Michele Nieberding

Every launch is different, but here is a good starting point!  Identify key stakeholders - I like to do a kickoff before a big launch wiht a POC from key teams including legal, pricing, CS, etc. as needed Align the team around the product - talk about WHAT the product is, WHY it matters, and the opportunity this brings for the company Develop a story behind the product launch and define your messaging Prepare a launch plan (and find a streamlined way to track progress) Define your success metric ...Read More

Product marketing is one of those roles that’s deeply collaborative. In-person, you get the benefit of hallway chats, spontaneous whiteboard sessions, and the kind of quick back-and-forth that can make things move faster. You also build trust and relationships in a way that sometimes just doesn’t happen on Zoom. On the flip side, working remotely gives you access to a bigger talent pool and flexibility that’s hard to beat. But you have to work a little harder at building those same relationships ...Read More

Interesting way to phrase this, but I like to use those as INPUTS for my messaging. Then I look at what am I trying to create messaging for? A solution/platform, new product pillar, or a launch? I like to have a "single source of truth" messaging docs both for the overall platform and each (seasonal) launch to start. From there, I build a messaging pyramid: Overview: What is the overarching solution and what it does For example: "MetaRouter is an enterprise-grade customer data collection and int ...Read More

A critical yet incredibly hard part of messaging--especially in fast-paced industries like tech where it feels like things are always changing AND "shiny object" syndrome is a real thing where leaders get excited about specific use cases. Which is great as a "hook" for sales, but can lead to messaging whiplash and identity crises imo.Some tips I like to use to build, manage, and KEEP that alignment across the org: Focus on shared goals: Remind the team of the common objective—crafting messaging ...Read More

Disseminating competitive positioning to our sales team is a strategic and ongoing process--as you likely know, there are new things popping up every day with competitors (product releases, acquisitions, partnership announcements, etc.). While I leverage a combination of comprehensive training sessions, regular updates, and interactive resources to ensure our sales team is well-versed in our product's unique value propositions, key differentiators, and competitive advantages, I also do a couple ...Read More

In these cases, influence the product roadmap might feel like trying to squeeze water from a stone. But...it’s not about squeezing harder (because of course that won't work!), it’s about reframing the conversation. (Keyword in all of this: PMM should be INFLUENCING the product roadmap, NOT defining it)A full roadmap is almost always full competing priorities, and your job as a PMM is to bring clarity, focus, and a true/well researched understanding of the customer and market. Here are some thing ...Read More

I am actually dealing with this right now! And there is quite a bit you can do to continue building analyst relations despite not fitting into a current Wave or MQ. Take advantage of (free) analyst briefings: Proactively reach out to Forrester and Gartner to set up briefings to let the analysts know what you product does, what major challenges you are solving, why you dont fit into a category, and what you might suggest to be considered as a new category. While they may not have a dedicated repo ...Read More

Great question! Especially asking about messaging for a feature launch specifically (vs. overall product messaging). My process might be a bit unique, but here's the process I like to follow (assuming this is for a seasonal product launch that includes multiple products/features/enhancements, not just a standalone, individual feature launch):Step 1: Market Research and Stakeholder Alignment *NOTE: No launch is successful without stakeholder alignment up front! Understanding the market: what is t ...Read More

I hate to say it, but it depends on the launch--for example, is this a paid new feature or included? For a paid product/feature: Opportunities created Customer TAM (of the customers we have identified as a good fit for this, how many have an open opportunity?) Revenue generated For a non-paid product/feature: Demand gen metrics like webinar attendees, clicks on website, etc. are helpful since it is not related to revenue Overlap for all products/features: Adoption (how many customers have tried ...Read More

The biggest risk I typically see in GTM strategies is that it doesnt work. Somewhere, something was missed, or the messaging, product, etc. doesnt resonate with prospects and customers. ' I have found that your webiste is a great place to experiment to ensure this doesnt happen. It has historical data to anaylze various aspects of your GTM strategy including verticals, personas, messaging, sales motions, customer marketing, etc. Training the org is another big risk. If there is a new revenue-dri ...Read More