Jun 10 2021 69 mins
Before going into Product Marketing and leaving the corporate world, Mike earned his Ph. D in Film Studies. Some of his favourite movies include The Thing and The Witch. Currently, he's working in forensic tech at an organisation that builds tools for public and private spheres to protect against cyberattacks.
Mike talks about product marketing fundamentally being about presenting and representing product(s) as well as possible. As product marketers, you "live" in the centre of a venn diagram. You talk to customers, but also work with go-to-market teams internally to enable strategies. You have to be on top of trends, gather competitive intelligence, and think about the use case and need rather than the literal use of the product(s) your org presents. His advice for success? Foster an innate sense of curiosity and willingness to dig deeper, and get as much technical understanding for the product you market so that you can speak well to the benefits.
How did Mike get into product marketing?
When he was looking to change career paths, he wrote out his job wish list on a white board and came to learn that product marketing checked all of the boxes. Moving from education to product, he found that he's still collecting information to put something larger together and looking at a variety of sources. You learn how to learn, how to work, and be adaptable when you come from academia; don't be afraid to pivot.
Storytelling and applying it to daily life
Growth is very possible as a PMM, and it's important to ensure everything being put out is providing value and valuing the time of your audience. Mike strives to tell the most valuable story each time, which personally makes him happy as a consumer.
Over the course of the pandemic, he's been striking a balance between productivity and rest/recharge time, as well, which is why not wasting people's time is especially important to him. He intentionally improves by networking with people in similar roles, and unintentionally improves by continuing to purpose curiosity (this includes picking up a fantasy novel and letting his mind wander).
Advice from Mike
- Pay attention to new discoveries because you don't always know what's relevant to what you're doing right away
- Talk to people who have the jobs you want — be genuine and respectful in your outreach
- Reflect on your current role and what you like and don’t like (before reaching out^)
- Make sure that you tell your story, don’t leave it to other people’s imaginations
LINKS
Company websites:
Magnet Forensics: magnetforensics.com
Six & Flow: sixandflow.com
Socials:
Magnet Forensics: https://twitter.com/MagnetForensics
Six & Flow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sixandflow
Khadijah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KPSixandFlow
Product Marketing organisations:
Books:
Movies: