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Erin Gunaratna

VP, Product Marketing, Chargebee

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Considering not all launches are created equal, how do you distinguish between the different types of product launches?

Erin Gunaratna

Chargebee VP, Product Marketing • January 20

Just like not all launches are created equal, not all companies will take the same approach to categorizing or prioritizing launch tiers. However, there are certainly patterns out there. Here are the most common variables I’ve seen: * Audience: Will this launch open you up to a new set of prosp......Read More

1954 Views

How do you identify and prioritize the channels for a launch campaign?

Erin Gunaratna

Chargebee VP, Product Marketing • January 20

In my answer to the “not all launches are created equal” question, I laid out some options for communications channels to pursue based on the tier that you assign a given launch. (This best applies to B2B SaaS organizations, since that’s the sector in which I’ve spent my entire career.) As far a......Read More

1267 Views

How do you decide on the right amount of detail to share in Go-To-Market materials?

Erin Gunaratna

Chargebee VP, Product Marketing • January 20

Seems like whoever asked this question may be a bit familiar with my world over at Yext! :) In the 6+ years I’ve been lucky to work here, we’ve transformed from a single-product location listings company to a search platform. Saying this transformation has been easy would be a lie. It didn’t hap......Read More

1127 Views

How do you create a GTM/launch strategy for a product with a long beta period? Follow-up question: What do you do if the product changes significantly between beta and full launch?

Erin Gunaratna

Chargebee VP, Product Marketing • January 20

Oh, to be so lucky as to have a long beta period for everything! A beta is a blessing! When planning for any launch, we don’t know what we don’t know. Beta periods are fantastic because they give us, as PMMs, the opportunity to make those “unknown unknowns” known. If I were lucky enough to have......Read More

1056 Views

What are the top 5 "don't"s you see too many PMMs doing when launching a new product as a product marketing manager?

Erin Gunaratna

Chargebee VP, Product Marketing • January 20

When I interview candidates for PMM positions, one of the “x factors” that I always look for is humility — but not just because I want to hire good team players. People with intellectual humility know that they don’t always have all the answers, which gives them the openness to new informatio......Read More

1005 Views

How would you go about setting up a blueprint for product launches at a start-up when I’m the first PMM hire and product launches have been managed the product team so far (and were pretty chaotic due to a lack of framework and resources)?

Erin Gunaratna

Chargebee VP, Product Marketing • January 20

I cannot claim expertise in FinTech or in the DACH market, so my best advice here is to research launch plan frameworks and pick one. Pragmatic Institute, Product Marketing Alliance, and Sirius Decisions all have their own frameworks and launch plans, though they’re behind logins. See if you can ......Read More

954 Views

What’s your advice on how best to handle communicating tier 2 and 3 product releases? E.g., all of the updates that aren’t big, flashy new features?

Erin Gunaratna

Chargebee VP, Product Marketing • January 20

Honestly, the less “flashy” launches are often my favorites, because these releases may have a smaller audience than a major launch would have, but if you do them right, it’s sooo fun to watch those audiences lose their minds out of happiness when they hear about a new feature that will make thei......Read More

836 Views

Do you do a product launch pre-mortem with your internal stakeholders before a product launch and if so, who do you include and what is your process for running it?

Erin Gunaratna

Chargebee VP, Product Marketing • January 20

I think it’s very familiar in PMM to be combing through everything the night before a launch and feel a little anxiety! We typically handle this “pre-mortem” work in two ways: 1. Strategic: Document and address the risks as they come up. I have a “Risks and Considerations” slide in my laun......Read More

786 Views

When launching a significant sub-product (e.g. an enterprise version of an existing product) how do you strike the right balance of enabling your sales team without bombarding them with dizzying details?

Erin Gunaratna

Chargebee VP, Product Marketing • January 20

I’m lucky to partner with a great Enablement team at Yext, so I cannot take credit for everything I mention in this answer! But, we’ve treated our best enablement efforts sort of like a “compliment sandwich” — start with the simple message, then open the hood to see the context and relevant detai......Read More