AMA: GitLab Vice President of Brand & Product Marketing, Dave Steer on Developing Your Product Marketing Career

I love this question because my path to management wasn't exactly a straight line! About 7 years into my marketing career, I was wearing different hats as a product marketer, brand marketer, and communications manager. While I enjoyed these individual contributor roles, something interesting started happening: I found myself naturally gravitating toward leading massive cross-functional projects. In these projects, my roles and responsibilities were shaped by identifying a shared vision and strategy, and then working with a lot of folks to drive execution. I loved it. The project that really changed everything for me was orchestrating our company's rebrand: new brand identity, fresh value proposition and messaging, and reimagining how our entire product portfolio aligned with this new direction. I ended up leading a team of more than 100 people across different departments, but not a single one reported to me. Zero! Looking back, this was actually a blessing in disguise. It forced me to master what I now consider the secret sauce of effective leadership: leading through influence rather than authority, and enabling others to achieve outcomes rather than dictating how they do it. This experience taught me something profound that I still carry with me today: true leadership isn't about your title or direct reports – it's about your ability to inspire, align, and mobilize people toward a shared vision. That mindset shift was ultimately what helped me transition from being an individual contributor to a manager.

Building your path to product marketing management requires focusing on two critical areas - and I'll share what I've found works best based on my experience. First, it's essential to develop true expertise in the core product marketing craft. The scope of product marketing is incredibly broad and nuanced - you need to be fluent in everything from strategic narrative development to positioning and messaging, while building deep knowledge of your product, customers, and business landscape. Take ownership of different aspects of the PMM function and aim to excel in each one over time. This depth of expertise not only builds credibility as a subject matter expert, but gives you the foundation to effectively guide others. Second, and equally important, actively seek opportunities to lead major cross-functional initiatives. In my experience, tier 1 product launches are perfect for this - they're complex, highly visible projects that require orchestrating multiple teams toward a shared goal. These launches let you demonstrate both your product marketing expertise and your ability to drive business impact through others. Each launch is an opportunity to build your leadership track record and develop the skills you'll need as a manager. For anyone eyeing that jump to management, my advice would be to look for these 'unofficial' leadership opportunities. They're often the best training ground for developing the soft skills that make great managers. One thing I've learned is that the combination of these two areas - deep functional expertise and proven cross-functional leadership - creates a compelling case for advancement into management. When you can show both expertise of the craft and the ability to drive results through teams, you become a natural choice for stepping into broader leadership roles.

I'm glad to hear that you are thinking about certifications -- it's a great way to learn about different product marketing capabilities and get third-party endorsement of your experience. I've never participated in a certification program, but I hear that the Product Marketing Alliance offers a great curriculum in multiple product marketing areas. Check them out (and let me know what you think!).

As a product marketer, strong writing is absolutely fundamental to success. I'll be direct: I spend about 90% of my time writing - whether it's crafting messaging for external audiences, communicating with internal stakeholders, or answering that 100+ page Gartner MQ! If you're feeling uncertain about your writing skills, here's what I've found works: First, embrace that becoming a better writer is a journey. There's no magic solution, but consistent practice is transformative. The good news? As a PMM, you'll have plenty of opportunities to practice through your daily work. What's helped me level up my writing: Create a 'swipe file' of exceptional writing you encounter. I started this early in my career, collecting everything from compelling product descriptions to powerful marketing narratives to great advertising (book recommendation: Hey Whipple, Squeeze This). It's like building your own reference library of what great writing looks like in different contexts. Leverage AI tools strategically. Tools like Claude and Grammarly can serve as writing coaches, helping you experiment with different tones and styles for various audiences. My team has also found success with Jasper. The key is using these tools to learn and improve, not just as a crutch. Here's what I've learned: everyone, regardless of their starting point, can become a stronger writer. The combination of deliberate practice and smart use of available tools will help you develop this critical PMM skill. The key is to start where you are and focus on consistent improvement. Remember: practice, practice, and then practice some more. Get to the Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 hours and you’ll find that you have become a much better writer

Building emerging talent is job #1. I start with a clear professional mission and leadership philosophy. On the mission side, my goal is to unlock people’s potential. I care deeply about my teammates and there’s no greater reward for me than helping people develop and grow their careers. In terms of leading, I have high expectations for my teammates (calibrated to where they are in their careers) and I’m a fierce advocate for them. I’ve found that there needs to be an equal balance (expectations and advocacy) in order to achieve results and enable people to stretch themselves as far as they can go. (You can see more about my leadership approach in my readme: https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/readmes/dave-steer/) I focus the team on experience-based skills development. The newest marketers on the team learn by observing and then, over time, they can take the lead on any given initiative. One of the great things about product marketing is the diversity of areas to build skills, so as people on the team become experienced in one area (say, product launches), they can find opportunities to build skills in other areas.

I'm going to cheat a bit on my answer to this great question. Let me break this down into two parts that I've found crucial for PMM success - foundational capabilities and core skills that power them. First, the three essential PMM capabilities: 1. Positioning, messaging, and strategic narrative development: This is where you shape how your product lives in the market and in customers' minds. It's both art and science. It requires deep understanding of your market and competitive landscape, your customer's wants and needs, and the solution you bring to market. 2. Audience and market research: It's all about insights. Having command of this capability makes you invaluable to stakeholders across the organization. 3. Product launch orchestration: Think of this as where everything comes together. It's strategic, highly visible work that directly impacts your company's success. And, as PMM, you are at the center of it. But here's what I've learned really makes these capabilities shine - three fundamental skills: 1. Writing: See my answer above. Every PMM deliverable hinges on clear, compelling communication. 2. Active listening: There's an old saying I love - we have two ears and one mouth for a reason, so listen twice as much as you talk. The best insights often come from truly hearing what customers, our teammates, and the markets are telling us. 3. Collaboration: PMM is team sport. Success isn't about being the smartest person in the room - it's about bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise to create something greater than the sum of its parts. In my experience, focusing on these areas creates a strong foundation for growth and impact as a PMM

This is a fascinating question that gets at the heart of modern marketing career development. Let me share my perspective based on my journey through various marketing disciplines. Marketing has evolved into a sophisticated ecosystem of specialties, each demanding deep expertise. For PMM leaders, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge. The unique position of product marketing - sitting at the intersection of marketing, product, and sales - naturally exposes you to different aspects of the marketing function. This cross-functional exposure is invaluable, but in my experience, it's just the beginning. My own path has been deliberately varied. Beyond product marketing, I've held roles in brand marketing, public relations, event marketing, and even public policy development. Each role added a different lens through which I now view marketing challenges and opportunities. This breadth of experience has proven invaluable in my leadership journey, complementing rather than diluting my product marketing expertise. The decision to specialize or diversify should align with your career aspirations. Whether you are aiming for executive marketing leadership or want to be a 10x product marketer, I've found that having hands-on experience across multiple marketing disciplines provides crucial context and credibility. It helps you understand the nuances and challenges of each function, making you a more effective leader. However, it's important to be strategic about how you gain this experience. Rather than spreading yourself thin, look for meaningful 'tours of duty' in different marketing functions where you can drive real impact while building new skills. The goal isn't to become a jack of all trades, but rather to develop a rich understanding of how different marketing functions work together to drive business success.