Career growth is front of mind for many product marketing professionals. According to the 2024 State of Product Marketing Report, 40.4% of product marketers want to stay with their current employer but move up the product marketing career ladder.

Whether you decide to climb the career ladder at your current organization or make your next move externally, you’re going to face several tough decisions. One of which is likely to be whether you should pursue management positions in product marketing. 

In this article, you’ll learn how to determine whether a management track is right for you as well as uncover ways to successfully transition into your first product marketing leadership position.

How to determine whether you should be an IC or a manager in product marketing

For starters, how do you decide whether it makes sense to pursue a management role or if you’re better suited for IC (Individual Contributor) roles in product marketing?

You’ll want to ask yourself whether you prefer managing people more or managing projects more. If you prefer leading colleagues, you might wish to pursue a management career.

Conversely, if you prefer leading projects, you may wish to pursue an IC path. And, if you enjoy both managing people and projects equally, that’s okay too; you might just find it more difficult to select a path.

According to Stefany Martin, a former product marketing lead for Blue Yonder and other leading supply chain and logistics startups, choosing the best path ultimately comes down to what brings you the most job satisfaction.

“You might find fulfilment in sharing your knowledge to coach others and assist them in enhancing their skills within product marketing,” says Martin. “On the other hand, you might prefer to remain an individual contributor with more significant responsibilities and projects.”

Questions to determine if you’d enjoy being a manager

Choosing the best career pathway requires you to look internally, examine the work you enjoy, and intentionally decide how you want to spend your time. It also helps if your role plays to your strengths and you find it rewarding.

Amy Jin, Senior Growth Engagement Manager at Credit Karma, provided the following reflective questions to support you in deciding if a leadership position in product marketing is right for you:

  • Do you find yourself mentoring and coaching people on your team? Do people come to you for career advice?
  • Do you enjoy thinking about people’s strengths and growth opportunities and matching them to potential projects or roles?
  • Do you prefer to be in meetings all day versus being heads down doing independent work?
  • Do you gravitate toward improving processes for your team and developing best practice documentation and training?
  • Do you feel comfortable responding to the emotions of others, such as a colleague’s disappointment?
  • Do you think your manager’s job is rewarding?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, it indicates you’d likely enjoy a management role in product marketing.

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Strategies to support your transition from IC to manager in product marketing

Now, if you do decide that a leadership path is right for you, how do you make the pivot from an IC role to your first management position?

Martin argues that transitioning from an individual contributor role to a management role can be challenging. However, it’s far from impossible if you have a well-thought-out strategy and plan.

Make the most of your current work environment

Your current workplace can be a great playground for developing your management abilities and growing your skills as a leader.

Both Jin and Martin recommend that you start your transition into management by gaining your boss’s buy-in and sharing your career goals with them.

Martin also reminds aspiring product marketing managers that they can utilize available company resources to aid in their journey and suggests that they ask about any management training programs they may be able to attend.

Step beyond your day-to-day responsibilities

Speaking of which, Jin and Martin also highlighted the importance of taking on additional responsibilities and projects at your current company if you want to be considered for a management role.

One option is to ask your boss if you can mentor new hires and interns, says Jin. She additionally recommends mentoring, or continuing to mentor, colleagues on the team.

You can also volunteer for projects where you will serve as the driver and be the day-to-day point person for colleagues, adds Jin. This might look like developing a training program, improving processes, or sharing best practices, all of which “show how you uplift the whole team just like a manager can.”

Importantly, you want to do a good job when in the dotted-line manager capacity and use it as proof that you’re a good leader, explains Jin. Also, be sure your progress doesn’t exist in a vacuum either. “Ask for lots of feedback from your teams and focus on building the trust so you can get feedback,” she suggests.

Update your career documents to reflect your leadership skills

As you take on additional responsibility, you want to update your resume and LinkedIn profile with your new skills and career goals, explains Martin.

When you do this, make sure to include relevant keywords from your industry and terms related to product marketing management in your LinkedIn profile to help you be found by recruiters on the platform.

You can pull language from target product marketing manager job descriptions to ensure you’re speaking the language of the role you’re aiming for, rather than the one you hold now.

Prepare for management-level product marketing interviews

Beyond refreshing your career documents, you also want to prepare to speak to your management skills during your interview, so you need to be ready to share specific examples of when you’ve led teams and projects.

Like when updating your resume and LinkedIn profile, you can use a target position description to support you in practicing how to “speak the language” of a higher-level role than the one you hold now.

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Mistakes to avoid when going from IC to manager in product marketing

While it’s possible to transition from an IC role to a leadership position in product marketing, the following are a few common missteps to avoid along the way: 

Setting unrealistic expectations for your growth trajectory

You want to set yourself up for success by setting realistic expectations for your first product marketing management position.

Unless you have previous people management experience from another functional area, please don’t assume that your initial product marketing leadership role will be leading a large team.

More likely than not, your first product marketing management position will include one or two direct reports. It might also look like one of those dotted-line leadership opportunities that Jin referenced.

In fact, you might have better success focusing your efforts on the leadership of smaller teams, as nearly 80% of respondents of the 2024 State of Product Marketing Report were on teams with five or fewer members.

“Remember, it’s okay to start with a smaller team as a product marketing manager before moving on to managing larger groups,” adds Martin.

Overlooking opportunities beyond your current company

While there might be opportunities for promotion with your current employer, you don’t want to limit your career growth to only what’s available internally.

According to Martin, “Moving up within your current organization can be challenging, especially if you’re valued in your current role because of your domain expertise… Looking for opportunities outside your organization might be a faster way to advance.”

Consider creating a list of your target employers, bookmark their Careers page (for example: productmarketingalliance.com/careers), and check it regularly for openings that align with your career goals.

Additionally, you can let people in your network, particularly decision-makers at your target companies, know the types of management positions you’re targeting and ask them to notify you if they see roles that align with your experience, skills, and career intentions.

Lastly, be sure to seek out help from those who have been in your shoes before, as they can provide you with tips and strategies to make the transition less arduous.

“Get lots of coaching as a new manager from your boss, other more experienced managers, and professional coaches,” advises Jin.

Martin additionally suggests seeking out a mentor to support you in preparing for product marketing management interviews.

You can also turn to the Product Marketing Alliance Content Hub to learn more about the career progression of other product marketing leaders.

Final thoughts

On a final note, please keep in mind that there’s no “right” pathway for your product marketing career. Regardless of the path you choose, you’re not tied to a single career track, and you can even pivot between IC and management roles. These tips are simply a jumping-off point to serve as inspiration for your learning and growth. You’ve got this!