Austin Carroll

Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Financial Product, Brex

About

Senior product marketer & renaissance woman focused on Fintech startups, executing meaningful product launches, and has also been known to write on occasion (book available on Amazon). Most recently, she launched new messaging for Brex's startup a......more

Content

What are some surprising ways that candidates have stood out to you in PMM interviews? What are your biggest watchouts?

Austin Carroll

Brex Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Financial Product • January 25

I'm always looking for PMMs that are excited to be there. It seems small, but if they have done research on the company and (even if they have never worked in the industry/space before) can point to something in their background that shows me they have a true interest, that's a standout candidate......Read More

509 Views

What are your favorite PMM interview questions?

Austin Carroll

Brex Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Financial Product • January 27

These are some of my favorite interview questions. * What is your favorite product? * What interested you in this company/ space? * Walk me through [project/ launch] on your resume. What tactics did you use? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them? I also like to gi......Read More

488 Views

When do you know you’re ready for your first PMM hire? How do you think about setting that hire up for success?

Austin Carroll

Brex Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Financial Product • January 27

I don't think it's ever too early for your first PMM hire as they can help identify the product-market fit, positioning, and messaging. To make sure you have set up for success, make sure you have some people staffed (either full time or contract) where they can share work and delegate the strate......Read More

423 Views

When re-launching a product in the market through a different lens of value, how would you create the demand for it, and what campaigns would you run?

Austin Carroll

Brex Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Financial Product • January 25

We did something similar at Brex with the launch of Brex Bill pay last summer. We had a simple Bill Pay product on our original platform, but were bringing it upmarket on 'Empower' - our more advanced spend management platform. Existing Customers: As with any re-launch, it can create customer ......Read More

395 Views

Do you ever delay a feature or product "launch" after it's already been released by engineering?

Austin Carroll

Brex Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Financial Product • January 29

I have in the past, mostly due to external factors like internal readiness (help center articles, website updates, launch assets), but I don't recommend it. If you have a lot of customers using the product or feature, or perhaps even beta customers, it can lead to customer confusion if it hasn......Read More

390 Views

What data do you share with the product team after a launch to inform roadmap planning and prioritization?

Austin Carroll

Brex Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Financial Product • February 7

It depends on if Product does roadmap planning based on acquisition and revenue levers or if they are considering new roadmap features to minimize churn, make a better product experience, or compete against competitors. Product marketing can pull data, conduct surveys and interviews, and do compe......Read More

343 Views

What recommendations in job searchwould you have for an experienced product marketer with conversational Spanish <not business> with the desire to live in a Spanish speaking country “now”?

Austin Carroll

Brex Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Financial Product • January 25

Of course, it depends on if you're talking about Spain, Central America, or South America, as the business realities and fluency are different in each country. In Spain, I would suggest reaching out to venture-backed startups, especially those looking to expand to the US (and that align with y......Read More

342 Views

How do you strike the balance between educating users, showcasing new features, and driving continued product usage through content in the post-launch phase?

Austin Carroll

Brex Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Financial Product • February 7

This is always the hard part! However, I find it best to think of your current customers and prospective customers as different audiences. So, what channels can you reach your prospective customers? I usually look at the channel map and assign each a goal - so an in-product notification may drive......Read More

316 Views

How does a college grad, best position themselves to be a successful Product Marketer or Marketer in general? Any advice on getting your foot in the door?

Austin Carroll

Brex Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Financial Product • January 29

Well, first of all, congratulations on finding Product marketing so soon! I know many of us in the profession today didn't learn about PMM until much later in our careers and were "switchers" from product or marketing or even sales. That being said, there are not a lot of right out of college PMM......Read More

221 Views

How do you ensure your launch's excitement translates into long-term adoption and community engagement?

Austin Carroll

Brex Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Financial Product • January 25

To ensure sustained excitement among existing users and advocates, consider offering exclusive perks and incentives for them. Simplify transitions with clear guides and rewards. Beyond the launch, adapt marketing strategies by evaluating the effectiveness of ads and overall positioning. Be ready ......Read More