Tjaša Derstvenšek’s Post

Since becoming a Product Manager, I discovered Product Marketing and wanted to learn more about it all... Product marketers are the bridge between product, marketing, and sales. They ensure the right message reaches the right audience at the right time. Here's a quick breakdown of what a Product Marketer actually does: ⭐ Creates strategic plans ⭐ Writes great product stories ⭐ Defines buyer personas ⭐ Conducts product research ⭐ Develops marketing content ⭐ Plans and executes product launches ⭐ Engages with the community ⭐ Enables sales teams So what is the difference between a Product Manager and a Product Marketing Manager? 💡Product Managers are responsible for helping create and define a product, while Product Marketing Managers are responsible for leading the product’s go-to-market strategy. I'm reading more and more about it and can recommend 3 good resources as an intro to Product Marketing if anyone is interested: https://lnkd.in/dUCBFDf2 https://lnkd.in/dZZQ_EVV https://lnkd.in/dda3VXJ4

When someone says, “She’s a phenomenal product marketing manager” this is what they mean: ✅ She’s a pro at bringing out the best in everyone she works with, and keeps them focused. ✅ She seamlessly blends into every team, and understands everyone’s motivations. ✅ She knows how to pull off a successful product launch like the back of her hand. ✅ She’s ultra flexible, and ultra organized; whether she has unlimited resources, or she’s working with the bare minimum—she can pull anything off. ✅ She asks the right questions, from start to finish. ✅ She’s not afraid of a good idea—regardless of who developed it. In fact, she’s excited to bring it to life. ✅ She’s at natural at developing efficient workflows that EVERYONE can get with. ✅ She doesn’t shy away from tough conversations, and genuinely looks forward to retrospectives. ✨ A good PMM is worth the investment.

Pushing back is a way of a life for a product marketing manager. BUT there’s a way to do it without being a nightmare to work with. 1️⃣ START WITH WHY: Understand what the *actual* ask is. Is it increasing user acquisition? Is it raising brand awareness? Could it be FOMO? (That last one is always fun, right? 😅) 2️⃣ TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE: Now that you’ve got an idea of why this person is bringing this to you, help them find a different, more scope-friendly way to get there. 3️⃣ SAY NO (NOT RIGHT NOW): So, you found an alternative. The resources aren’t gonna let it happen at the moment. Say no, explain your reasoning, and *keep the idea in the backlog for a later date.* Actually bring it back full circle; trust is everything as a PMM!

When I started as a Product Marketing Manager, I was as clueless as one could get. The job description sounded exciting and strategic, but the projects I handled did not always aligned. Some days, I was doing content writing. Other days, I was thrown into sales enablement or product launch tasks without a clear roadmap. Product Marketing is one of the most misunderstood roles, especially in startups. Unlike sales, engineering, or finance where responsibilities are clear and measurable, Product Marketing often feels like a catch-all. Some companies even lump it in with content creation, which can mislead you into a role that’s far from what a PMM is supposed to be. If you’re stepping into Product Marketing, establish its scope early. Don’t let the role get reduced to just content writing or disconnected tasks. It is a strategic function, not just support for other teams. If done right, it’s the glue that holds product, sales, and the market together. But it’s up to you to make sure your role is defined and aligned with that vision. Here's a simple breakdown for you to get going.

Product marketing is hard. Really hard. I think it’s possibly the most undervalued skill set in a tech company and I don’t really understand why. You can spot a product that has a world class PMM working on it a mile off. There are very few people with the breadth of skill to do this role well and product teams with an amazing PMM are great places to be. Anyone up for helping me understand more? Product marketing has been one of the steepest learning curves for me so far on this start up journey.

For a long time, career growth as a Product Marketer was capped. Maybe you could become a director of PMM but if you made it to VP you had to own several other categories of marketing, (content, customer, etc). It's because companies didn't value Product Marketing enough for it to be it's own function. But I've seen that change. Big time. I see more and more dedicated VPs of Product Marketing! And - CMOs or CPOs who got the job because of their product marketing background and expertise! Companies aren't doing this for fun - the see the impact of PMM. The PMM tide is rising. Am I crazy or have you noticed this too?

I was recently asked who can do product marketing, the marketing team, a product owner, or exclusively a product marketing manager? This question highlights the importance of distinguishing between title and skillset. I’ve seen effective product marketing come from all of these roles. Product marketing requires blending product knowledge with an understanding of the problem it solves, knowledge of the target audience, and the ability to craft a compelling narrative. What matters most is ensuring the right people are involved, regardless of their title or department. #ProductMarketing

Following up on my post from yesterday, why don't product teams optimize product experiences for value realization in their products? I suspect it's a few of things: 1) Most product folks think functionally. They think of only the functional jobs-to-be-done and don't prioritize the social and emotional jobs their users might have. 2) They don't connect their product thinking with marketing messaging. In smaller companies, product marketing isn't even an investment yet, and much of this can fall on a product manager's shoulders. Thinking about how their product positioning shows up in the product is pretty low on their priority list, yet it's one of the highest-impact things to invest in because it creates stickiness and differentiation. When done correctly, you constantly answer "why I need this product" every day for the user. 3) Even if there is some level of product marketing investment, most product marketing folks are 1 way. They deliver products out to the market and don't deliver market insights back to the product team. What April Dunford calls inbound and outbound product marketing is not happening enough. So, product teams get further and further away from the customers, their needs and their "whys" and the PMM team, who should be delivering that back into the org isn't bridging the gap. What do you think? Am I missing anything here? What else is holding product teams back from focusing on building more value moments into their products?

How did you start in Product Marketing? You will get five different answers if you ask five product marketers this question. For me, this is the core of what a cross-functional role is all about. It attracts people from various backgrounds, making it unique. But this also means it is difficult to understand the function's purpose and how to progress within it. This phenomenon is especially true in Europe where product marketing is still evolving compared to the big brother across the pond. Sounds familiar? Then join us for the next PMM workshop on the 5th of June, where Thomas Bille, VP of Product Marketing at Milestone Systems, will give his insights on how to make a career in product marketing. RSVP today, link in the comments!

There is no one best way to organize a product marketing team, but as a general rule teams can be organized one of two ways, based on their strengths. 1. Organize by specialty.  If two or more product marketers on a team have strong specialties that are key to success, it makes sense to organize the team by having them manage their specialty areas. 2. Organize by product line.  Many product marketers are less specialized, and their abilities are spread more evenly between different job functions. When a team is composed of these jacks of all trades, it is better to organize them based on product lines. Doing this can allow product marketers to form deep, influential relationships with product specific stakeholders such as product managers. #productmarketing #productmarketingteam