Introduction

Companies want great product marketers, but unclear roles and messy hiring make it hard to find and keep the right people.

What's the problem it solves?

Businesses are struggling to hire strong product marketing leaders. This article shows how confusing job roles, weak company setups, and long interviews drive good candidates away-and what companies must fix to improve.

Quick Summary

The demand for skilled product marketing leaders is growing fast. But even as companies chase top talent, most don’t fully understand what product marketing actually does. Many job listings are vague or wrongly focused on tasks like writing content, when real product marketers should help with strategy, market insights, and go-to-market plans.

Most of these jobs also lack the support needed to succeed. Many are posted by companies with no PMM team, or only one or two marketers, with no clear place in the company’s structure. This leaves new hires stuck without help, authority, or a clear goal. Add to that long hiring processes with too many interview rounds, confusing feedback, and take-home tests, and it’s no surprise top candidates walk away.

Senior product marketers face the biggest roadblocks. Their interviews take longer, the job details are often unclear, and their roles don’t come with the resources needed to succeed. Unless companies fix these deeper problems, they’ll keep hiring the wrong people-or lose the good ones they really need.

Key Takeaways from the article

• Most product marketing jobs are unclear or wrongly defined.
• Many companies don’t have the right setup to support senior PMMs.
• Jobs often lack team support, clear reporting, or executive backing.
• Long, confusing interviews turn away strong candidates.
• Senior PMMs face more interviews and longer searches than junior ones.
• Companies say they want strategy but often ask for simple task work.
• A good PMM needs clear goals, support, and a seat at the table.
• To fix hiring, companies should align on what the role really is.
• Interview processes should be faster and more focused.
• Pay, title, and role scope must match-if not, talent will go elsewhere.
• Strong PMM leaders can improve GTM success and drive growth.
• Hiring well in PMM is about company readiness, not just job ads.

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