What does Product Management have to provide in their Project Briefs in order for Product Marketing to be successful?

Whether PM provides this or, as we've done in my teams, PMM works with PM to codify/confirm - the following iss the primary handoff from PM to PMM: Problem statement What is the pain point that customers have today that we are solving?   Describe it?   How does this impact their business? Customer awareness of the problem Do customers know that they have this pain point?   How do they know?   Who in the business knows about it (persona - level, title, function)?   Who experiences this pain point ...Read More

There are different levels of information PMM needs from their PM partners throughout the development process. Depending on how your product documentation works, this information could entirely live in a product/feature brief or be split up between the brief and the product spec.  At a high level, here's a deck we've used internally to build collaboration between PM and PMM. To be honest, we don't always get the answers to these questions in document format (or early enough), so sometimes this i ...Read More

oh mylanta I love this question. I think a lot of this can be an interative process with the PMM, but I think the things I see most often left out of these documents that could completely change the way a new feature is positioned includes: - Not just what problem this solves, but how was the problem solved before this feature existed? (Was there a workaround in our product, or did users lean on external solutions?) - Not just who will use the solution, but who, downstream, benefits from its use ...Read More

Ugh, nothing worse than getting a project brief that's basically "we built this thing, make people want it, launch is next week, thanks!" I swear, half the time PMMs are playing detective just trying to figure out what the product actually does and why anyone should care. A good brief can be the difference between a killer launch and a frantic scramble. Here's what PMs need to include for PMMs to actually succeed: 1. The Problem Context What customer pain are we solving? Why does this problem ma ...Read More

In order for Product Marketing to be successful, it’s helpful to project briefs to include: Feature description: A clear and concise explanation of the feature, including what it does and how it works. This serves as the foundation for PMM to develop messaging and positioning. Insights/research: Any relevant data, research, or insights that influenced the decision to build the feature. This helps PMM understand the “why” behind the feature, enabling them to craft compelling narratives that align ...Read More

I’ll probably need to write a blog post about it one day. :) For now, here is a brief summary of what we aligned on with the product team in terms of the categories of inputs we need to prepare a successful launch:Earlier in the process:1. Feature Description2. Target Audience3. Use Case and Customer Benefits4. TimelineLater in the process:5. Business Objective6. Availability (plans the feature will be available under – might not be relevant in your case)7. Support Needed from Marketing8. Linked ...Read More

Product Managers have to give us PMMs the information we need to be successful, but it's often on us to inform them of what we need and hold them accountable for providing the proper documentation. Ensure you have a good relationship with the PMs you engage with, as well as the VP of Product who can give you the clearance to hold PMs responsible for providing the right context in the form of a feature brief.  While the work starts WAY before the feature brief is created, here is what I hold the ...Read More

This is a tricky question! I’d argue that there is more to the collaboration between Product Management and Product Marketing than the effectiveness of the Project Brief. As for what to include in the project (or Product) brief, it should outline (at least) the following: Product name and release date Who the product is targeted to Product description Summary of the customer needs the product will meet Customer value proposition The impact the product will have on the customer Launch plan descri ...Read More