What is Product Marketing? Here's What You Need to Know

An Ex-Google PMM's take on product marketing.

Hi, my name is Henry, an ex-Google PMM. One question I get a lot is: What is product marketing? In this post, I'll break down what product marketing is and what a Product Marketing Manager (PMM) does.

So, What Is Product Marketing?

Product marketing boils down to three key things:

1. Know the user

2. Know the magic

3. Connect the two

As a product marketer, you’re essentially a storyteller. You figure out who your target audience is, how your product solves their problems, and then craft a story about your product in a way that captivates them.

How Does Product Marketing Fit into a Company?

In most tech companies, there are four core teams:

• Engineering team: builds the product

• Product management team: decides what gets built

• Product marketing team: defines product positioning and messaging

• Sales team: sells the product

As a Product Marketing Manager (PMM), you sit between the product team and the sales team. You work with the product team to launch new products and features, and with the sales team to create collateral that helps them sell the product.

What Does a PMM Actually Do?

Some of the things a PMM creates for the sales team include:

• Infographics

• Case studies

• Pitch decks

• Landing pages

All of these help the sales team better communicate the value of the product to customers.

My Journey Into Product Marketing

Surprisingly, I didn’t start in product marketing—or even in marketing at all! I studied history and political science in college and thought I wanted to be a lawyer. After college, I moved to New York City to work in city government, and that’s when I realized law school wasn’t for me.

After two years in NYC, I moved to California and started my first role at Google in legal operations. I knew legal operations wasn’t my long-term path, so I started exploring and eventually found product marketing.

I took on a 20% project with the ad marketing team, and I loved it. Product marketing allowed me to be user-facing, creative, and strategic all at once. That 20% project turned into a full-time gig, and after working on AdMob for about two and a half years, I moved on to Google for Kids and Family. Eventually, I left Google to join the startup world.

Tips for Breaking into Product Marketing

Whether you're a student or already working, here’s how you can break into product marketing.

If you’re a student:

• Study business, econ, or marketing.

• Learn to write and communicate well.

• Get a summer internship with a tech company.

I’d also recommend checking out the Google Associate Product Marketing Manager Program, which is a great way to get your feet wet and grow as a product marketer.

If you’re working:

• Do what I did—pick up a 20% project. This could be helping your company’s marketing team or even helping a friend market their new business.

Recommended Reading for Aspiring PMMs

Here are three books I recommend for a solid foundation in product marketing:

• The Lean Startup

• Positioning

• Crossing the Chasm

If you’re going to start with one, I’d recommend The Lean Startup—it provides a holistic view of how startups work and where product marketing fits in.

That’s it for today! If you found this helpful, feel free to like this post and comment below if you want to see more content about product marketing.

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Ready to Break Into Product Marketing?

If you’re ready to break into product marketing, check out the Product Marketing School, where I’ll teach you everything you need to succeed. You’ll learn product marketing foundations, resume & interview prep, and product marketing skills to make a real business impact.

Plus, you’ll get 1:1 coaching with me and gain access to new and exclusive content not available on YouTube. Start your journey today and take your first step toward becoming the PMM every hiring manager is looking for!