What are some tips you have for answering the infamous PMM interview question: "Tell me about a successful product launch you led."

Yes, this is a pretty standard PMM interview question. When I ask, I am typically looking to see if the candidate understands product launch and go-to-market fundamentals. I'm also interested in which parts of the launch they led (i.e. was it a specific marketing channel or soup-to-nuts?). 

I also like to ask different variations of this question, like "tell me about a product launch that did not go well and you had to get back on track" because let's be honest, not every launch goes exactly the way we plan :)

An A+ product launch example to me includes the following characteristics or elements:
What stage of the product launch the candidate was involved in. 

1. Clear delineation between the PMM and PM’s responsibilities for the product launch and where there was overlap.
2. Examples of cross functional alignment between product, marketing, and the GTM teams.
3. An example of something that didn’t go according to plan during the launch and how the candidate overcame it.
4. An out of the box marketing activity or tactic that was used that helped make this launch stand out.
5. Why the candidate felt this launch was successful and why it stood out to them.
6. The ability to tell this product launch story in a clear, concise and compelling way.

If you do really exceptional work and execute a masterful launch that delivers meaningful outcomes for your product, you’ll have a great story for the next interview. Just do the work. The results and stories will come. I'd also add that part of being a great product marketer is being a storyteller. So consider that the way you tell the story is just as important (if not more important) than the results of the lanch itself.

Tell them about one! Just like any interview question, break it down into its components and relate your story. Start by explaining the product you launched, its purpose, and how it fulfilled a need in the market. Describe the process of planning and executing this launch - from ideation to execution. Talk about any challenges that arose during the process and how you overcame them. Finally, share some of the results that you achieved during the launch such as increased sales. Also mention any feedback from customers or stakeholders who were involved in the process. Most of all, be confident and provide as much detail as possible about your experience – this will help give the interviewer a full understanding of what kind of PMM you are. Good luck!

I like to tell a story and anticipate their follow-up questions for this question. So, when I talk about a successful launch, I start with the background of what was being launched, why, and what steps I initially took to get started (who was involved? What was the launch level? How did I keep all the teams organized?).

Then, I talk about what issues came up. All launches will have a hiccup. If you say it didn't, then you still haven't found it yet :). But, when you talk about the challenges, talk about how they could have impacted the launch and then talk about the steps you took to resolve them. Maybe it was something outside of your department. How did you partner with other team members to fix the issue? What did you learn? How did you adapt?

Finally, what was the result of the launch? What metrics told you that it was a successful product launch?