You're struggling to get ahead in your Product Marketing career. What's the key to unlocking success?

A mentor once told me: "focus on what you can be the best 1% in the world at." In addition to what makes you most excited about work, you can also start to see this early in your career in positive feedback loops you are getting from your boss and peers. This is especially true for companies that have invested in platforms like 15Five or others that provide super easy feedback loops for colleagues. The concept of niching down works not just for companies, but also for your career. A good book on the matter is literally called Niche Down https://www.amazon.com/Niche-Down-Become-Legendary-Different/dp/0692156798/ref=asc_df_0692156798/

If you're struggling that's probably because you're a generalist marketer, the typical jack of all trades that many companies (especially early-stage startups) love to have around. This is great because now you have a clearer view of every aspect of marketing and maybe about different types of companies. It's time to niche down and decide what is the thing in marketing you're equally great at and love doing and the type of business you thrive. The goal is to be recognized as the person who does X for Y companies at a specific stage.

One of the previous contributors said, "Know your market, know your product". I heartily agree. For technical product marketing, I would add...know your products applications, and how those product application problems are solved by your competitors. When you get that far, you can begin to innovate.

Generic advice didn't work. Then, I became the customer's champion inside the company. Here's how: 1. Ethically stalked- customer struggles online. Now, I speak their language & engagement skyrockets! 2. Metrics are my BFF. Everything gets tracked (clicks, conversions) to ditch flops and win big. Data is king! 3. Headlines not working? Change them ASAP. Visuals dull? Swap them out on the fly. Testing is my daily grind! 4. Ditch boring content, & embrace problem-solving. Create helpful content that tackles real customer problems. 5. No more shouting to the void. Segment by needs, & deliver personalized messages that resonate. Be their champion! This customer-centric approach launched me. It's a constant battle, but I'm crushing it!

In product marketing, measuring impact can be tricky. While demand generation's success is easily tracked, marketing's effectiveness often relies on subjective opinions. AI can help bridge this gap by tracking what messages resonate with audiences. For example, we can see if sales reps are effectively conveying messages during calls – this data can then be used to improve enablement efforts. Marketing also requires strong collaboration and soft skills across various teams. When it works well, marketing teams understand the product deeply and can communicate its value effectively to analysts and other stakeholders. Great marketing provides insightful thought leadership that gives audiences new perspectives and presents clear points of view.

Hmm... your questions is: "you're struggling to get ahead in your Product Marketing career. What's the key to unlocking success?" Well, respectfully, and with a jaunty spirit, if you are actually struggling with your Product Marketing career then how would you know how to unlock success? :)! "Clarity is sometimes a casualty." PW However respectively, from the outside in, I believe the greatest opportunity to add value across the entire organization, to best accelerate, and navigate growth is to unite sales, brand and product marketing. The best way to do this is for the PM leader to ask questions, solicit opinions both internally and with sales customers. When possible, act upon such answers and opinions, then watch your value star grow.

Product marketing shines with specialization! Niche down: B2B, B2C, SaaS, hardware? Find your fit based on skills & passion. Expertise matters: Become a domain pro, build your network, stand out! Doors open wider: More opportunities & recognition await the niche specialist.

One word - Hustle Build bridges, not silos – work hand-in-hand with product development, sales, and customer service. Your power tool? Communication. Master the art of storytelling and make your product's value proposition irresistible. Stay hungry for knowledge – keep up with digital marketing trends and consumer shifts like you're scrolling through your favorite feed. Network like a pro, find mentors, and soak up diverse industry insights.

Know yourself and define what success means to you. Lean into your strengths as doing so will come easier and give you confidence. And, at all costs, avoid the "comparison to others" game which is a losing proposition in work and in life. You got this!

Align your niche with your passion, and then go deep. Be the best at that 1 thing. This process may require effort, commitment and time, but once you perfect your craft you will attract relevant opportunities that will offer growth and recognition.

Don’t forget relationship which is central to any role 1. Your best buddy will be the Product Manager: he/she will give we the why, who, where, when and how 2. Your best critic will be your sales leader: why it is working and why there is gap 3. Your competition is amazing, be very close to them, listen and interact with them frequently.

Product marketing as discipline can be overwhelming. After all, it includes competitor analysis, positioning, messaging, each of which is extremely complicated. That said, these become easier once you have a strong foundation of the domain that you operate in. Once you understand the domain many of the core product marketing activities simplify to filling templates. The fundamental is therefore mastering the domain you operate in by: 1. Reading analyst reports 2. Joining customer calls 3. Reviewing competitor collateral 4. Getting confident enough to do a product demo on your own

Be strong in basics. Know your audience, understand their journey, know the market and your positioning to your target audience. Finally be bold.

Master the Basics, Rule Your Niche! Foundational strength is key: Market research, personas, messaging, launches, measurement - conquer these core skills. Tools arsenal: Surveys, interviews, analysis, storytelling, content creation - build your proficiency. Stay ahead of the curve: Trends, best practices, continuous learning - be the ever-evolving product marketing pro. Remember, a strong foundation unlocks niche mastery. Shine in your chosen field with a blend of core expertise and specialized knowledge!

1. Make best friends with your Product Managers - our goal is to translate the awesome work they are doing into market "gold" 2. Ask all of the questions both to internal teams but also to the broader community. PMM can be overwhelming, so don't be afraid to ask questions early and often. We love to help each other succeed! 3. Use your resources like the PMA Slack channel and LinkedIn. There are great courses, templates, etc. that can save you lots of time, headaches, and mistakes. The most important thing to remember is--make it your own! In other words: Use them. Take what works. Adjust it to work best for your business. Throw away the rest. Jason Oakley has an awesome set of resources here: https://productivepmm.com/

Product marketing requires a wide set of skills to succeed and collaborate with all counterparts hence you need to be proficient in as many of them - most were listed above and they require experience and polishing on an ongoing basis since the fields are advancing rapidly

In the product marketing race, it's the mastery of basics that turbocharges success, not the dazzle of trends. Fundamentals first, flash later – that's the winning mantra. Be the best in the game - understand your customers deeply, crafting crystal-clear messages, and dive into solid market research.

- Continuous Learning: Stay abreast of the latest trends, tools, and best practices in product marketing. Platforms like HubSpot Academy and LinkedIn Learning offer courses that can enhance your skill set. - Understand Your Product: Deep product knowledge is crucial. Spend time with your product development team, understand the technology behind your product, and use the product yourself. This firsthand experience enriches your marketing narratives and strategies.

Según mi experiencia, hay muchas casillas que marcar para que el plan tenga sentido y funcione, pero si tienes que priorizar algún aspecto, es el de dominar bien el sector para encontrar un mensaje que realmente cale en tu audiencia. Centrarte en las fortalezas y crear autoridad es efectivo, pero nada respaldará mejor tus decisiones que los datos. Mide para opinar, y actúa siempre con una estrategia bajo el brazo.

A crucial factor for succeeding in the Product Marketing/Management domain is to choose the right products to work for. As PM or PMMs, we aspire to achieve Product-Market Fit for the Products among the audience. Similarly, it is crucial to seek the Job-fit among our aspirations, skills and passion with the Product that we work on. It would not be a fruitful outcome if this fly check fails and we try to force fit ourselves into the market. Perform industry analysis, understand the market, and think of stakeholders, users, and competitors that would come into play as all these touch points would culminate the responsibilities to be undertaken. On the flip side, go beyond the capabilities by creating a Portfolio in your preferred domain.

When I've struggled to work with people in different roles or teams, I often take a few minutes to approach it as a product marketing challenge. Consider your stakeholder as a persona – after all, they are your internal customers . What are their jobs, pains, motivations, and desired outcomes? What is the unique value they're looking for that you, as a product marketer, can help them achieve? Consider this holistically through the professional and personal levels. What are the particular 'features', like your customer knowledge, market insights, or messaging prowess, that you can utilize to help them get there? All of this comes down to the core tenant of product marketing: understand your customer.

Being able to work cross-functionally is critical for PMM. And in B2B, it's even more important that you collaborate well with Sales/Partnerships, not just Product, Demand Gen, etc. One of the hardest things to get familiar with as an early PMM is balancing your relationship with Sales, which can be all-consuming, with all the other functions you need to nurture. On the other hand, there are also times when you go all-in on Sales... at one company, as we were getting close to IPO and needed to show revenue predictability, but we were looking at the start of a pretty weak quarter. So PMM went on a 25% travel schedule to support key deals in the pipe. That was pre-COVID; today, you could see PMM supporting specific key deals virtually.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work! Collaboration is king: Partner with product, sales, customer success, and more to understand & communicate the product story. Internal & external focus: Gather feedback, build trust, and create advocacy across diverse audiences. Adapt & communicate: Tailor your message to resonate with different stakeholders, using clear and persuasive language. Remember, product marketing is an orchestra, not a solo act. Conduct your team to harmony and achieve product success!

Product Marketing is not done in silos; there is cross-collaboration and lots of energy and egos that work together or against each other to achieve needed business outcomes. However, what needs to be established is "Why is the product/solution necessary?" At most times, there is a rule book used to market everything and execute every possible tactic to get a pipeline or brand in place, but in most cases, that does not settle expectations or outcomes. So, defining the question of why we need this product/solution from all sides of the business (C suite, offering teams, marketeer, sellers) becomes fundamental.

La clave para desbloquear el éxito en el marketing de tus productos es entender profundamente a tu audiencia, ofrecer soluciones a sus necesidades y comunicarte de manera efectiva a través de los canales adecuados. Además, es importante mantenerse actualizado con las últimas tendencias y adaptarse constantemente a los cambios en el mercadoentender a tu audiencia sería realizar encuestas periódicas para obtener retroalimentación directa sobre sus necesidades y preferencias. Ademas es clave saber venderte internamente, podrías organizar reuniones regulares con tu equipo para compartir los éxitos del marketing pasado y presentar planes futuros de manera convincente, demostrando cómo esos planes contribuirán al éxito general de la empresa.

I mentioned this as one of my product marketing superpowers in a recent interview (got the job so it may have helped!) --> the ability to work cross-functionally and bring the whole org together with consistency and alignment. This works best when the CEO agrees that cross-department collaboration is important. In this case, he certainly does. I have experienced the opposite and that creates challenges (and opportunities to educate) for product marketers.

Know the user. Know the (product) magic. Connect the two. Product Marketing bridges the gap between the market and the product with the goal of ensuring both truly understand each other. First, PMM must know the market in order to translate the market's voice into product insights, ensuring features solve real customer problems. Second, PMM champions the product to the market. This requires cross-functional collaboration to craft messaging infused with a deep understanding of its unique value proposition. It's not about features, it's about connecting a product's purpose to the customer's needs. Communication and collaboration are the keys to making this connection and driving product success.

Product Marketing is teamwork - You require high level of Communication and listening skills. you are Dealing with Different levels and different dimensions . Develop your Keywords which are Business value Based . Develop Partnerships . Be transparent. Display your value - propagate it.

Oh boy! Consider this struggle as an opportunity for learning. Get out to the market, meet customers, partners, ask questions on the current trends, ask what’s happening in their field, find out if the products are performing well or is there something not working. So that you keep finding new opportunities to keep you busy at. Check if there is anything to be changed in the marketing message, and refresh communication with customers Keep hunting for opportunities

Embrace the Flux! Think different, stand out: Creativity & innovation set you apart in a dynamic market. Test, iterate, adapt: Data & feedback fuel continuous improvement. Be a learning machine! Flexibility is key: Pivot, scale, respond to new challenges. The market won't wait. Remember, product marketing is a thrilling ride, not a comfortable armchair. Buckle up, embrace change, and lead the way to product success!

CREATIVITY IS KEY. I encourage you to be the "Theme McGee" of your organization. Don't be afraid to make the product you're messaging and marketing fun and interesting, but also "based on a true story"--WHY is this being built? Of course you need to clearly understand the pain points you are solving and the audience you are speaking it, but...people remember stories!

Being creative in Product Marketing Requires developing Business Value Perspective. Unless you know your Business Value Pillars and drivers the doors for creativity and innovation will not open .

Consumer behavior is constantly evolving, and what may have worked in the past may not be effective anymore. By staying attuned to the latest trends and consumer insights, product marketers can identify new opportunities and tailor their strategies accordingly.Consumer behavior is constantly evolving, and what may have worked in the past may not be effective anymore. By staying attuned to the latest trends and consumer insights, product marketers can identify new opportunities and tailor their strategies accordingly. It is equally important to test, iterate, and improve your product marketing strategies. This involves gathering data, analyzing results, and making informed decisions based on the insights gained.

Know your market. Know your product. Know your audience. Demonstrate value to all the stakeholders for whom you are the "connective tissue" by providing insight and mechanisms on how they will succeed. Since you can't do everything at once (though product marketers are expected to), you'll pick the most critical element related to revenue that you can among those options. And you'll create and/or show metrics related to that endeavor that prove that your actions made a difference. After that bowling pin is knocked down...go for the others.

Choose an initiative that you're *genuinely* proud of. One that involved multiple teams to showcase how you work with a broad set of stakeholders (including customers, if possible). Build a story that demonstrates your role in the initiative and how your contributions (e.g., insights, content, tools, training, etc.) helped drive strategic change in the business. Use data to tell the story and connect how your contributions directly or indirectly influenced specific outcomes that your organization sought (e.g., acquiring new customers, retaining/growing existing customers, improving sales effectiveness, etc.). While the story should be centered around your contributions and impact, make sure you also give credit where credit is due.

Showcasing your impact to the people who directly and indirectly influence your career progression is perhaps the single most underrated skill, often deprioritized over other aspects. No matter how deep your research is or how robust your understanding of PMM frameworks/tools is, if you are not able to deliver tangible outcomes to the business and articulate them to leadership you will likely not progress. As product marketing is a fairly new function, it is critical to build strong relationships with leadership and xfn stakeholders such that they understand the value you bring to the business. If done right, this will ultimately translate into more visibility, more projects and eventually growth for the PMMs and the function as a whole.

To unlock success in your Product Marketing career, it's crucial to immerse yourself fully in the business's core operations. This means going beyond the traditional confines of product marketing to adopt a product owner's mindset. Gain a thorough understanding of not just your customer & your product but also become familiar with the product P&L and business strategic roadmap. You are then better positioned to select projects that not only align with business objectives but also elevate your impact and visibility within the organization and earn you a seat at the table

In order to show impact and demonstrate value, you have to narrow the focus and select priority initiative (ideally revenue, pipeline, or customer growth oriented or product launch / sales enablement effectiveness) that aligns with objective and ideally has definition of how success will look and feel like. This is easier said than done. Collaborate with the team members who will directly be involved, affected and realize value to identify the initiative and will be involved in the execution with you. Utilize frameworks, plans, content, training and data driven insights to build the story, value proposition and enablement around it. Share the success with the team, leaders, and sponsors.

When you Leverage your Business Value in practice - in all dimensions of your Product marketing, Your Impact is visible . Create modalities of others who communicate for you , for your success. Share this widely - Team and team work is helpful for this.

A wise colleague once said, "in startups, you are your own best advocate — everyone else is too busy running around with their hair on fire." This rings true, you need to be very intentional about celebrating and communicating you and your team's wins. As a starter, keep a list somewhere of all the positive feedback you get and successes you have, no matter the size, use this list during your annual review process. Another good way to do this comes when you are a project participant: make your colleagues feel the love while also showcasing what you helped achieve with them. And if it's just you, it's not too forward/boastful to share a screenshot of an awesome dashboard or great quote from Sales in a Slack channel. We all win together.

Learn from the successes of analogous products and industries. Borrow from the learning curve others have forged. Be curious and open-minded. Challenge and re-challenge your presuppositions.

Also know the value of your specs. Inevitably you’ll be faced with a question like they offer more/faster/lighter/cheaper/etc. knowing the value of features to your audience will help you position your products between transitions. And always let your customers know where you are headed, why and when. They hate to be blindsided. That is one reason Apple struggles with commercial accounts.

Product Marketing: Highlight the characteristics and benefits of the product for a better understanding of customers, analysis of the product's life cycle, research strategies from product conception to sale. Content Marketing: Focus on creating and distributing targeted technical content to inform, attract and engage the target audience. Influencer Marketing: Using the collaboration of relevant people with some connection with the company's product or niche, to promote products or services. Relationship Marketing: Build and strengthen bonds with customers, seeking better loyalty.

Someone once told me that a coffee chat is never wasted time. You'd be surprised just how many people in the space are willing to give 30 minutes of their time to help out, mentor, or chat about their challenges. Don't be afraid to reach out to peers and seniors in the space and ask for a coffee chat -- it's the best and easiest way to learn, grow, and build a network!

Show your passion, defend your product to the end. Make the user say wow they thought of that. It’s the small things that make the difference. Don’t divulge the surprises until the very end so you even surprise your colleagues who are not so closely involved, but still vital for input. You surprise them and your problems are solved. Also means you are having fun

Hone in on your own personal brand. what is unique and different about what you have to offer in the space? what makes you stand out from the crowd ? What are you passionate about ? if you can brand yourself well then you might be considered for interesting product management roles and optimize your career.

One other tip for getting ahead in your career comes from Ethan Evans — a writer, career coach, course instructor, and retired VP at Amazon. He calls it the "Magic Loop:" do your current job well, ask your boss how you can help, do what they ask, suggest ways to help that align with your goals, and repeat. More details in Lenny's Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-magic-loop As a team leader, most of the PMMs I've promoted have been chomping at the bit to help me out. Could be anything from helping me delegate projects they see are take up a lot of my time, helping with quarterly planning and budgeting, or organizing team activities.

Try to improve your communication skills. These days, it is all H2H, human-to-human connection and relationship building. Look for a long-term relationship with your audience. Focus on short ‘snackable’ content, preferably in video format. Rest will follow.

Get a mentor. Someone with experience, ideally in the industry or role you aspire to, and pick their brains. When I was job searching I would share job specs with my mentor once I was invited for an interview. She was able to quickly notice red flags and steer me towards opportunities that aligned more with my aspirations. Having a soundboard is a great way to drill into what you need to get ahead in your PMM career. Whether that's a job change or progressing within your current company.

I think firstly you need to be smart enough to choose the product and the time of launch. You will be a leader if you think before time so with the help of AI now it's easy to characterize, analyze and validate the future product and its usage. For example Intuitive Surgicals launched surgical robotics fifteen years ago hence they are the leader's now when surgical robotics is a competitive market now so the right product needs to be launched in for right time