How to Transition into a Product Marketing Role

I recently saw a great question on Sharebird about how a junior digital marketer can stand out as a candidate for a product marketing manager (PMM) role requiring 3+ years of PMM experience.

I had so much to say, I couldn’t but help write an article on it! 😁

As I tend to say many times, “It depends.” It depends on how the company defines product marketing, what specific experiences, tasks, and responsibilities are listed in the job description, the size of the company, the industry, the maturity, goals, etc.

First, I recommend looking over the job description and company profile. Then try to match as many relevant experiences and skills as you have to those listed in the job post.

Key Items to Consider:

• Do you have experience working in a similar industry?
  If so, highlight it!
• Do you have experience marketing to the same types of customers they do (industry, B2B, B2C, etc.)
  If you do, be sure to mention that.
• Do you have experience working in a similar-sized company?
  It might not seem like something, but pointing out as many similarities as possible could make the hiring manager feel more comfortable and confident about you.
• Do you have experience working for a company at a similar maturity or growth stage? (Series A, aiming to hit $XXX.XX in revenue, etc.)
  Hiring managers love to hear you have experience working at a place in a similar situation. If this applies to you, demonstrate your know-how of working in an early-stage startup and understanding the strains on a cash-strapped company. Or showcase how you helped a company grow X% in a short amount of time.

There are several skills and experiences that can translate from many roles to product marketing, not just marketing-specific roles. The relevant skills and experiences listed below could apply to a digital marketer, customer success manager, account executive, sales enablement manager, sales engineer, product manager, or project manager. Nothing is guaranteed, though, because it all depends on the company/hiring manager and how they view and define product marketing. As we know, product marketing is defined differently from company to company.

Relevant Skills to Highlight:

• Writing: Do you have blogs, articles, datasheets, eBooks, whitepapers, case studies, etc. you can point to? Even a personal blog is great! So much of being a product marketer includes messaging and drafting content (even if a writer is on staff, PMMs still need to know how to write).
• Project Management: Everything a product marketer does entails project management. Need new messaging? Better create a project plan because it will involve many stakeholders. Product launch? You know that will involve nearly every department, so you need to be organized with multiple deadlines outlined. PMM is a collaborative position that acts as the connective tissue in an organization. And product marketers lead large projects time and time again. Project management is key for success, so anything on your resume you can point to where you honed your project management skills the better.
• Research: Any experience with research is good to include. You could highlight primary research (surveys/interviews) and secondary research. You could also share a story about how you gathered and leveraged qualitative and quantitative data for an initiative.
• Customers: Have experience working with customers either by interviewing them, presenting, selling, hosting an event, etc? All this applies to a PMM position.
• Go-to-Market: Product marketing is the driver of go-to-market (or at least should be). If you can on your resume and in your interview showcase how you led or were part of a go-to-market strategy, be sure to do so. Talk about personas, ideal customer profiles (ICPs), positioning, channels, goal setting, metrics tracked, etc.
• Campaigns / Launches: Did you ever create a campaign or launch something? And it doesn’t have to be a “product” launch. You can talk about how you launched an internal program in your last role or helped with a campaign to increase awareness or leads. Be creative and think outside the box. How did you use messaging, multiple channels, and other campaign elements to create awareness or promote an action or change? Maybe something you’ve done outside of work like a volunteer project could apply here.
• Public Speaking: Product marketers are constantly tapped to speak in public whether it is at a customer conference, user group meeting, product release webinar, or an industry event. So if you have ever spoken publicly and can share a link to it, be sure to do so!
• Events: Have you planned, marketed, or even spoken at an event? Again, very relevant because product marketers are often tasked with defining the messaging, creating the agenda, or speaking at the event.

As it is human nature, when someone is hiring for a role, he or she wants to feel confident in who is hired. Even if you have the writing chops and stellar project management skills, you still might not get the role. The key is to check as many boxes in the job description as possible so the hiring manager feels compelled to speak with you. (And sometimes what a company or hiring manager is truly looking for might not even be listed in the job description. True story. Witnessed it many times.) Those situations are out of your control and all you can do is your best. If you do not get the role, it wasn’t meant to be. Rejection sucks. I know 100%. The key is to shake it off, tell yourself it is their loss, and find a company that understands what you have to bring and wants you to be a part of their team.

Wishing you the best in your job search! And if you’re looking for any help with resumes, interviews, portfolios, etc., feel free to reach out!