stripe, Shopify - measure nights booked, volume processed, GMV). Same product can switch games over time.
Can a startup at pre-seed have a meaningful NSM?
Yes - even if the number is 5. Picking it early forces you to say out loud what you're trying to do for customers. Early NSMs are often qualitative (interview count, beta users who came back) and mature into quantitative as the product lands.
Who uses this library?
Founders doing the exercise, operators benchmarking their own NSM, coaches running workshops, and writers citing real-world examples. Every entry came from a real founder who used the batko.ai tool. Seed entries (Canva, Airbnb, Slack, etc.) are reconstructed from public sources.
Is my data safe if I publish?
You choose what's public. Named entries show company name and URL. Anonymous entries hide both, showing only industry, stage, team size and country. Your email is never displayed. You can request takedown anytime.
Can I take my entry down?
Yes, any time, no questions. Reply to your confirmation email or email michibatko@gmail.com with the slug. Takedown happens within 24 hours. We also honour takedown requests from companies whose seed entry was reconstructed from public sources.
Why contribute?
Founders share for two reasons: they want the published page as a team artifact (it looks great in investor decks), and they know the library compounds - the more founders contribute, the more useful the benchmarking becomes. That's why the exercise is free.
Do coaches and advisors use this?
Yes. Coaches run the exercise with clients as a workshop (the team mode is free), and point them at the library for peer comparison. If you're a coach and want to run white-labelled sessions, email michibatko@gmail.com.
How often should I revisit my North Star?
Quarterly. Your NSM doesn't change, but your Ray (the input metrics) often does as you learn what levers actually move the needle. Every 90 days, pull up your entry, check the inputs, and ask: which of these is the team actually working on?
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