AMA: ClickUp VP, Product Marketing, Mike Berger on Developing Your Product Marketing Career

If you are looking for key Product Marketing metrics to determine success, here are some ideas: For a mature product: new users, adoption (usage), active users, daily active users, monthly active users, retention, net retention, pipeline, revenue, deal size, win rate, close rate, velocity For a very immature product: # of early customers, # of customer demos, # of trial signups, adoption (usage) For going after a new buyer: # of new relevant titles added to the database, # of wins in a new verti ...Read More

Maybe I'm unique but I've been in Product Marketing for a long time and I've never been asked to present a "marketing portfolio". I have, on the other hand, been asked to present on specific topics or share specific experiences on many occasions. If someone is asking you to present a "marketing portfolio" and you are new to product marketing, I would ask the person asking you to provide more detail on what they are looking for.  If you don't have a portfolio, then I would tell them that you are ...Read More

Short answer, yes. If it's a job you really want, go above and beyond. Now, if a company says they want you to prepare a 5 slide presentation on something, I wouldn't simply decide that 10 slides is fine, because they might want to see whether or not you can create a concise deck. So if you plan to go above and beyond, and you have questions around it, just ask the hiring manager or recruiter. When I ask candidates to prepare an excercise, some candidates proactively request time with me prior, ...Read More

Here are some ways to think about the move from Sr. PMM to Lead:Skills Sr. PMM - You have advanced product marketing skills and significant experience in the field. Based on your expertise, you regularly work to define the scope of your role and build on your skillset. Lead - You have mastery of all product marketing skills, which you not only apply to your own work, but also to teach others on your team. Judgement Sr. PMM - You work under limited direction and lead clearly defined initiatives f ...Read More

I've always thought that Hubspot has done a great job with product marketing. They have great product market fit and their messaging and positioning is typically on point. As their platform has grown and they've introduced new offerings like their CRM, their "powerful alone, better together" message was really smart. And despite all the new offerings, they still clearly articulate the value of each for the distinct set of buyers each maps to.  From a more general marketing perspective, they've c ...Read More

This is very hard to answer without more detail. Knowing the reason why you haven't been promoted yet would obviously inform how I'd approach the conversation. But my advice would be to simply approach the conversation honestly. Some tips: Make it clear you believe you deserve a promotion List the reasons why (focus on the impact you've made) Ask your manager if he/she agrees with your assessment If yes, ask about a timeline  If not, ask them what you would need to do in order to be considered f ...Read More

Great PMMs really understand the nuances behind messaging and are able to create simplicity out of complexity.  They are framework-driven.  They connect their work to strategic company initiatives, especially those tied to growth.  They are "drivers" with a strong bias to action.  They are phenomenal communicators and are able to hold their own in discussions and debates with senior leaders.  They use the right mix of instinct and data to make decisions.  They make others "want" to work with the ...Read More

I think a monthly email update, or Slack update sent to the entire company is a great way to update the rest of the organization on the activities and achievements of PMM.  Generally speaking, there is so much noise with all the channels of communication people have to deal with today that something that gets "sent" to the company in some way, shape or form is much more effective than anything that would require someone to seek out such info. So if you put all of PMMs achievements on a page in a ...Read More

I'll answer this by conveying what I look for when I hire product marketers: Messaging skills - can you take complex things and make them seem simple and easily digestible Writing skills - writing is an art form, and is the most important foundational skill for a PMM in my opinion Storyteling - can you turn a customer use case into an interesting and memorable story Influence - can you rally people around your ideas and vision Collaboration skills - PMM is obviously an incredibly cross-functiona ...Read More

For those of you who are earlier on (first ~8 years) in your career, here is the framework I'd use: People (and Culture) - You should feel energized about working with the people at the company, ESPECIALLY your manager, and the culture should feel like a fit. Company - Join a rocket ship with a brand that has buzz, and you'll have a lot of options when you're ready for whatever comes next. Join a slow growing company no one has heard of, and far fewer doors will open. Like it or not, that is the ...Read More

Here's what is top of mind for me as it relates to making a big impact in a startup environment: Understanding of the customer - not just a surface level understanding of the customer, but a deep understanding of customers incuding their pains and motivations. This is knowledge that no one can take away from you, and it is highly valued across many functions. The answer to the question of "Why now?" - many startups fail, or fail to grow quickly, because they can't clearly convey why customers sh ...Read More

I can tell you based on quite a bit of experience that this is the easiest question I'll ever answer on the topic of building a successful PMM career. It isn't even close. When you are early on in your career, forget about the role, title, pay, etc. Instead, jump into any seat on a rocketship.  When you are on a rocketship, if you perform well, there will be plenty of opportunities for growth as the company grows, and the experience you gain will be highly valued by other companies hoping to ach ...Read More