Product Marketing Misunderstood: How to Establish Your Role, Authority, and Strategic Value | Richard King - Bryony Pearce

Product marketing is not a new function. Just like sales, accounting, and so on, it’s been around for decades. The only difference is perception. Ask anyone what a sales rep does, and they’ll tell you they sell stuff. Ask about product marketers and…you’ll get wildly different answers at best, blank expressions at worst.

Anyone who really knows product marketing understands the tremendous value it adds to organizations, but not enough people seem to get it, which can make it notoriously hard for product marketing managers (PMMs) to get the recognition they deserve.

Product Marketing Misunderstood helps you apply the tools of your own trade to your job—positioning, messaging, research, personas, and more—helping your entire organization value what you do.

Created by the founder of the Product Marketing Alliance, this essential guide arms you with the tools you need to show colleagues past, present, and future that product marketing lies at the heart of your company.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you want to amplify your impact and clearly define your value as a product marketer, this book is for you. The PMA effectively demystifies the nebulous role by both celebrating its complexity and simplifying a more modern approach. Full of hands-on exercises, you'll walk away with the ability to articulate your role as a product marketer and position yourself for success at an organization of any size."
 
— Tamara Grominsky, Chief Strategy Officer at Unbounce
 
 
"Nobody gets product marketing like the PMA. Product Marketing Misunderstood is proof. It PAINS me how misunderstood our craft is. How can we convince CMOs to invest in product marketing if nobody knows what the hell we do? This book takes a major bite out of the mystery surrounding product marketing. It's required reading for aspiring and tenured PMMs. Get your CMO a copy too."
 
— Marcus Andrews, Director of Product Marketing at Pendo
 
 
"I needed this book ten years ago. I need it even more in the next ten years. As a startup founder and CEO, I made countless and costly mistakes trying to scale product marketing. As a growth stage VP of Product, I wasn't equipped to help product marketing. There are defined playbooks for demand gen, outbound, and nearly every piece of modern go-to-market, except product marketing. With increasing competition in every category and power consolidating to buyers, there has never been a greater need for strategic PMM. In my next company, I'll bring the frameworks from this book on day one."
 
— Adam Schoenfeld, VP Strategy at Drift
 
 
"Richard King's Product Marketing Alliance community has become the go-to meeting place for the world's best product marketers. This book is a must-read for product marketers and executives who want to build a better product marketing organization."
 
— April Dunford, Positioning Expert and author of Obviously Awesome

About the Author

Richard King is the Founder & CEO at Product Marketing Alliance, the number one product marketing community. In just two years, the PMA has grown to 60,000+ members, boasting multiple accredited certifications and partnering with renowned brands like Microsoft, TikTok, Salesforce, Gong, Intuit, and Google.

Bryony Pearce is the Alliance's Chief Marketing Officer. She's been with the company since day one and has built the content, course, and membership offering from the ground up. Establishing key definitions, frameworks, and standards, Bryony has been a key proponent behind PMA's mission: elevating the role of product marketing.