5 Key Traits Every Product Marketer Has

4 min readOct 28, 2020

5 Key Traits Product Marketers Have | CC: Man writing notes

Product marketing is relatively new. There’s always been marketing roles, product roles, and of course technology but they’ve been relatively siloed… until now. Product marketing has been making its way through small and big companies alike for one reason: the impact of value.

People buy products because of the story that’s painted, not the features it brings. If you wanna learn more about this method, check out my article: STOP SELLING FEATURES — The #1 mistake product marketers make.

Sounds easy, right? Whether you’re a seasoned PMM or you’re just starting out, here are the 5 key traits every Product Marketer needs to be successful:

#1 — Storytelling

Your job is to sell prospective users on the VALUE your product will give them, not what the product does. Still think that sounds easy? Try writing a strong 1–2 sentences outlining the VALUE of a pen with a small knife under the cap.

CC: image of a pen that’s also half knife | Can you create a 1 sentence value proposition statement for this product?

If your sentence looked something like “You can do ____ and ____ at the same time,” then it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Not to say this sentence doesn’t have validity somewhere in your product messaging, but it’s important to sell the VALUE before anything else. Will this person’s life improve by using this product? Will they save or gain time/energy/money/something else valuable?

#2 — Condense Communications

Again, this seems easy but in reality, it’s much more complex. A good Product Marketer is one who can condense lots of technical jargon into a simple, easy-to-understand message. A little bit of storytelling might also be relevant here, depending on the feature or product you’re introducing.

CC: personified Amazon boxes | Condense technical jargon — can you explain what AWS provides in 1 sentence?

For example, can you explain in one sentence what Amazon Web Services does and why businesses want to use it? AWS employees are obviously going to know this like the back of their hand, but for anyone else out there (including developers who use the product) I bet you’re gonna have a hard time nailing that 1 sentence.

This skill requires in-depth knowledge of a product and all its features so they can deliver highly technical phrases in a consumable way.

#3 — Cross-functional teamwork

Product Marketing requires communicating with and collaborating with members from Product, Engineering, Design, and Sales teams (or more!). Not only do you have to ensure messaging alignment throughout all teams internally, but you also have the responsibility of all consumer-facing messaging as well.

Everything from a social media post to a feature implementation should stem from your messaging. Now, it’s obviously impossible for you to be everywhere doing everything so this is where an internal positioning framework can help you out. Once you’ve nailed the messaging for the new product or feature you’re launching, create a doc that outlines the target demo, customer personas, outbound messaging, and internal positioning.

This makes it easy for your team to have your messaging without you needing to be there for every message implementation!

#4 — Customer Empathy

If you’re not one to empathize easily with someone, then this might not be the job for you. A good Product Marketer is able to see a customer’s pain points and desires without asking them directly.

CC: two hands coming together | Customer empathy needs to be exercised consistently

There are clues in the way current users and potential customers use and interact with the product that can give you insight into their behavioral needs, which is extremely helpful when solidifying your user personas.

Admittedly, this skill requires constant repetition. Much like a physical muscle in your body, in order to keep this skill strong you’ve got to keep working it!

#5 — Entrepreneurial Work Ethic

If you’re looking for a boss who will dictate your every task, I recommend looking at other professions. This role requires a lot of pivoting in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment where there’s not always a clear path forward.

Since this role requires digital marketing knowledge and execution + product knowledge and positioning, it can often feel like you’re standing with one foot in Product and another in Marketing (and, depending on the company you work for, even Sales!). Product Marketers can be involved in the product/feature creation, launch, and engagement process — covering everything from acquisition, adoption, and retention efforts.

Closing Thoughts

As much as product marketing is a TON of work, it’s also extremely rewarding. Your implementations have a direct impact on the product and the people who use it.