Product Marketing Life

What does it really take to make a product launch land? Amruta Hunnurkar, Go-to-Market Lead at Amazon EMEA, brings 14 years of product marketing experience to unpack why the discipline is far more than a support function but a core revenue driver.Drawing on her time at Samsung and in the startup world, Amruta explores how the rules of the game shift depending on where you work: structured process versus scrappy agility, big-brand playbooks versus getting in the room early. She also draws a sharp distinction between a product launch and a product marketing launch, and explains why confusing the two can cost you.

What does it take to build genuine trust with your customers – especially when the stakes couldn't be higher? In this episode, we sit down with Angeline Giammona, a product marketing leader whose career is a masterclass in meeting people where they are.Angeline takes us through her time at Bobbie, an infant formula company, where she built lifecycle marketing and customer engagement strategies from the ground up – including a fundraising campaign that sold out in under three hours. She opens up about what it really means to market in high-emotion, high-trust categories, and why understanding your customer's world matters far more than promoting your product's features.

What does it really take to make product marketing drive revenue – not just awareness? In this episode, fractional CMO Aruna Inalsingh pulls back the curtain on her unconventional path from engineer to startup marketing consultant, and shares what she's learned working across wildly different industries – from beauty and fashion to drone manufacturing. Aruna makes the case for a smarter, more balanced approach to product marketing: one that delivers quick wins without losing sight of long-term strategy.

Join us as Jess Ruby, Director of Growth Marketing at UniUni, shares her inspiring journey into growth marketing. She emphasizes how embracing data and metrics can transform how marketing teams demonstrate their impact, especially crucial during times of uncertainty and budget constraints. Through relatable examples like tracking conversion rates and measuring revenue from sales decks, Jess shows how product marketers can clearly communicate their value and strengthen their strategic position.

Maniesh Joshi, VP of Product and Commercial Marketing at Transcarant, discusses the importance of empathy and clarity in product marketing. He shares his journey from healthcare consulting to becoming an "accidental marketer," highlighting his roles at Medtronic and Omada Health. Maniesh emphasizes the value of having a strong point of view loosely held and the need for product marketers to drive innovation. He recounts successful launches, including a beta pilot for a patient engagement app and a rapid AI solution launch at Transcarant, which generated $60 million in pipeline in 60 days.

How do you market in a world that never stops? Sedall Asante, Product Marketing Director at Aptos Labs, shares his journey from JP Morgan to crypto, the power of evergreen campaigns, and why taking calculated risks early can skyrocket your marketing career.

In this episode, Nupur Bhade Vilas, Head of PMM at Kustomer, shares how she transitioned from engineering to product marketing, using organization, detailed notes, and AI tools to drive success.She reflects on leading marketing through major transitions – like Twilio’s SendGrid acquisition and Kustomer’s rebrand – highlighting the importance of trust, clear communication, and team alignment during change. Nupur also offers advice for PMMs navigating mergers: seek clarity, use AI as a thought partner, and advocate for your growth.

Listen as Maitri Sheth, Senior Product Marketing Manager, reveals the untold story of making AI work for humans, not the other way around.In this episode, Maitri takes us behind the scenes of her career transition from B2C to B2B marketing and shares the hard-won lessons from leading Gong's groundbreaking AI narrative. Discover how she's using cutting-edge tools like ChatGPT and Claude to revolutionize product messaging while maintaining the human touch that actually converts.

How do you build a career when the path isn’t clear? Michelle Zak’s journey from fine arts and design to product marketing leadership is anything but traditional.And that’s exactly why it works.In this conversation, Michelle shares the lessons she’s learned navigating startups, shifting industries, and carving out a role that often looks different from company to company. From “job crafting” to breaking into new industries without prior experience, she highlights the skills and mindset that helped her stand out in a tough job market.→ Why design thinking is a natural foundation for product marketing→ The power of “job crafting” and how to use it at any stage of your career→ Tips for breaking into new industries without direct experience→ What to expect when moving from late-stage to early-stage startups→ Why product marketing is always “more than you think”

Join Hannah Pickering, Director of Product Marketing at Centivo, as she explains her journey from writer to product marketer, emphasizing the importance of understanding business operations and earning trust. She highlights her experience in various industries, stressing the need for product marketers to connect the dots, develop unique perspectives, and build credibility by engaging early with product teams.

Emily Wengel, Product Marketing Team Lead at Origami Risk, shares her journey from biotech to product marketing, where she now leads a growing team. She breaks down how improv sharpened her communication skills, the challenge of finding product-market fit, and why project management and stakeholder alignment are essential for PMMs. Disclaimer: Everything was correct at the time of recording. Origami Risk has since hired a VP of Product Marketing to join Emily and the PMM team.

What really makes a customer say “yes” or “no”?In this episode, we sit down with Andrew Peterson, co-founder of Clozd, to unpack the secrets behind win-loss analysis and why it's the most overlooked source of growth for B2B companies.Andrew shares his journey from the early days at Qualtrics to launching Clozd, a company that’s redefining how sales, marketing, and product teams learn from lost deals. We explore the win-loss maturity curve, the rise of AI-driven insights, and how Clozd’s Expert Network is helping teams win more strategic deals.Plus, he makes a strong case for why product marketers deserve more credit and how AI can elevate their role to become even more essential.Sponsored by Clozd – the leader in win-loss analysis. Learn more at https://www.clozd.com.Download the Win-Loss content Andrew mentioned here: 👉 State of Win-Loss Analysis Report👉 Definitive Guide to Win-Loss Analysis

In this episode, we sit down with Kristen Brooks, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Octane, as she shares her inspiring career journey – from her early days in partner marketing at Cisco to leading enterprise strategy and demand gen alignment.

In this episode, Susanna Bogardus, Principal PMM at Workday, shares her path from account management to product marketing – and how AI tools like GPT-3 are reshaping how we work.She dives into building trust in AI, using tech to support (not replace) human roles, and why customer support is a goldmine for insights. Susanna also shares top advice for aspiring PMMs: hone your soft skills and know your customer.

In this episode, our host, Sid Khaitan, spoke with Steffi Li, Head of Product Marketing, about her path from advertising to building a career in technical B2B product marketing. She shares how a research background shaped her PMM instincts, what it’s like breaking into the field without a technical degree, and why domain knowledge and foundational processes matter – especially in early-stage startups.

In this episode, Sid talks with Michael Robin Hansen, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Thomson Reuters, about her unexpected journey from culinary school to product marketing. Michael shares how lessons from the kitchen help her manage product launches, her experience navigating layoffs, and what it takes to build a high-impact PMM team.They also cover how to break into product marketing without a technical background, the importance of curiosity and continuous learning, and why flexibility is key in fast-moving industries.Whether you're in marketing, pivoting careers, or just love a good origin story – this one’s for you.Read Michael’s PMA article here.

Laura Kaminski, Head of Product Marketing at iTrade Network, shares her journey from graphic design to leading product marketing. She dives into how AI, customer insights, and tiger teams are transforming how tech companies align strategy and drive results. A must-listen for anyone in product, marketing, or tech leadership.

Host Collin Mayjack spoke to Madeleine, the Product Marketing Manager at Chili Piper, about her career transition, as well as her company’s unique approach to product marketing, transparent pricing, and positioning.

In this episode of Product Marketing Life, host Collin Mayjack caught up with Logan Hendrickson, Product Marketing Lead at 15Five. If you’re tired of churning out one-pagers for your sales team, this one’s for you.

In this episode Collin sits down with every PMM’s favorite camp counselor, Tamara Grominsky. Collin and Tamara went deep on the differences between inbound and outbound PMM (hint, we’re not talking about your sales motion) and why the classic on the shelf/off the shelf analogy to explain PMM just doesn’t work.

In this episode, learn how to cut out the jargon and make sure your B2B messaging reigns supreme, with the "Queen of B2B messaging" Emma Stratton!You'll learn how to craft a unique brand identity and make your product stand out!

In this episode of Product Marketing Life, Collin Mayjack sits down with Jeff Chase, Mary Lim, and Rachel Sheldon to do a deep dive on interactive storytelling and product adoption. The Vitally team shared how they built their interactive demos from the ground up, the role that demos play in their customer journey, and how they build product guides that don’t get ignored

From the secrets of category creation to the art of structuring a top-tier product marketing team, Julien Sauvage shares valuable insights for any marketing leader looking to blaze a trail through their industry.

In this episode of the Product Marketing Life podcast, Collin Mayjack sits down with Yi Lin Pei, a renowned career coach and founder of Courageous Careers. Yi Lin Pei brings a wealth of experience from her own journey in product marketing and offers invaluable insights into building a fulfilling and strategic career.

In this episode Collin sits down with the 3 the boys behind the We’re Not Marketers podcast: Eric Holland, Gab Bujold, and Zach Roberts. This episode is all about hot takes, including the hot take that started it all: Product Marketers are not marketers.

In this episode of Product Marketing Life, our host Collin Mayjack sits down with the boys behind UserEvidence, Mark Huber & Alex Eaton. Mark peeled back the curtain on his first PMM hire, Alex shared about building his PMM charter, and the three of them talked about what UserEvidence does best – customer proof.

In this episode, Collin sits down with the queen of PLG herself, Madison Leonard. Collin and Madison chat through mistakes product marketers make in segmentation, how companies can become more product led, and why features don’t make a product #1.

In this episode, Collin sits down with the writers of his favorite newsletter, The PMM Files. Collin, Jason, and Aubrey talk about borrowed creativity, three of their favorite product marketing examples, and how to build a swipe file of your own.

In this episode of Product Marketing Life, Collin goes to therapy. Well, sort of. Collin sat down with Maggie Bean, Co-Founder of Product Marketing Therapy. Collin and Maggie get personal, covering everything from anxiety and imposter syndrome to self care and finding community.

In this episode of Product Marketing Life, host Collin Mayjack and guest Anthony Pierri, Co-Founder of FletchPMM, talk about throwing out your product vision, finding clear homepage messaging, and what product marketers can learn from the Baja Men.

On this episode of Product Marketing Life, host Collin Mayjack is joined by Andy McCotter-Bicknell, Head of Competitive Intelligence at Apollo. They delve into the world of competitive analysis – covering Andy's gradual transition from ZoomInfo to their major rival Apollo, common myths about competitive intelligence, and strategies for differentiating your offering while still presenting competitors in a fair light.

In this episode of Product Marketing Life, Mark Assini, speaks with Jason Oakley, founder of Productive PMM, about what it means to be a founding product marketing manager (PMM).

In this episode of Product Marketing Life – the first episode of 2024 – host Mark Assini is joined by Priya Gill, Vice President of Product Marketing at SurveyMonkey. During their chat, Priya and Mark discuss the core three areas product marketers need to nail in order to drive an effective go-to-market strategy. Priya also shares her thoughts on how to invest your time wisely, elaborates on the significance of grasping the buyer’s pain points, aspirations, and motivations, and gets into how AI tools can augment research and content creation to enhance productivity and efficiency. About our guestPriya is an accomplished marketing executive who has worked in the tech industry for over 15 years with experiences in a wide range of disciplines including engineering, product management, finance, and marketing.Today, Priya leads the product marketing, web, growth, and localization teams, driving SurveyMonkey’s go-to-market strategy, web strategy and growth, and international experiences.Key takeawaysWhy understanding market trends and the competitive landscape mattersWhy target buyer insights are crucial to crafting messaging that resonatesHow a deep understanding of your product translates into customer benefitsThe importance of cross-functional partnerships in strategy cohesionHow utilizing AI tools can enhance productivity and efficiency in product marketingAnd more insights throughout the episode!

In this episode of Product Marketing Life – the final episode of 2023 – host Mark Assini has orchestrated an insightful series of discussions with some of the foremost experts in product marketing. This season, we've journeyed through a series of candid conversations, each offering fresh perspectives and real-world experiences that shed light on the multifaceted nature of product marketing.We've explored various topics, from the intricacies of horizontal product marketing strategies to the art of quantifying marketing's impact in a tangible way. You were treated to an array of episodes that delved into the heart of PMMs' challenges, from navigating go-to-market strategies and effectively demonstrating marketing impacts to leveraging customer feedback for sustained growth.Featuring a diverse group of guests, including: Robert Kaminski from FletchZoey Morck from Logz.ioDevon O’Rourk from FluvioRyan Cueller from TruVoiceOlga Laul from GoogleStuti Dutt from Compass DigitalKevin Chan from FleetioThis episode – the final episode of 2023 – offers a recap of some of Mark’s favorite conversations of the year. Key takeawaysHow to achieve GTM successHow to demonstrate impact in a role that doesn’t always get tied to quantifiable metricsWhy companies often fail at the hands of their inability to sustain and repeat successful launches.What a win-loss program is and isn’t What it’s like to be a PMM on a truly global scaleWhat’s the difference between being a solo PMM vs. working in a large team?

In this episode of Product Marketing Life, Mark Assini is joined by Justin Dorfman, Co-Founder & CEO of AssetMule. During their chat, Justin shares his thoughts on the difference between good and great enablement and what product marketers can do to build enablement into a function that delivers enough value to warrant its own dedicated resourcing.As a veteran in the tech and SaaS industry, Justin shares his comprehensive journey that spans from a foundational role in sales to an evolution into product marketing, culminating in his current entrepreneurial venture. Mark and Justin get to the core of effective sales enablement, emphasizing the importance of a strategic approach where ongoing dialogue between the enablement and sales teams leads to more dynamic and impactful support. By moving beyond the traditional reactive nature of enablement, organizations can develop sustainable, scalable strategies that truly support their sales teams in a rapidly evolving market.Not only that, Justin shares the inspiration and vision behind AssetMule, talking about addressing the common challenges in creating sales assets, especially for non-designers in product marketing roles.Key takeawaysWhy product marketers make strong entrepreneursThe ups and downs of self-launchingThe benefits of partnering with PMMs with diverse strengths and expertiseWhy many experienced product marketers still seek validationHow financial acuity is integral in driving impactAnd more insights throughout the episode!

This week on Product Marketing Life, Mark is joined by Vaishnavi Ravi, founder and consultant at Market Maven, to discuss her experiences of leading major pricing changes. In their discussion, Vaishnavi advises treating pricing as an iterative process, requiring continuous testing and learning. She also stresses the importance of deeply understanding your customers and audiences as being critical for positioning and strategic direction. Overall, the discussion provides an inside look at the considerations and cross-functional collaboration vital for a successful pricing change.Key takeawaysPricing changes require balancing multiple factors like value delivered, customer impact, and business metrics. It's an iterative process of testing and learning.Research involves analysts, sales data, customer reactions, competitor pricing, and secondary research on pricing best practices.Important metrics to track include ARR, average revenue per user, deal sizes, customer acquisition costs, and churn.Change management is required to enable sales with the rationale and empathy for customers, staged rollout, and ongoing tracking of metrics and fine-tuning.Focus on truly understanding your customers and audiences will continue to be critical for product positioning and company direction.

In this episode of Product Marketing Life, we're joined by Ryan Cuellar, Chief Delivery Officer at Primary Intelligence, where we discuss the ways in which win-loss analysis can be used to increase revenue and retention. Win-loss analysis is key to any successful product marketing endeavor. It delves into essential factors like why customers make certain decisions, and hones in on four categorical areas: price, product, sales motion, and company. But here's the catch, it's not just a deep product review; it goes deeper by exploring decision-making processes and the human element behind them. Key talking pointsFour categorial areas that interplay in the customer’s decision-making processes.Understanding stakeholders' metrics, especially sales, to produce actionable recommendations.Building a strong relationship within the sales team and why it’s crucial for a successful win-loss program.Metrics don't change on their own; they change with people.Overcoming sales objections and improving win rates.Demonstrating an understanding of buyers' unique needs.ResourcesFollow Ryan on LinkedInJoin the conversation in the PMA Community Slack channelAccess our eBook and explore the world of win-loss programs

So… you’re making the leap to a product-led hybrid model? Cool. Now, how do you break the news without causing chaos? In this short clip, Mark Assini and Umang Sejpal dive into the do’s and don’ts of communicating a strategy shift—so your team actually gets on board (instead of panicking)

In this special episode of Product Marketing Life, host Mark Assini passes over the reins to Mikey Mioduski, Founder and CEO of GhostRanch, who sits down with Jen Jones, Chief Marketing Officer at commercetools. They discuss the value of networking and building mentor relationships throughout your career, why empathy and consistency matter in what we deliver to sales, capitalizing on storytelling opportunities, and more. While you're here, why not become a PMA Pro Member?

In this special episode of Product Marketing Life, host Mark Assini passes over the reins to Mikey Mioduski, Founder and CEO of GhostRanch, who sits down with Esther Yoon, VP of Industry and Product Marketing at RingCentral. They discuss visual storytelling, product keynotes, and the importance of a holistic approach to messaging. Esther also shares a refreshing outlook on what she anticipates for product marketers in 2023. While you're here, why not become a PMA Pro Member?

In this week's episode of Product Marketing Life, host Mark Assini is joined by Meghan Pfeifer, Senior Product Marketer and Brand Strategist at Innovatemap. The pair discuss the relationship between product design and product marketing, how product marketing operates at a digital product agency, and why Innovatemap has put product marketing and brand on the same team.

This week on Product Marketing Life, host Mark Assini is joined by Raechel Lambert, Co-Founder and VP of Product Marketing at Olivine. Rachel has held a variety of product marketing roles throughout the course of her career. In fact, she was one of the first product marketers to join Intercom in its early years.The pair discuss how product marketing changes across company stages and industries, as well as what it's like running a product marketing-focused agency, and how that differs from running product marketing in-house.

This week on Product Marketing Life, host Mark Assini is joined by Yi Lin Pei, the Director of Product Marketing at Teachable. She has over 11 years of experience in B2B and B2C SaaS, IoT, CPG, and consulting, and is also a tech and product marketing career coach, helping high-achieving individuals find and land their dream roles.The pair discussed how anyone can make the transition into product marketing, even without prior experience, and the differences between what being a product marketer means at different companies, whether they are B2B, B2C, SaaS, a startup, or a mature business.

This week on Product Marketing Life, host Mark Assini is joined by Jack Preece, Product Marketing Executive at Linnworks.Jack is a data and design-led product marketer with 5 years of experience building and scaling ambitious startups. He's driven by working with a variety of stakeholders and putting end-users first, at all times.

This week on Product Marketing Life, host Mark Assini is joined by Averie Wong, Product Marketing Manager, Developer Platform & Experience at LinkedIn.Before diving into the world of product marketing head first, Averie was a classically trained accountant turned customer success manager, jumping from Credit Suisse to Princess Cruises in an accounting capacity, and then from Nielsen to App Annie in client-facing roles. Throughout her career, Averie has balanced her quantitative mindset against the need for a qualitative approach, which has paid dividends in her role as a product marketer at LinkedIn.Averie and Mark dig into the nuances that differentiate developer product marketing from traditional product marketing. They also discuss the unique challenges and benefits of marketing to developers, and why developer product marketing is likely to become an increasingly big part of the larger product marketing landscape in the coming years.

This week on Product Marketing Life, host Mark Assini is joined by Al Dea, host of PMA's newly released series Product Marketing Careers. An experienced product marketer with a variety of insights, Al offers his guidance on how to start (and grow) your product marketing career.

This week on Product Marketing Life, host Mark Assini is joined by Saad Asad, Senior Product Marketing Manager at ChartHop. Saad shares his experiences of working in product marketing at start-up companies, focusing on the triumphs and tribulations in his career so far.

This week on Product Marketing Life we’re joined by Chad Meirose, Product Marketing, Core User Engagement at Clever Inc.Chad's experiences in the Education sector are focused primarily grounded in classroom teaching, non-profit program management, and marketing strategy, and in his current role with Clever Inc. he's responsible for developing the product market vision, strategy, and programs to help teachers, school tech leads, districts, and families create the best learning experience for students.Maria shares her unique journey into PMM, why she loves the role, the distinction between positioning and the narrative, and why it matters, plus, tackles the MBA topic, and the one element of a PMM career that really grinds her gears.

This week on Product Marketing Life we’re joined by Maria Massad, Senior Product Marketing Manager at G2 to take a deep dive into the world of narrative building. Maria shares her unique journey into PMM, why she loves the role, the distinction between positioning and the narrative, and why it matters, plus, tackles the MBA topic, and the one element of a PMM career that really grinds her gears.---"Writing is a skill that will serve you in product marketing, beyond product marketing, taking the time to really hone your writing skills and how you think critically about the world, forming your own opinions and judgments is something that will serve you throughout your entire life."

This week on Product Marketing Life we’re joined by Tamara Schebel, VP of Product at Klue. Tamara shares insights, examples of success, and foundational tools on where and how you should start building the right competitive enablement program that fits your company stage, plus top tips for PMMs embarking on their CI/CE journey, and more.---"The biggest part, I think of that planning that most folks seem to miss in the early days, as you slide into CI accidentally, is figuring out to your point what success looks like. It can be any number of things, there are lots of ways to actually measure your impact against CI over time, but you have to actually think about what that's going to be. Because if you don't do it, nobody else is going to do it for you. And suddenly you find yourself two years from now with your boss going, what is it exactly you've done?"