The Scariest Thing About Product Marketing

Hey PMM. Or aspiring PMM.

If you’re reading this, it sure does feel pretty crazy out there. AI messaging has seemingly bullied its way into every corner of our lives. Layoffs are impacting thousands of people. We’re overloaded and stressed. And the quest for profits rages on.

We’re scared of losing our jobs. Or - for the unemployed - scared that we won’t find our next product marketing role.

It can be … a lot.

The scariest thing in product marketing, to me, is how fast it can move.

Two years ago I felt like I had a firm grip on the discipline. I felt like an expert, like I had enough practical experience and knowledge to be able to share it confidently with the world.

This year? I can barely string two thoughts together. I can barely complete a full launch.

Many factors can contribute to feeling out of control and behind on mastering our PMM domain.

• Limited Support - When the pressure of such a cross-functional role goes up, the need for teamwork and collaboration does too. What happens when you’re on a small team or you’re the only PMM? 😨

• No Resources - We’ve all been told to work lean. One of the scariest things about being a PMM is having no budget and no resources to tap into like training or enablement.

• High Stress - When I’m stressed, I get sloppy. Just today I messed up and sent a deck to an analyst that had an extra slide in it that wasn’t supposed to be there. My emails start to have typos, my work looks unpolished. It’s pretty spooky.

The best thing I can do for myself during a particularly scary time in my career is breathe, slow down, and be mindful of my shortcomings (don’t get sloppy!).

Small things can be fixed.

I am capable and good at my job.

Be kind to yourselves right now. I am making an effort to be kind to myself, to slow down a little bit, and to approach each challenge with more thoughtfulness instead of a manic need to conquer it.

I love what I do, and that’s not scary at all.