The Game-Changing Partner Every PM Should Know About

Product Marketing Managers often fly under the radar, but their impact on a product's success is undeniable. They don’t just help products succeed; they transform them into market leaders.

Product Managers and Product Marketing Managers need to tango to ensure products succeed.

You’ve heard my perspectives on this past year, so I invited a product management leader from a top-tier product company for today's edition to share his perspective.

Siddharth Arora is Yelp's Head of Product (Experimentation and Analytics). He also runs a fantastic newsletter and community called “Just Another PM.” Make sure you follow it if you haven’t already done so.

Before we get into Sid’s thoughts, here’s a quick announcement:

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Product Marketing Workshop for Companies

Starting in February, I’m offering an online corporate workshop (3 sessions) on Product Marketing. This is for companies looking to establish a product marketing function and train employees to apply Product Marketing in practice.

In the workshop, I’ll share how product marketing teams and leadership can create more impactful messaging, positioning, and product launches and, ultimately, rethink their go-to-market processes for the modern era.

Learn more in the workshop brief.

Interested companies can express interest using this form.

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And now, here’s Sid:

The Game-Changing Partner Every PM Should Know About by Sid Arora

I’ve been a product manager for over 10 years, and I regret not talking enough about this critical role—Product Marketing Managers (PMMs).

If you’re a PM, working closely with a PMM can transform your product and make a world of difference.

Here’s what I’ve learned about collaborating with PMMs and how to make the relationship successful:

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#1 PMMs Shape Product Positioning and Messaging

As a PM, you’re the master of your product—you define the why and what. But let’s face it, positioning the product in a way that resonates with users might not always be your strength.

That’s where PMMs shine.

PMMs specialize in creating messaging that aligns with how users think and feel. They translate your product’s value into a story that makes sense to customers. For instance, imagine you’re building a collaboration tool, and a PMM uncovers that your target audience prioritizes seamless integrations over seamless UX. This insight could shape the messaging around your product, highlighting integration benefits as the core value.

With a PMM, your product transforms from just a list of features to a compelling solution to their problem.

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#2 PMMs Monitor Competitors and Market Trends

Your focus as a PM is on building the product, and let’s be honest, that’s a full-time job.

Meanwhile, the market is constantly shifting—new competitors emerge, industry trends evolve, and user expectations change.

PMMs are your strategic eyes and ears in the market, constantly tracking competitors and emerging trends. When a competitor launches a feature that gains traction, your PMM will flag it immediately, giving you with the knowledge to take decisive action—whether that means adapting your messaging to highlight differentiation or re-prioritisting your roadmap to aligning with market demands.

This proactive action isn’t optional—it’s what keeps your product ahead of the curve and positions it as a market leader.

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#3 PMMs Translate Features into User Benefits

As PMs, we often get caught up in the technical details—"AI-powered automation" or "scalable architecture."

But let’s be real…

Users don’t care about the technical details. They care about how it solves their problems.

PMMs excel at turning complex features into relatable benefits. Instead of saying, “AI-powered workflow automation,” they’ll say, “Save hours of repetitive work every week.” This makes your product’s value immediately clear to users.

By collaborating with PMMs, you ensure your product’s story resonates with the people who matter most—your customers.

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#4 PMMs Guide Go-To-Market Strategies

Launching a product is exciting but chaotic. Without a PMM, it’s like hosting a party without sending out invitations.

PMMs create clear, actionable go-to-market strategies that ensure your product’s launch isn’t just a release but a success.

They identify the right audience, create messaging that clicks, and coordinate across channels to deliver a consistent, compelling message. They also align teams like sales and customer success to make sure everyone is speaking the same language.

When you partner with PMMs, your product doesn’t just enter the market—it makes an impact.

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#5 PMMs Identify Growth Opportunities from Non-Users

Growth often comes from reaching new audiences.

PMMs are experts at identifying why some customer groups haven’t adopted your product yet. Is it pricing? Complexity? Lack of awareness?

For example, a PMM might discover that small businesses find your tool too confusing. Their insights could lead to simplified onboarding or tailored packages or a scaled-down set of features, unlocking a new market segment.

PMMs help you remove barriers and uncover opportunities, ensuring your product reaches its full potential.

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#6 PMMs Track Key Performance Metrics Post-Launch

The job is not even close to done with the launch. It is done only when we know that customers love it.

PMMs help measure real success—they track adoption rates, feature usage, and customer feedback to see how your product performs in the real world. If a feature isn’t gaining traction, they dig into the “why” and suggest actionable fixes—whether it’s a usability tweak or better communication.

Their feedback ensures your product evolves in the right direction, staying aligned with user needs and business goals.

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#7 PMMs Offer an Outside-In Perspective

As PMs, we’re deeply immersed in the product, which can lead to blind spots.

PMMs bring a fresh, outside-in perspective, focusing on how the product fits into the market and meets user expectations.

They’ll challenge assumptions and identify gaps, ensuring your product delivers real value. For example, they might point out that a feature loved internally doesn’t resonate with users, saving you time and resources.

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#8 PMMs Ensure Messaging Resonates Across Audiences

Effective messaging isn’t one-size-fits-all.

PMMs tailor the narrative so that every audience—from technical users to executives—understands your product’s value, bridging the gap between features and impact.

For instance, they’ll create messages that highlight integration benefits for engineers and ROI for executives. By doing so, they ensure your product’s story resonates universally, making it clear why it matters to everyone who interacts with it.

This tailored approach amplifies your product’s value and ensures everyone who matters understands the relevance of it.

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Conclusion

PMMs aren’t just nice to have—they’re essential.

Their expertise transforms good products into great ones by ensuring they align with market needs, resonate with users, and achieve long-term success.

So next time you plan your roadmap, make sure a PMM is part of your strategy. They’re the game-changer that turns products into market leaders.

Until next time,
Sid

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Aatir again. I’d like first to thank

Sid Arora

for his wisdom on this topic.

Also, let me know what you thought about this edition by replying to this email. I’d love to hear what you think and what other topics you’d like to learn about.

Till next time,

Aatir