AMA: Atlassian Director of Product Marketing, Jira, Marina Ben-Zvi on Messaging

Messaging development is highly cross-functional—while product marketing is the driver, success depends on strategic input, customer insights, validation, and cross-team adoption from stakeholders. Bringing in the right stakeholders from the start ensures that messaging isn’t just well-crafted—it’s well-adopted. The right stakeholders to involve depend on the altitude of the message (i.e portfolio vs product level), audience, and go-to-market motion, but typically it includes: * Product leadership to ensure messaging aligns with the product’s capabilities and roadmap and highlights differentiation. * Sales leadership to capture insights into customer/prospect needs and pain points, objections, and what resonates in the field. Solution engineers/consultants provide added depth of insight into customer needs and use cases. * Customer success and support have direct access to customers and are a wealth of knowledge into customer pain points and common friction points post-sale. They also shed light on the degree to which your product is delivering on its promises. * Marketing teams to highlight what’s performing well in the market and then ensure messaging consistency across channels. * Execs depending on the scale of the initiative will be the approver and will ultimately activate the story externally. * Analysts for the voice of the market, buyer needs, and validation. One of the biggest mistakes in messaging development is designing it by committee. Remember, the key to success is ensuring the customer remains at the center of the messaging—not internal opinions. While feedback is critical, the role of product marketing is to synthesize—not simply aggregate—inputs around what matters to customers and iterate to make the messaging clear, concise, compelling, and effective. To drive alignment while avoiding consensus-driven messaging, the key isn’t just bringing these stakeholders into the process but also structuring their involvement effectively. Begin with a clear project plan that sets project stages, timelines, expectations on roles and responsibilities across stages upfront. I often use a DACI framework to make it clear product marketing is the Driver, the marketing leader (or other exec) is the Approver, key stakeholders (product, sales, customer support, and marketing) are Contributors, and others marketing functions are Informed. Then break down messaging development in phases: first, conducting discovery through research, competitive analysis, and internal stakeholder interviews. The discovery process is key for building early buy-in, making it easier to align teams down the line. Then, limit drafting and iterating with a small core team before socializing the messaging more broadly with the wider set of stakeholders through structured reviews. Finally, let stakeholders know upfront how the messaging framework is intended to be used and what’s needed from them to effectively activate it across the organization. Their role doesn’t end with providing input and feedback. This also help with buy-in and to motivate them to be invested throughout the process.

There’s no one-size-fits-all framework for messaging—it has to be tailored to the business, the audience, and how it will be activated. I have a loose message framework I use and modify for every company and business need whether it’s foundational company messaging, a sales play, or campaign messaging. The key as you’re going through the message creation process is to keep activation and make sure you’re providing the types of message inputs that will be actionable for your go-to-market teams. As a general approach: 1. Start with discovery to answer the the "Who, Why, Why Now, and What" Messaging starts with insights, not assumptions. Gather qualitative and quantitative data on customers and the market to understand who we’re speaking to, what matters to them, and who we’re trying to win them over from. * Who – Begin by getting clear on the ICP and target personas. The more specific you are the more focused and effective your messaging will be. You can’t be all things to everyone. * Why – What’s the most pressing problem the customer needs solved? Why should they care? * Why Now – What market trends or pain points make this urgent? * What and How – What is our solution? How do we deliver on pain/need in a way that’s unique and provable? 2. Build a Messaging Framework Depending on whether I’m crafting company, product, or feature messaging, adapt this general framework and synthesize the insights from discovery to hone the messaging * Target Audience – Who are we speaking to? Their roles, pain points, motivations, and buying triggers. * Market Context & Trends – What external forces (industry trends, competitive shifts, regulatory changes) are shaping this space? * Core Value Proposition – A single compelling sentence that articulates why we are different and valuable. * Customer Pain Points – The top challenges our audience faces that our product directly addresses and the negative consequences. * How We Solve It (Better) - How is our approach better than alternatives (not only direct competitors) * Messaging Pillars – 3 key themes that reinforce our value and differentiation. * Solution & Benefits – How our product solves those pain points and the tangible benefits it delivers. * Customer & Product Proof Points – Real-world customer success stories, analyst rankings, positive business outcomes, and product features that validate our claims. * Use Cases – Specific scenarios and competitive advantages that show why our solution is the best choice. 3. Test, Validate, Refine * Talk to customers, prospects, and analysts (interviews, surveys, focus groups). * Get feedback from internal teams (sales, marketing, product, execs). * A/B testing it in-market (ads, landing pages, sales scripts, outbound emails). 4. Activate and Iterate * Train sales and marketing teams on how to apply the messaging and then track confidence levels. * Embed messaging into marketing campaigns and content - Messaging isn't copywriting, but to ensure messaging alignment across channels provide examples how the messaging can come to life across channels. * Monitoring performance (e.g., ad CTRs, demo requests, sales call effectiveness, win rates). * Iterating based on real-world feedback. Remember messaging is an ongoing process—it evolves as customer needs, market trends, and competitive landscapes shift. A strong messaging framework provides structure, but the real impact comes from deep customer insight, validation, and continuous refinement.

Messaging is never truly perfected—it’s proven. If you’re waiting for perfection before putting it in front of customers, you’re waiting too long—the market may have shifted, competitors may have evolved, and your audience’s priorities may have changed. Instead of aiming for perfection, the goal should be to gain validation—customer proof that messaging resonates, and drives desired action. Said another way, your messaging is “perfected” when it’s been tested & validated in the market and has had the appropriate approvals/alignment from key stakeholders. The strongest indicator that messaging is effective is when it’s landing with customers, i.e. customers naturally repeat it back in their own words. They nod along and build on your messages. Listen to sales calls (Gong or live), conduct customer interviews, message test across channels or on Wynter, and/or look for qualitative signals that our messaging is influencing how buyers think about their problems and our solution. Ultimately, done is better than perfect. The sooner you get messaging into the hands of sellers and marketing channel owners, the sooner you’ll get real signals on what’s working and what needs refinement. I find sales and marketing teams are usually eager to test messaging that’s still in progress because they’re eager for fresh material. It’s a win-win. When you get to a point where messaging is simple, concise, and compelling, and if it resonates with customers, drives market results, and is consistently adopted internally, then you know you’ve landed on something that works. But even then, the best messaging isn’t static—it evolves with your market, your product, and your customers. 

If your messaging is good and resonates with customers, competitors will copy it. That’s just the reality of the market. Instead of getting frustrated, take it as a signal that you’re leading the conversation. But while copying the words is easy, backing up the claims is where most competitors fail. Still, today competitors are catching up on capabilities and getting to “parity” faster than ever. Moats are increasingly short-lived. True differentiation (messaging and product capabilities) in today’s crowded markets is increasingly challenging. So focus on what competitors can’t copy: your credibility, your execution, and your brand. The best way to differentiate isn’t by tweaking your phrasing or saying something different for differentiation’s sake—it’s by proving you’re the only credible company to deliver on the promise. That means leaning hard into customer proof, actual product capabilities, and tangible results. Anyone can claim to be “the easiest” or “the most powerful.” But if you have real customer stories, hard data, and a track record to back it up, you’re already ahead. Brand and community also plays a huge role here. Brand and community takes time to build and can’t be easily replicated. And it’s not just what you say, but how you say it and how consistently you say it, the trust you’ve established, and the loyal fan-base you’ve built. If you’re owning a message and repeating it relentlessly across every touchpoint—your website, sales materials, ads, and customer conversations—then even if a competitor copies the words, your audience will still associate it with you. At the end of the day, you don’t win by playing defense against copycats. Don’t let competitors dictate your moves. If they’re mirroring your messaging, it means you’re leading. Keep evolving, keep staying close to customer needs and market moves, keep pushing the narrative forward, and make sure you’re not just talking about differentiation—you’re proving it through product innovation, customer successes, and brand consistency. 

Messaging effectiveness is as much about internal and external activation as it is about developing compelling messages that lands with customers. Too often, messaging falls flat because it’s treated as a one-time deliverable rather than an ongoing process to enable the organization to apply it effectively. Ensuring the sales team is effectively versed to use the right messaging with the right customers is a combination of enablement, reinforcement, and feedback loops. Messaging isn’t just a document you hand off—it needs to be embedded in how sales teams engage with prospects, reinforced over time, and continuously refined based on real-world feedback. Start by making messaging practical and actionable. Instead of simply sharing a messaging framework, translate messaging into materials that align with the sales team’s workflow— sales slides, talk tracks tailored for discovery calls, email templates for outbound prospecting, battlecards to tackle objections, and customer stories that demonstrate key value points. The goal is to make messaging not just something they read but something they can use effectively in conversations. Training and reinforcement are also key. Have a dedicated enablement session with role-playing exercises where reps practice articulating key value propositions. Then, reinforce messaging in ongoing sales enablement. And make sure you have sponsorship from sales managers who play a crucial role in reinforcing messaging in their team meetings and 1:1s. Finally, ensure messaging is a two-way conversation, not just a top-down directive. Sales teams are on the front lines, and their feedback is critical in refining messaging so that it land with customers. Set up regular feedback loops—whether through ongoing syncs with sales leaders, quick Slack surveys on what’s working, and listening to Gong or other call recordings to hear how messaging is resonating in real-life sales conversations. The best indicator that messaging is effective isn’t just sales saying they like it—it’s seeing them use it successfully to drive more meaningful customer conversations and close more deals. If reps are struggling to articulate value, it’s often a sign that messaging needs to be clearer or that more enablement (or messaging refinement) is required.

Isn’t it the worst when marketing messages sound too … well … marketing-y? When we rely on words like leverage, empower, and innovate without grounding them in anything real, we lose clarity—and worse, we sound like every other company out there. The best messaging is simple, clear, and authentic. It should feel natural, not forced, and stay true to how your customers would say it. To break the habit, I set a few key principles for my team: 1. Say it in fewer, simpler words. If you can explain it in plain English, you should. I constantly ask, "Can we say this in half the words?" or "Would a customer actually talk like this?" If not, we rewrite. 2. Describe it like you would to a friend. Your word choice and tone immediately changes, you simplify it and make it easy to understand. 3. Get an AI assist. This is one of my favorite ways to ditch the jargon. Paste into an AI tool and prompt: "Rewrite this in plain English." More often than not, it strips the fluff and gets to the point. 4. Build a “banned words” list. I keep a running doc of overused, empty words and encourage the team to flag and replace them with stronger, more specific alternatives. 5. Test it aloud. If it sounds robotic or something no one would naturally say, then don’t say it. Great messaging should feel like something you’d actually say to a customer. 6. Push for specificity – Instead of leverage AI, say use AI to automate manual workflows. Instead of empower teams, say help teams collaborate faster. At the end of the day, clear messaging sticks. It's not just easier to read—it’s more persuasive. The best way to stand out isn’t with big words, but with real, compelling ideas and an authentic voice.

Successful messaging isn’t just about sounding good—it’s about driving the right action at every stage of the customer journey. The best messaging does three things: 1. Moves customers toward your worldview – It clearly articulates the problem in a way that reframes their thinking, shifts them toward your solution, and makes them see your product as the inevitable choice. If your messaging makes customers say, "I never thought about it that way before," it’s working. 2. Drives measurable business impact – Great messaging fuels everything from higher conversion rates and faster sales cycles to lower acquisition costs and improved win rates. While it’s tough to isolate messaging as a sole factor, you can track its influence at different funnel stages—ad CTRs, demo requests, site engagement, sales velocity, and closed-won deals. If messaging changes and those metrics improve, you’re onto something. 3. Empowers internal teams – Messaging isn’t just for customers; it’s an input to marketing, sales, and GTM success. If sales feels more confident, if marketing can build high-impact campaigns around it, and if execs naturally reinforce it, that’s a strong sign it’s landing. Sales asset usage, call recordings (via Gong), and internal surveys measuring sales confidence are great ways to gauge this. Remember that while quantitative metrics can show what’s working with the top-of-funnel engagement, it becomes more challenging to gauge deeper in the funnel. That’s where qualitative feedback—customer interviews, sales conversations, and analyst briefings—provides deeper insights into whether messaging is truly resonating. Ultimately, the best messaging doesn’t just sound good—it sticks, scales, and sells. If it’s moving customers, proving itself through measurable signals, and enabling internal teams – it’s working.