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.
Great post. Very practical. Curious if there’s a breakdown based on PMM leadership rank. For example, how does the role of PMM differ between Jr, Sr, and leadership positions?
Yes. The roles are very different based on different levels. Also the PM-PMM collaboration differs across these levels.
I'll focus this reply on highlighting how the collaboration and working model differ across the levels (and not necessarily call out the differences in the roles of the PMM, as I don't have deep insights into how PMM roles differ across levels.)
When PMs collaborate with junior-mid level PMMs, the collaboration focuses more on the tactics and the operational aspect. The PM and PMM focus on creating the best messaging, GTM plans, success measures. They look at data together, and evaluate what worked, what resonated, etc. Their horizon, in this case, is usually short term (3-6 months.)
However, when PMs collaborate with PMM leaders, the focus is more strategic. The two focus on a longer term horizon (6-12 months, or even longer) The goal is to create strategies that align with longer term business goals. The tasks/activities they do might be very similar to the 8 areas detailed in the article, but it is done at a zoomed out level.
For ex: if we think of a food delivery app:
PM + Junior PMM: meet weekly, to review user feedback, look at dashboards to gauge product launch success (adoption rates, abandonment rates, etc.) They might also look at finer details like the messaging on the cart page and decide to add "no hidden charges", etc.
PM + PMM Leader: meet monthly. Discuss campaign/launch successes at a zoomed out level to determine what worked. And also talk about strategic focus areas, for ex: "Next quarter we're focusing on creating awareness about hidden fees and ease of payment on our platform..."
Great post. Very practical. Curious if there’s a breakdown based on PMM leadership rank. For example, how does the role of PMM differ between Jr, Sr, and leadership positions?
That is a great question.
Yes. The roles are very different based on different levels. Also the PM-PMM collaboration differs across these levels.
I'll focus this reply on highlighting how the collaboration and working model differ across the levels (and not necessarily call out the differences in the roles of the PMM, as I don't have deep insights into how PMM roles differ across levels.)
When PMs collaborate with junior-mid level PMMs, the collaboration focuses more on the tactics and the operational aspect. The PM and PMM focus on creating the best messaging, GTM plans, success measures. They look at data together, and evaluate what worked, what resonated, etc. Their horizon, in this case, is usually short term (3-6 months.)
However, when PMs collaborate with PMM leaders, the focus is more strategic. The two focus on a longer term horizon (6-12 months, or even longer) The goal is to create strategies that align with longer term business goals. The tasks/activities they do might be very similar to the 8 areas detailed in the article, but it is done at a zoomed out level.
For ex: if we think of a food delivery app:
PM + Junior PMM: meet weekly, to review user feedback, look at dashboards to gauge product launch success (adoption rates, abandonment rates, etc.) They might also look at finer details like the messaging on the cart page and decide to add "no hidden charges", etc.
PM + PMM Leader: meet monthly. Discuss campaign/launch successes at a zoomed out level to determine what worked. And also talk about strategic focus areas, for ex: "Next quarter we're focusing on creating awareness about hidden fees and ease of payment on our platform..."
Aatir - I have such a FOMO for your workshops now - I would love to learn this https://aatir.notion.site/Workshop-Product-Marketing-Fundamentals-207777b795cc48e0a885c7bf149f5ffe - but I am not a corpo :( any chance you would do this as a paid workshop for the community too? Please consider
Thanks for the support, Maja. I will be offering a few specific modules to communities as a separate offering this year.
Example:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aatirar_super-impressed-by-how-product-folks-in-dubai-activity-7284079150758260736-oCa0/