Product Marketing Career Path

4 Answers
Vidya Drego
Vidya Drego
SmithRx VP of MarketingJanuary 19
I like to ask questions in interviews that stem from real challenges and decisions my team are having or have made. I've seen great resources aggregated here on Sharebird, from the Product Marketing Alliance, and PMM Hive. But definitely don't memorize answer to questions or cases, make sure you ......Read More
6699 Views
How do product marketers make sure they're learning enough varied skills to be a well-rounded professional when scope is an issue?
i.e. working at a large company with minimal scope, focusing on sales enablement but knowing you need experience on the product launch side, other marketing teams covering responsibilities, etc.
11 Answers
Christy Roach
Christy Roach
AssemblyAI VP of MarketingOctober 8
This is a great question! I know lots of product marketers who worry that in getting more specialized they’re missing out on the opportunity to get that broad skillset. I reject the idea that you have to change jobs in order to get the experience you want and think there are plenty of ways to get......Read More
2074 Views
2 Answers
Becky Trevino
Becky Trevino
Snow Software Executive Vice President ProductsSeptember 20
The best part of the role is the high of a big launch. Bringing something new to market is an amazing feeling especially when you can do it wrapped into a larger launch event. There is also a great strategic element to the role that you do not find in all marketing roles that ties elements of com......Read More
1047 Views
1 Answer
Candace Marshall
Candace Marshall
Zendesk Senior Director, Product MarketingMay 8
My best advice is just dive right in! Learning happens best on the job, even if it feels uncomfortable at times (trust me, I've been there). Stay focused on the objective/project at hand, but make sure to carve out time for feedback and coaching from your manager, especially if you're taking on n......Read More
1127 Views
1 Answer
Candace Marshall
Candace Marshall
Zendesk Senior Director, Product MarketingMay 8
Absolutely. In fact, there are numerous CMOs who came up the ranks through product marketing. Take a look at ex-Salesforce product marketing leaders - many of them have gone on to become CMOs of public and private companies across various sizes. To grow into a marketing leadership role, consider ......Read More
1155 Views
If you had to build out a team of PMMs from scratch, how would you organize your team and which roles would own what?
In other words, if you went from one to ten - what would the structure look like? 1 Director/team lead, 2-3 Senior PMMs, and 4 PMMs? Would the team be divided by audience segment? By product? By strategy vs. tactics (i.e. larger GTM vs product launch)?
1 Answer
Candace Marshall
Candace Marshall
Zendesk Senior Director, Product MarketingMay 8
Sounds like your business is growing - how exciting! It's hard to answer this question without knowing how your business is structured but I'm happy to share common structures for 10 pmms. Structurally, a people manager or team lead should have at least 3-4 people; this is typically a good "pod" ......Read More
1132 Views
2 Answers
Candace Marshall
Candace Marshall
Zendesk Senior Director, Product MarketingMay 8
In large companies, you can make your mark as a PMM through alignment and relationships. Firstly, it's important to ensure your work directly aligns with the company's goals and objectives. Start by familiarizing yourself with your business unit's OKRs (objective key results). For example, if you......Read More
1119 Views
9 Answers
Lauren Barraco
Lauren Barraco
Inscribe VP, MarketingDecember 15
Start building the foundational materials - product positioning, the pitch deck, messaging guides, launch processes, etc. and get alignment on these early! It's critical to get these pieces done first so that you can scale effectively. As a team of 1, you are going to need to rely on the other pe......Read More
2054 Views
What does your product marketing team org structure look like?
Do you simply have Product Marketers by product/portfolio? Do you have a release communications manager? Someone in sales enablement? What other roles exist in your product marketing teams today?
15 Answers
Kristen Ribero
Kristen Ribero
Greenplaces VP MarketingJuly 18
In my experience, it varies based on your product portfolio/customer segments... When my company had only 1 product we were separated by function (i.e. pricing/packaging, sales enablement, product launches, market research, etc.), but in other companies we were focused on segment (enterprise ......Read More
2325 Views
20 Answers
Ajit Ghuman
Ajit Ghuman
Twilio Director of Product Management - Pricing & Packaging, CXPSeptember 8
It's hard. Real hard.  Many PMMs make the mistake of starting with messaging. This is a no-no. Messaging comes last and just puts words behind what was already decided. You have to nail this in sequential order.  1. First comes strategy 2. Then comes positioning 3. And finally comes me......Read More
1772 Views