Question Page

Product Marketing Manager roles are inherently multifaceted. Is there one particular area of focus you recommend developing more than others? Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Christy Roach
AssemblyAI VP of MarketingOctober 8

Ah, it's hard to pick just one! If you'll make me, I'd say messaging and positioning. Every PMM needs it, it's a hard skill to build, and it will take you far. I recommend getting feedback on your writing, learning from your content marketers how to craft a story, and being open to tweaks and edits as needed to continue to hone your craft.

Good luck! 

2279 Views
Lauren Barraco
Inscribe VP, MarketingDecember 14

100% agree - there are so many areas that you get pulled into as a product marketer. If you think PMM is the path for you, I'd recommend you start with the age-old question... What are YOU passionate about? What gets you up in the morning and drives you? Focus on that first. Like you said, PMM is multifaceted and can take you in a lot of different directions, but you will be the most successful if you're doubling down in the areas that you enjoy :) Do you like the strategy? The writing and content? The positioning? Start honing those skills and become an expert there. 

936 Views
Crafting Compelling Messaging
Thursday, February 27 • 12PM PT
Crafting Compelling Messaging
Virtual Event
Sarah Radwanick
Barbara Hernandez-Taylor
Sudeshna Naik
+240
attendees
Ajit Ghuman
Twilio Former Director of Product Management - Pricing & Packaging, CXP | Formerly Narvar, Medallia, Helpshift, Feedzai, Reputation.comMarch 11

One area of focus? Yes, absolutely. 

PMM functional skills can be learnt relatively easily and over time. Cross-functional leadership take more effort, and yields 10x the returns on investment. 

I routinely invest in developing different parts of my communication/people skills toolkit, it doesn't come naturally to me, but with effort one can improve.

Here is a set of very common human situations that require tact, emotional awareness, and communication. 

  • How do you motivate the team that just lost half its strength due to departures or layoffs? 
  • How do you deal with very demanding senior stakeholders who might rat hole on a particular tactic? 
  • How do you deal with a product team that's operating in a silo?
  • How do you build trust with your Sales team so they start coming to you for deal support? 
  • How do you build momentum for a large initiative that may cut across 10-20 people, keeping everyone's needs in mind?

Seth Godin uses a term in his book, Linchpin, that I resonate with. It is 'emotional labor'. Once you understand how to put in this labor correctly, you will get results. 

You unlock the people, you unlock the results. 

452 Views
Top Product Marketing Mentors
Jeffrey Vocell
Jeffrey Vocell
Panorama Education Head of Product Marketing
Mary Sheehan
Mary Sheehan
Adobe Head of Lightroom Product Marketing
Kevin Garcia
Kevin Garcia
Anthropic Product Marketing Leader
April Rassa
April Rassa
Clari VP, Solutions Marketing
Marcus Andrews
Marcus Andrews
Pendo Sr. Director of Product Marketing
Alissa Lydon
Alissa Lydon
Dovetail Head of Product Marketing
Leah Brite
Leah Brite
Gusto Head of Product Marketing, Benefits
Jackie Palmer
Jackie Palmer
ActiveCampaign VP Product Marketing
Susan "Spark" Park
Susan "Spark" Park
Pinterest Director of Product Marketing
Katharine Gregorio
Katharine Gregorio
Adobe Sr Director of Product Marketing, Creative Cloud