Hey, it’s Yi Lin! 👋 Welcome to my monthly newsletter on how to land, grow, and thrive in your dream product marketing and leadership roles. For more assistance than a newsletter can provide, check out my 1-1 PMM coaching programs, or job search program.
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Why PMM Promotions Don’t Happen (Even When You Deserve One)
It’s Friday at 5 PM, and Colleen is still working.
She’s knee-deep in the new repositioning work - one of her team’s most critical strategic projects.
Her manager told her she was the only one trusted to handle this kind of work. She should feel valued. But she doesn’t.
Because despite getting great performance reviews for three years in a row, despite taking on the hardest projects, and despite working late…she still hasn’t been promoted.
She’s wondering: Should I stick it out just a little longer? Maybe my career switch from content marketing is the reason I keep getting overlooked. Maybe I just need to prove myself more.
The truth is, Colleen’s story isn’t unique.
Every week, I hear the same frustration from PMMs at high-growth companies:
“I hit my goals. My manager praises my work. But somehow, I’m still not getting promoted.”
"I'm always the one ready to pitch in on a project, but I feel constantly overlooked."
It’s frustrating because it feels like you’re doing everything right. You’re taking on tough assignments. You’re delivering real impact. You’re a trusted voice in meetings.
So what’s actually happening here?
Here is the truth: promotions aren’t just about performance. They’re about strategy, timing, and visibility.
So how do you ensure leadership sees you as the next obvious candidate for promotion?
It comes down to four critical steps:
1️⃣ Be in the Right Place (because some companies will never promote you) 2️⃣ Do the Right Work (don’t just “work hard”; do work that matters
3️⃣ Get in Front of the Right People (because unnoticed work won’t get you anywhere)
4️⃣ Ask the Right Way (so leadership has no choice but to say “YES”)
Today, we’ll focus on the first two steps. In the next newsletter, we will focus on steps 3 and 4.
Step 1: Be in the Right Place
Before you even think about proving yourself, you need to ask:
👉 Am I even in an environment where promotions happen?
You can be the best PMM in the world, but if your company doesn’t prioritize career growth - or your manager doesn’t advocate for their team - you’re already fighting an uphill battle.
So when it comes to selecting the right company, it’s important to consider two important factors: the company’s health and your manager.
What to look for in the right company
First, you want to join a company that's on a solid trajectory. No one can succeed by being the captain of a sinking ship. This means looking beyond the flashy perks or temporary extras and digging deeper into the company's fundamentals.
Ask the following:
Financial health: Is the company financially stable and experiencing growth?
Cultural alignment: Does the company's culture resonate with your values and work style?
Skills alignment: Are your skills and strengths a good match for the role and the company's needs, and are the skills needed for the role realistic?
Growth opportunities: Does the company have a clear path for growth and advancement, even if it's a startup?
Caution: There are many roles out there that masquerade as PMM roles, but are not actually PMM roles; for instance, roles that require you to spend 80% of your time on content creation, or running campaigns. It’s extremely important to verify whether the responsibilities are true PMM (research, positioning and messaging, product launches, enablement).
What to look for in a manager
Just as crucial as choosing the right company is finding a manager who will champion your growth and advocate for your success. A supportive and influential manager can make ALL the difference in your career trajectory.
Here are some qualities to look for in a manager:
Prior track record: Does your manager have a track record of promoting their team members and helping them develop their careers?
Competency/skills: Does your manager possess skills and expertise that you can learn from, whether in product marketing or general business acumen?
Compatible work styles: Are your work styles complementary? While your styles don't need to be identical, they should be compatible enough to foster a productive and collaborative working relationship.
Influence and advocacy: Does your manager have a strong voice at the table when it comes to promotion decisions? Can they effectively advocate for their team members and ensure their contributions are recognized by senior leadership?
The last point is perhaps the most important. If your manager is politically weak within the organization, it will be 10 times harder for you to succeed, as they will not be effective advocates for you or your team.
Pro Tip: You can learn a lot about the manager and the company by paying attention to how cross-functional partners talk about your potential manager during interviews. In addition, don't underestimate the power of networking and gathering information from sources outside of the formal interview process.
Back-channeling, which involves connecting with ex-employees or other individuals within the company, can provide invaluable insights into the company culture, management styles, and growth opportunities.
Assessing your current environment
If you're already working in product marketing, it's important to periodically assess your current environment to ensure it's still conducive to your growth. I have developed a worksheet for my clients to conduct this check regularly, and it’s been a game changer.
The goal here is not to quit immediately if things don’t look great, but to pay attention to decide what factors are good enough, and which ones are deal breakers.
Colleen’s Story (Continued)
After realizing her company and manager weren’t setting her up for success, Colleen knew she needed a change.
She reached out to me, and we worked together to conduct a health check on her role. It became obvious her manager did not have her best interest at heart and she needed to leave. We then worked on a job search strategy, one that positioned her as a senior-level strategic PMM, not just an executor.
Within two months, she landed a Senior PMM role with a $50K salary increase.
Here is the thing: no good manager wants to hold you back, even if it means having to find a replacement for you. The work Colleen had been doing at her old company was keeping her stuck. Deciding to quit, and positioning her skills at the level she deserved unlocked her career growth.
Step 2: Do the Right Work
Being in the right environment is important, but it’s just the starting point. If you want to stand out and position yourself for promotion, it’s not about doing more - it’s about doing the right things.
Yet, here’s the biggest misconception I see:
Many PMMs believe that “career growth” means mastering every skill on the PMM career ladder.
It couldn’t be further from the truth.
I cringe every time I see massive career matrices—those exhaustive checklists that seem structured and impressive but are impossible to execute in real life.
I often coach Heads of PMM to redesign these frameworks because they create a false sense of progression. They push PMMs to become generalists, when in reality:
💡 PMMs who get promoted aren’t the ones trying to do everything.
💡 They’re the ones who excel in a few key areas that drive impact.
The key to career acceleration isn’t checking every box - it’s mastering the specific skills that move the needle.
If you’re feeling stuck in your growth, ask yourself:
Are you focusing on what truly matters, or just trying to do it all?
The T-Shaped and π-Shaped PMM
Rather than spreading yourself too thin, focus on one or two key areas of deep expertise while having broad exposure across the rest of product marketing.
Depth: You have deep expertise and proficiency in one or two core product marketing skills, making you a go-to expert in those areas. This could be in areas like product launches, competitive intelligence, or messaging and positioning.
Breadth: You have broad exposure and a general understanding of all other areas of product marketing, allowing you to collaborate effectively with different teams and contribute to a wide range of projects.
And instead of waiting for leadership to define your strengths, you need to define them yourself.
Ask yourself:
💡 What do I want to be known for?
💡 What work do I consistently deliver at an exceptional level?
💡 Which projects have I worked on that created measurable business impact?
Here are examples of high-impact skills areas for PMMs:
Positioning & Messaging → You own how your product is perceived and differentiated.
Product Launches & GTM → You drive strategy that leads to revenue impact.
Research and insights → Your insights influence executive decisions and roadmap strategy.
Sales Enablement → You build materials and processes that help sales close more deals.
The goal is to be the “go-to” person for one or two of these—and make that expertise undeniable.
Three Fundamental Areas to Master in Product Marketing
You might be thinking, "Great, I’ll just focus on developing those core skills, and I’ll be all set, right?"
Not quite. While core PMM skills are essential, they’re only part of the equation. To truly stand out, you also need to build your visibility, influence, and strategic thinking. These are the skills that, over time, will set you apart the most once you’ve mastered the basics.
At every PMM level, the key is to focus on the most important skills within these buckets to grow. When I figured that out, my career took off.
Here’s how that looks:
🌱 PMM (Entry to Mid-Level PMM):
Core Skills: Gain broad exposure across the 4 foundational areas, while delivering high-quality work in at least 2 areas.
Visibility & Influence: Build strong, two-way relationships with key stakeholders with minimal supervision.
Strategic Thinking: This is still a developing skill at this stage, as PMMs typically execute plans set by leadership.
🌿 Senior PMM (Highest IC Level):
Core Skills: Demonstrate experience across all core PMM areas with exceptional proficiency in at least one (e.g., the go-to positioning expert). Be truly T-shaped or π-shaped and operate with little to no supervision.
Visibility & Influence: Beyond stakeholder relationships, senior PMMs excel at making business cases and managing up effectively.
Strategic Thinking: While you may not own the full team strategy, you actively contribute to it and propose opportunities based on insights.
🌳 Director (People Manager Level):
Core Skills: Guide the team to success by coaching and leveraging a deep understanding of PMM fundamentals rather than doing the work themselves.
Visibility & Influence: Be a trusted advisor to peers and C-suite leaders and contribute significantly to cross-team projects (e.g., a market entry initiative).
Strategic Thinking: Own the strategy for the entire PMM team and influence company-wide direction.
Creating Your Career Growth Plan
Now that you have a clearer understanding of the skills you need to develop, you need to put it into action and track your progress. For that, I recommend the following steps:
Define your target level: What level do you want to reach in your career? Identify the skills and experience required for that level, using the chart above as a guide.
Assess your current state: Honestly evaluate your current skill set and experience. How would you rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 for each of the required skills?
Identify skill gaps: Determine the areas where you need to develop your skills or gain experience to reach your target level.
Develop actionable steps: Create a list of specific actions and activities you can take to close those skill gaps. This could include taking courses, attending workshops, volunteering for challenging projects, or seeking mentorship from experienced professionals.
Below is a career development plan that I use with my clients.
What’s next?
Getting promoted in product marketing isn’t just about hitting milestones - it’s about building lasting influence and positioning yourself for continuous growth.
In the next newsletter, I’ll dive into how to build influence, advocate for yourself, and time your ask strategically to land your next promotion.
But why wait? You can take action NOW, and you don’t have to do it alone.
Through my Thrive Coaching Program, dozens of PMMs have secured promotions - such as the client below:
Here’s how I can help:
✔️ Personalized growth plan tailored to your goals
✔️ Custom resources to sharpen the skills needed for your next level
✔️ Influence-building strategy suited to your personality
✔️ Self-advocacy techniques to help you push for what you deserve
I can even help you make the case to your employer to use L&D or professional development funds.
🎁 As part of the Lunar New Year Celebration, I am offering a special bonus to anyone who books before the end of Jan 2025. :)
Thank you again for reading! If you have feedback for my newsletter, please reply anytime - I read and respond to every email!
To your success,
Yi Lin
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