The PMM Advantage: Transforming Products into Market Leaders
Bridging Product-Market Gaps and Driving Sustainable Growth!
Ever watched a brilliant product fail while a mediocre one thrives? The conventional wisdom suggests it's about features, timing, or market fit.
Google+ had better features than Facebook. Adobe XD was more powerful than Figma. Yet they all lost the market. Why?
While Photoshop perfected features, Canva told a story of design democratization. While InVision polished functionality, Miro captured the essence of collaborative thinking. Again why?
I sat down with , VP of Marketing at vFairs and author of newsletter, for a two-hour conversation that shattered these conventional narratives. What started as a discussion about Product Marketing Management/Managers (PMMs) evolved into a deeper revelation about the mindset and methodology that separate market leaders from the rest.
While others obsess over features, these companies cultivate what I call "The PMM Advantage" — the art of building bridges between product excellence and market perception.
Through eight revealing voyages into the playbooks of Miro, Canva, HubSpot, and other market leaders, we'll discover the critical mindset shift that separates market dominance from technical excellence. These battle-tested strategies explain why some products capture markets while others, despite superior features, fade into irrelevance.
Who Should Read This Article and Why
This article is for VCs, Founders, and Product Managers who want to unlock the full potential of Product Marketing Management. At the heart of this approach lies a simple yet powerful framework: The Connection Flywheel.
What You’ll Gain
Clarity on Real Challenges: Role confusion, missed differentiation, and post-launch struggles.
Actionable Frameworks: To empower PMMs, align teams, and craft narratives that drive adoption, retention, and advocacy.
Expert Insights: Hear directly from Aatir on how PMMs turn great products into market leaders.
Ready to Navigate 8 Product Marketing Voyages? Let's Dive Deep. 👇
Voyage 1️⃣
PMMs Build Bridges
Here’s a question to start with: Why do so many innovative products fail to connect with their market?
The answer is simple: they lack a bridge. The features might be flawless, but if the story doesn’t resonate, the product stalls.
As Aatir puts it:
“PMMs are the voice of the product to the customer and the voice of the customer to the product. Without them, the product has no bridge to its market.”
However, many organizations reduce PMMs to tactical roles like writing copy, managing campaigns, or supporting sales teams. This undercuts their real value.
A great PMM doesn’t just “support.” They are strategists, customer advocates, and storytellers. Their work determines whether a product thrives—or fades into irrelevance.
Why Should You Care About PMMs?
💰 VCs: If PMMs are sidelined, it’s a red flag for scaling. Misaligned product-market messaging can derail even the most promising startups.
💡 Founders: Without PMMs, your product risks being misunderstood or undervalued in the market.
🛠️ PMs: PMMs ensure your features translate into solutions that resonate with real customer pain points.
Building the Bridge: Where PMMs Shine
Aatir recalls a telling example from vFairs:
“The problem wasn’t the feature. It was the story around it.”
Too often, companies focus on what the product does, instead of why it matters. PMMs excel at crafting narratives that highlight both the emotional and functional value of a product, cutting through market noise to ensure relevance and resonance.
Pause for Thoughts
Are your PMMs empowered to be strategic leaders—or relegated to tactical tasks?
Does your product have a strong bridge to its market—or is it stuck in a silo?
Voyage 2️⃣
PMMs & PMs—Stronger Together
Imagine this scenario: A product team spends months building a highly anticipated feature. The developers deliver it on time, and the release is announced with excitement. But after launch, adoption lags. Feedback from customers? “We’re not sure how this helps us.”
What went wrong?
It wasn’t the feature. It was the disconnect between building the product and crafting the story around it. This is where PMMs and PMs must work as a unified team to ensure alignment between the product’s capabilities and the market’s needs.:
“PMs and PMMs should operate like a covalent bond. One focuses on building the right product; the other ensures the product reaches the right people with the right message.” — As Aatir explains.
Yet, this synergy is often missing. PMMs are frequently brought in after product decisions are finalized, limiting their ability to influence narratives and positioning. The result? A product that fails to connect with its audience.
Bridging the Gap: Aatir’s Formula for Success
1. Early Involvement
“PMMs should join product discussions from day one,” says Aatir. At vFairs, PMMs attend roadmap meetings alongside PMs to co-create messaging and strategies during the development process. This ensures the narrative resonates from the outset.
2. Shared Metrics
“When teams share KPIs, collaboration naturally improves,” explains Aatir. Metrics like adoption rates and NPS scores help align efforts, fostering a shared commitment to customer success.
3. Clear Role Clarity
Aatir emphasizes the importance of defined responsibilities:
PMs: Strategize, Prioritize and develop the product.
PMMs: Craft messaging, positioning, and go-to-market strategies.
With clarity in roles, both teams can focus on their strengths while working collaboratively to bring the product’s story to life.
Pause for Thoughts
Are PMMs involved early in roadmap discussions or brought in too late?
Have you clearly defined the complementary roles of PMMs and PMs?
Voyage 3️⃣
Different Wins Over Better
Imagine you’re launching a new product. The team is laser-focused on making it “better” than the competition—more features, faster performance, and a shinier interface. Yet, despite these efforts, customers seem indifferent.
The problem? Being “better” often isn’t enough.
In crowded markets, customers don’t always care about incremental improvements. What they do care about is how your product is different—how it uniquely solves their problems or creates value in ways competitors can’t.
“Sometimes you just need to share how you’re different, not how you’re better.”
— As Aatir explains!
This insight flips the traditional approach on its head. Instead of exhausting resources in feature wars, PMMs and PMs should collaborate to uncover differentiation—the unique positioning that makes their product stand out.
The Drift Effect: Creating a New Category
To illustrate the power of differentiation, Aatir points to Drift, a chat tool that escaped direct competition with Zendesk and Intercom by inventing its own category: conversational marketing.
“Drift didn’t just try to compete on features,” — Aatir shares. “They changed the game entirely by focusing on what made them unique—real-time customer conversations that replaced static lead forms.”
Here’s how Drift broke free from the “better vs. best” trap:
Old Paradigm: Compete on customer support features with established players.
New Paradigm: Focus on generating leads through conversational marketing.
By shifting the narrative, Drift avoided head-to-head competition and redefined its market, proving that differentiation beats incremental superiority.
The HubSpot Sweet Spot: Integration Over Superiority
HubSpot offers another compelling example. Rather than competing to be the best at email marketing, CRM, or social media tools, they positioned themselves as the best-integrated platform.
“They intentionally didn’t want to be the best at any single function,” — Aatir notes. “Instead, they solved the fragmentation problem by excelling as a unified platform.”
By focusing on integration, HubSpot resonated with customers who valued simplicity and cohesion over piecemeal solutions. This strategic differentiation helped them claim a unique position in the market.
What This Means for PMs and PMMs
For Product Managers: Collaborate with PMMs to uncover unique positioning opportunities. Instead of joining the race to be “better,” explore ways to redefine your product’s category or solve niche problems in distinct ways.
For PMMs: Lean into differentiation as your narrative. Craft messaging that highlights what makes your product truly unique, and ensure it resonates emotionally with your audience.
Pause for Thoughts
Does your product strategy prioritize being different, or are you caught in the “better” trap?
Are your PMMs uncovering unique value propositions that set your product apart?
Voyage 4️⃣
Retention Starts After Purchase
Let’s talk about a moment that often gets overlooked: what happens after a customer hits “buy.” Many teams focus all their energy on acquiring customers, but Aatir emphasizes: the real work starts after the sale.
“Once people buy your product, they still need to justify their decision. That’s where post-purchase marketing becomes essential”
This psychological phenomenon, known as post-purchase rationalization, highlights a critical phase in the customer journey. Customers want to feel confident they made the right choice, and it’s up to you to help them do so. If you don’t, the risk of churn looms large.
Retention Is Not the End—It’s the Beginning
PMMs play a pivotal role in creating strategies that go beyond acquisition. Retention isn’t just about keeping customers—it’s about reinforcing their choice and turning them into advocates. Aatir shares a compelling example from vFairs:
“We introduced structured kickoff meetings and personalized onboarding within days of purchase. These small steps didn’t just retain customers—we turned them into advocates.”
By focusing on early engagement, vFairs ensured customers not only felt supported but also discovered the value of the product faster, strengthening their connection.
Why Post-Purchase Marketing Matters
💰 VCs: Retention signals maturity; post-purchase marketing drives loyalty and growth.
💡 Founders: Focus on retention and advocacy to build reputation and reduce churn.
🛠️ PMs: Align updates with customer goals to boost satisfaction and unlock growth.
Practical Strategies for Post-Purchase Marketing
Personalized Onboarding:
Don’t just hand customers the keys to the product. Show them how to unlock its full value through tailored onboarding experiences.Structured Kickoff Meetings:
Involve your team—whether sales, product, or leadership—in early interactions to set the tone and build trust.Ongoing Value Reminders:
Reinforce the reasons your customers chose your product through targeted email campaigns, in-app messaging, and regular check-ins.
Pause for Thoughts
Are you helping customers validate their decision to choose your product?
Is your onboarding both practical and emotional, and does your post-purchase journey seamlessly create advocates?
Voyage 5️⃣
PMMs in Product-Led Growth
What happens when a product markets itself? That’s the promise of Product-Led Growth (PLG)—self-serve scaling driven by product usage. But here’s a misconception Aatir warns against:
“PLG doesn’t eliminate PMMs—it demands PMMs who can think at scale.”
While PLG organizations thrive on users discovering value organically, the reality is that strategic messaging remains vital. PMMs are not sidelined in this model; they’re even more essential in crafting the narratives that transform users into advocates.
The Role of PMMs in PLG
PMMs in PLG aren’t just feature promoters—they’re ecosystem builders. They create narratives that resonate across different user types, from free-tier customers to enterprise clients. Aatir describes how Miro exemplifies this:
“Miro’s AI-powered features were adopted widely because their PMMs crafted a holistic approach. Influencer campaigns, detailed landing pages, and user-focused narratives ensured the messaging landed across all audiences.”
PMMs as Narrative Architects
To thrive in PLG, PMMs need to excel in three key areas:
Data-Driven Storytelling: PMMs use product data to craft targeted, impactful messaging.
Advocacy Ecosystems: They turn power users into product advocates.
Differentiation: PMMs define what makes the product unique and unforgettable.
What PLG Leaders Should Prioritize
💰 VCs: Look for PMMs driving narratives that convert free users into paying customers.
💡 Founders: Treat PMMs as strategic partners shaping engagement from onboarding to advocacy.
🛠️ PMs: Work with PMMs to align storytelling with functionality for maximum impact.
Pause for Thoughts
Are PMMs shaping your PLG strategy with data-driven narratives?
How are you turning users into advocates through compelling messaging?ct stories?
Voyage 6️⃣
PMMs & Product Ops—Aligned Roles
Here’s a common challenge as organizations grow: How do you ensure every team pulls in the same direction without stepping on each other’s toes?
This question is particularly relevant for Product Marketing Managers (PMMs) and Product Operations (POps)—two roles that support the product in fundamentally different ways. Yet, as Aatir notes, their overlapping scopes can create confusion:
“Product Ops ensures internal readiness. PMMs ensure the product resonates externally.”
The Internal-External Balance
The difference between these roles lies in their focus:
Product Operations: Streamlines workflows, manages processes, and clears bottlenecks to keep things running smoothly.
Product Marketing Managers: Craft narratives, align messaging, and drive market impact.
This dual focus, when managed well, ensures the product is not only built effectively but also resonates deeply with its target audience.
Why Distinction Matters
When roles blur, inefficiencies creep in. Aatir emphasizes the need for clarity:
“Without clear role delineation, you risk duplication of effort—or worse, critical gaps in execution.”
At vFairs, Aatir’s team established strong collaboration between POps and PMMs during product launches.
“POps streamlined the internal processes for launches, ensuring deadlines were met and teams were ready. PMMs, on the other hand, crafted the external narrative that brought the product to market. This division of responsibilities created synergy instead of overlap.”
How Leaders Can Enable Success
💰 VCs: Aligned teams signal efficiency; role confusion doesn’t.
💡 Founders: Define roles to complement, not duplicate.
🛠️ PMs: Let POps streamline development, while PMMs drive market impact.
Pause for Thoughts
Are PMMs and POps aligned yet distinct in roles?
Is collaboration driving seamless launches and impactful storytelling?
Voyage 7️⃣
Repetition That Sticks
Here’s a common pitfall in product launches: believing that one great announcement is enough to drive adoption.
“Customers aren’t living in your product every day. They don’t think about it the way you do. Your feature occupies a tiny fraction of their mind space.”
— Aatir Explains.
This truth highlights why repetition is not just helpful—it’s essential. Customers need to hear your message multiple times, from different angles, before it truly resonates.
The One-Time Announcement Fallacy
In SaaS and B2B, the myth of the single, perfect launch persists. Teams pour their energy into crafting a big reveal and then move on, assuming the job is done.
But according to Aatir —
“You might need to tell your customers something multiple times before it sticks. And even then, you need to reinforce that message with new angles and fresh stories.”
This isn’t about bombarding users with identical messages. Effective repetition evolves the narrative, ensuring that it remains relevant, engaging, and impactful.
How Canva Built Momentum
Aatir points to Canva’s AI-powered Magic Tools suite as a masterclass in strategic repetition:
Gradual Rollouts: Instead of introducing all features at once, Canva allowed users to explore them incrementally, creating curiosity and a sense of discovery.
Continuous Reminders: Canva used in-app nudges, targeted emails, and social posts to keep users engaged and informed about new tools.
The Big Reveal: After nine months of gradual releases, Canva executed a high-impact announcement that showcased the full value of the suite, ensuring it reached a broader audience.
This approach didn’t overwhelm users; it guided them through a cohesive journey of adoption and advocacy.
Repetition Builds Trust, why?
Effective messaging is a balance of consistency and creativity. It reinforces the value of your product while meeting users where they are.
💰 VCs: Assess if startups reinforce key narratives across channels.
💡 Founders: Repetition builds presence, not annoyance.
🛠️ PMs: Partner with PMMs to tailor repetition for personas and touchpoints.
Pause for Thoughts
Are your feature releases visible, or getting overlooked?
Is your messaging diverse yet consistent across touchpoints?
Voyage 8️⃣
Evolving Stories, Lasting Impact
Repetition in messaging is a powerful tool, but it can easily backfire if executed without care. To truly resonate, repetition must evolve, offering fresh perspectives while reinforcing the same core message.
Aatir highlights —
“The core message doesn’t change, but the story around it evolves. One day, you highlight how a feature helps save time; another day, you share a case study of a customer success story.”
Repetition is not about saying the same thing over and over—it’s about adapting the message to keep it relevant and impactful.
Avoiding Lazy Repetition
Lazy repetition risks alienating users by failing to add value. Instead, successful repetition strategically repositions the core message for different contexts.
Aatir provides a practical example of launching an AI-powered matchmaking tool:
Initial Announcement: Highlight the core benefit—“Save hours by automating manual filtering.”
Follow-Up Story: Share a real-world success story about how a customer achieved tangible results.
Industry Use Cases: Showcase diverse applications of the tool, such as in recruitment, events, or e-commerce.
By evolving the story with each iteration, repetition becomes a driver of engagement, not fatigue.
“Effective repetition,” Aatir notes, “is about variety with consistency. You’re reinforcing the message while giving your audience something new to connect with.”
Enterprise SaaS: Tailoring Repetition by Audience
In enterprise SaaS, one size does not fit all. Repetition must adapt to the needs of different stakeholders:
C-Suite Executives: They care about ROI, scalability, and strategic alignment.
Mid-Level Managers: Their focus is on implementation ease and productivity improvements.
End-Users: They prioritize usability and how the product makes their day-to-day tasks easier.
Aatir explains why tailoring matters:
“Understand who you’re talking to. The CEO, the manager, and the end-user don’t need the same story—they need their own version of it. That’s where PMMs excel.”
Framework for Effective Repetition
To ensure your repetition is impactful, Aatir recommends structuring it around three key elements:
Anchor Message: Keep the core value proposition clear and consistent.
Three Angles:
Customer Stories: Bring your message to life with real-world examples.
Data-Driven Insights: Highlight measurable outcomes that prove value.
Visionary Framing: Show how your product is shaping the future of the industry.
Layered Timing: Plan messaging across pre-launch, launch, and post-launch phases to sustain engagement and momentum.
Pause for Thoughts
Is your story evolving while staying consistent?
Does your repetition effectively address diverse stakeholder needs?
Let’s Conclude: PMMs as Strategic Growth Catalysts
Success in product management isn’t just about features—it’s about connection. True impact comes from aligning what you build with how you bring it to market, and this is where Product Marketing Management shines.
PMMs aren’t just marketers—they’re strategists driving adoption, differentiation, and advocacy. They shape go-to-market narratives, bridge the gap between product and market, and ensure retention strategies create long-term value. Yet, their contributions are often overlooked.
As your organization scales, aligning internal teams with external impact becomes essential. Whether you’re a founder scaling operations, a VC evaluating growth potential, or a PM delivering the next big thing, understanding the strategic role of PMMs is non-negotiable.
Key Roles and Responsibilities
Finally, to unlock the full potential of PMMs, it's essential to understand how their responsibilities complement those of other roles within your organization. Here's a breakdown of key contributions from PMs, PMMs, POps, and Digital Marketers:
📚 Related Articles about Product Marketing
If you found this deep dive valuable, here are some additional resources to expand your understanding of Product Marketing Management:
Maja Voje’s Interview with Aatir Abdul Rauf: Learn about the foundational role of PMMs in bridging product and market gaps. Read it here.
Behind Product Lines: Explore Aatir’s newsletter for insights on scaling SaaS products through the lens of product marketing.
Coming Next: Mastering the Art of Collaborative Storytelling
The next chapter of this article dives into The Storytelling Cycle, a framework that unites PMMs and PMs in crafting narratives that drive measurable impact.
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"PMMs are the voice of the product to the customer and the voice of the customer to the product." That nails it, and I would add that they are also the voice inside the organization. Closer to the customers, they have a good sense of the direction in which a product should be developed.