Versus Battle: Product Management vs. Product Marketing
Explained by Clara Lee, VP, Product & Operations at WooCommerce (Automattic)
I’ve noticed three trends in product management.
The majority of product managers move into product management from other roles. In a survey that I ran last year, most people were in Engineering, Business and Design before becoming a product manager.
The role and responsibilities of product managers can be different depending on the company. There may be specialization between Product Managers, Technical Product Managers, and Product Owners, as well as Consumer, B2B, or Platform Product Managers.
The boundaries between product managers and related roles (such as product marketing or project management) can be different depending on the company. This may especially be true where there are areas of overlap, like user research with product marketing or design, or backlog grooming with project management.
Although product management has become much more mainstream over the last ten years, there’s still a lack of standardization across product management. The bright side is that product managers are well-rounded with broad skill sets and can be plugged into many different roles! But I was also curious about digging deeper into product management vs. other roles head to head. Enter the Versus Battle.
What is a Versus Battle?
Created by Timbaland and Swiss Beatz, a Verzuz battle is a music battle where two musicians face off with music. Sometimes, these matchups literally erupt into battles like when Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony threw punches, and other times, the matchups are more lovefests than battles, like when Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight expressed mutual admiration.
For the next few posts, we will adapt the concept of music’s Verzuz battle into a product management Versus battle comparing product management to other roles. The goal is to explore the similarities and differences in each role, so that you have a better understanding of which role interests you more and what superpowers you can bring to a new role if you’re transitioning between the two roles. To help me do that, I’ll tap into guest experts who have experience in both of the roles to share their insights.
My guess is that these product management matchups will be more lovefest than battle, but you’ll need to stay tuned to find out. Without further ado, let’s jump into our first battle!
Versus Battle: Product Management vs. Product Marketing
Our guest expert for this battle is Clara Lee. Clara is currently VP, Product & Operations at WooCommerce (Automattic). Automattic is the company behind WordPress.com. WooCommerce, acquired by Automattic in 2015, is an open-source ecommerce platform powering 28% of the top 1M ecommerce sites. Clara transitioned into Product Management from leading Product Marketing at Woo, after previously holding Product Marketing and Operations roles at Apple. Here’s her take on Product Management vs. Product Marketing.
What’s similar about the two roles? What’s different about the two roles?
The greatest similarity between product marketing and product managing is the centrality of customer empathy and understanding to drive product and go-to-market decisions. Zeroing in on the benefits for target or priority profiles, engaging directly with customers, and then turning feedback into insights are for me, requirements of both roles. With that said, there are key differences:
It's up to Product Managers to balance customer, business, and engineering requirements. Product Marketing Managers can influence this, but the ultimate decision usually rests with the product management team.
Product Managers drive the entirety of the development cycle, from discovery to end of life. Most Product Marketing Manager teams that I've worked with are project-based, which means their involvement tends to focus on discovery and go-to-market, with space to support other projects during building and validation phases. Because of this difference, I've seen PMMs work with anywhere from 2 to 6 PMs at a time.
Both Product Managers and Product Marketing Managers are "translators" for their respective execution teams. While Product Managers collaborate with Design and Engineering teams on translating customer needs into user experience and technical plans, Product Marketing Managers are in charge of translating customer needs into creative direction.
Lastly, Product Managers are responsible for overall product performance and health. While the success of Product Marketing Manager’s work surely contributes to some of those metrics, they may also be focused on campaign performance and channel effectiveness.
What superpower do PMMs bring to the PM role?
As a former Product Marketing Manager in a Product Manager role, I've noticed that my familiarity with go-to-market means that I am always thinking about audiences, launch structure, and value propositions even in the very early stages of the product. There are some great tools like the Amazon PRFAQ which encourage product teams to think ahead like this, so I wouldn't say this superpower is unique to Product Marketing Managers, but I do find that having this thinking at the forefront of my brain at all times means I'm able to constantly remind the Product Management team of why we're creating our products and the response we hope to get from customers. This helps us avoid rabbit holes and navigate minor obstacles with efficiency.
What type of product marketers would be well suited to become a product manager?
Throughout my career, I've seen two types of Product Marketing Managers. Those that are "Product marketers with a capital P" and those that are "product Marketers with a capital M." This may be as much dictated by the organization as it is by personal preference. "Product marketers with a capital P" will have an easier transition to product management.
Conversely, what makes PMs great PMMs?
A Product Manager that wants to transition into Product Marketing Manager should have the interest in digging deeper into customer psyches, segmentation, messaging, etc. It does help if they are sharp with language, as that'll benefit the creative teams that rely on direction from the Product Marketing Manager.
What advice do you have for PMMs that want to become a PM?
For those looking to explore internally, spend as much time with Product Managers and product development teams as possible! "Shadowing" their work, finding ways to contribute, and building those relationships can help you be a leader that comes to mind when new Product Manager roles open up.
For those who are looking to transition externally, I'd recommend investing in Product Management education so that you know what the role entails and can hit the ground running once you're hired. I'd suggest a strategic product leadership overview, like SVPG's Inspired Workshop, complemented by a more tactical PM training that includes doing experiential homework or a consulting engagement with the opportunity to receive rigorous feedback.
What did you do in your first 90 days that helped you transition successfully?
To me, the first 90 days are ALL about communication with your new team and cross-functional partners.
The first 30 days are your time to listen and learn. Spend time with Engineering, Design, and other Product Managers to observe team dynamics and collaboration styles. Also talk with your cross-functional partners, including Marketing, Sales, Data, and Operations, to align on what they expect of you. At the 30 day mark, I'd share back in writing what you heard – to demonstrate that you listened and show that you're integrating the information that you've been given.
At 60 days, I'd be ready to publish your hypotheses about product strategy and thoughts on what's needed to validate those hypotheses. Depending on your background, you may not feel like an expert in this space yet, so I'd encourage you to be vulnerable and ask for feedback even after the memo is out. My 60 day communication included five hypotheses. In hindsight, three of them were on the mark and are now part of the roadmap. We agreed that another one is solid but lower level priority, so that’s also currently in the backlog. The last one, though it didn't become anything real, opened the doors for some very constructive debate that ultimately helped us iron out our product principles. In my opinion, the most important thing here is not that your hypotheses are "correct" but that you come across as having an opinion and being open to discussion.
By 90 days, you and your team should have a plan of action, with you as the directly responsible individual for everything product management. Hopefully you're a part of the team's cadence and active in all the right cross-functional meetings.
Key Takeaways
Product Managers and Product Marketing Managers partner closely during the discovery and go-to-market phases of product development. These overlaps enable Product Marketing Managers to transition well into Product Managers, and vice versa. Whether you’re transitioning into Product Management or well into your Product Management career, keep in mind these key tips for success from Clara:
Use the Amazon PRFAQ to keep the customer outcome top of mind
Invest in developing your product management skills through courses like SVPG's Inspired Workshop or building your portfolio of hands-on experience product management experience
Don’t be afraid to publish your product strategy hypotheses at 60 days in a new role, even if not all of the hypotheses turn out to be right
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