| name | product-marketing |
| description | Applies Meghan Keaney Anderson and Mary Sheehan's Mastering Product Marketing frameworks to build influence and demonstrate impact by delivering great products to market successfully. Covers product positioning, go-to-market strategy, and launch planning and tiering. Activates when making decisions about your product's positioning, planning feature or product launches, defining go-to-market strategy, or crafting product messaging. For pricing and packaging frameworks, see consumer-subscription. Triggers when someone asks about positioning, go-to-market, launch planning, competitive differentiation, or says "how should we position this?" or "how do we launch this feature?" |
Reference files:
references/product-positioning-framework.md -- How to build a research-backed positioning strategy that drives differentiation and business resultsreferences/go-to-market-launch-playbook.md -- Mary Sheehan's launch tiering system and end-to-end GTM planning frameworkreferences/messaging-and-validation.md -- Messaging architecture, audience-specific messaging, and positioning validation methods
How to Use This Skill
When this skill activates:
- Identify which product marketing framework from this skill best applies to the question
- Apply the relevant decision tree from the Decision Tools section
- Ground all recommendations in the context of your product
- Cite the specific framework when making claims
- If deeper detail is needed, read the relevant reference file before responding
Gotchas
Common mistakes to avoid when applying these frameworks:
- Don't position on aspiration instead of reality. Anderson's Anti-pattern 2 warns against positioning based on where you want to be. If your product positions as "the complete wellness platform" but the core experience is daily engagements, new users will feel the gap between promise and product -- and churn.
- Don't treat every launch as Tier 1. Sheehan's tiering system exists because most teams over-invest in minor launches and under-invest in major ones. A new engagement session category is Tier 3 (changelog update); a new Engagement Community product is Tier 1 (full cross-functional mobilization). Mis-tiering wastes resources or buries impact.
- Don't start positioning from the inside out. Anderson insists that positioning must be research-backed with customer language, not internally generated. The words your team uses ("personalized content ecosystem") are almost certainly not the words users use ("my daily mobile app"). Start with win/loss analysis and review mining.
- Don't confuse GTM strategy with launch plan. GTM is the ongoing strategic approach to reaching your market (audience prioritization, channel strategy, positioning). A launch plan is the tactical execution for a single moment. Conflating them means you rebuild strategy from scratch for every feature ship.
Example
User asks: "We're launching an audio content feature. How should we position and launch it?"
Approach:
- Apply Anderson's positioning research process -- determine what problem audio content solves for users (convenience? engagement? accessibility?), what alternatives they currently use (Competitor B, physical Content Library, podcast premium contents), and what language they use to describe the need
- Use Sheehan's tiering framework to classify the launch -- audio content adds a major new capability but doesn't change who the product is for, so this is likely Tier 2 (Silver), requiring 3-6 weeks of preparation with blog post, email, in-app messaging, and updated App Store listing
- Draft positioning using the Positioning Statement Components -- target audience, category, key differentiation from competitors like Competitor B, proof points, and emotional benefit specific to your product's personal tone
- Recommend validating the positioning with 5-10 target users before committing, using Anderson's four validation tests (customer feedback, differentiation, team alignment, messaging derivation)
Anderson & Sheehan's Core Philosophy
The core lesson: product marketing fails when it is disconnected from the customer's reality. Great product marketing starts with deep customer understanding -- not product features, not internal excitement, not competitive positioning. The three pillars: (1) Research-backed positioning that leans into real differentiation, not aspirational differentiation. (2) A measurable go-to-market strategy that aligns cross-functional partners. (3) Launch tiering that matches investment to potential impact. Product marketing's influence comes from being the team that understands the customer most deeply and translates that understanding into business impact.
Module 1: Product Positioning
What Positioning Actually Is
Positioning is not your tagline. It is not your value proposition slide. It is not your competitive comparison chart. Positioning is the strategic decision about how your product will be perceived relative to alternatives in the mind of your target customer.
Positioning has a dual role: It is both the backbone (structural foundation for all marketing) and the heart (emotional connection with the customer) of a product line.
The Positioning Statement Components:
| Component | Question It Answers | your product Example |
|---|
| Target audience | Who is this for? | consumers seeking a daily daily practice |
| Category | What is this? | Daily engagement session and mobile app |
| Key differentiation | Why choose this over alternatives? | Wellness-centered content with community activity features |
| Proof points | Why should they believe us? | 5M+ users, hundreds of guided engagement sessions, community group features |
| Emotional benefit | How will they feel? | Connected to God and a community of users in daily life |
The Positioning Research Process
Anderson and Sheehan insist that positioning must be research-backed, not internally generated. The process:
Step 1: Customer Research
Understand three things:
- What problem are they trying to solve? (Not what feature do they want)
- What alternatives do they consider? (Not just direct competitors -- include "do nothing" and substitutes)
- What language do they use? (Their words, not yours)
Research methods:
- Customer interviews (10-15 conversations with recent customers)
- Win/loss analysis (why did people choose us? Why did they choose a competitor?)
- Support ticket analysis (what problems do they describe in their own words?)
- Review mining (what do app store reviews say -- ours and competitors'?)
your product research questions:
- "What were you doing for your daily practice before your product?"
- "What other apps or resources did you consider?"
- "What made you choose your product over alternatives?"
- "What would you tell a friend about your product?"
- "If your product disappeared, what would you miss most?"
Step 2: Competitive Analysis
Map the competitive landscape not just by features, but by positioning:
| Competitor | Category Positioning | Key Differentiation | Target Audience |
|---|
| Competitor A | Catholic engagement & meditation app | niche-specific content, liturgical calendar | Practicing Catholics |
| Competitor E | consumer meditation app | Sleep stories, meaningful meditation | consumers seeking calm/sleep |
| Competitor B | content reading platform | Community content plans, reading streaks | Content Library readers of all levels |
| Headspace/Calm | Secular mindfulness | Science-backed meditation, broad content | General wellness seekers |
| Community podcast/premium content | Community content | Familiar expert, community connection | Active communitygoers |
Step 3: Identify Your Unique Space
Find the positioning territory that is:
- True (you can actually deliver this)
- Relevant (customers actually care about this)
- Distinctive (competitors are not already claiming this)
Potential positioning territory: "The daily daily companion that connects you to God and a community of users -- through engagement sessions, engagement, and content."
Positioning Anti-Patterns
Anti-pattern 1: Feature-First Positioning
- Symptom: "We have 500+ engagement sessions, 200+ community groups, learning plans..."
- Problem: Features do not differentiate (competitors can copy features)
- Fix: Position on the outcome/feeling, not the feature list
Anti-pattern 2: Aspirational Positioning
- Symptom: Positioning based on where you want to be, not where you are
- Problem: When customers try the product, reality does not match the promise
- Fix: Position on what is true today, with room to grow into the aspiration
Anti-pattern 3: Internal Positioning
- Symptom: The positioning resonates inside the company but not with customers
- Problem: Teams get excited about their own story and miss the customer's perspective
- Fix: Validate positioning with customers before committing
Anti-pattern 4: Me-Too Positioning
- Symptom: "We're like [competitor] but better/cheaper/faster"
- Problem: Anchors your product to the competitor; you will always be compared on their terms
- Fix: Find your own positioning territory
Positioning Validation
Before committing to positioning, validate it:
- Customer feedback test: Share the positioning statement with 5-10 target customers. Does it resonate? Do they understand it? Would they share it with a friend?
- Differentiation test: Can a customer clearly articulate how you are different from alternatives?
- Team alignment test: Can every team member (PM, marketing, sales, support) consistently describe the positioning?
- Messaging derivation test: Can you naturally derive all marketing messaging from the positioning? If messaging feels forced, the positioning is wrong.
Module 2: Go-to-Market Strategy
What GTM Actually Means
Go-to-market is not a launch plan. GTM is the overarching strategy for how you bring a product to market -- including who you target, how you position it, what channels you use, how you enable sales/success teams, and how you measure success.
GTM Strategy Components:
| Component | Description | Owner |
|---|
| Target Audience | Which segments are we pursuing and in what order? | PMM + Product |
| Positioning | How will we be perceived relative to alternatives? | PMM |
| Messaging | What specific messages for each audience and channel? | PMM |
| Channel Strategy | How will we reach the target audience? | PMM + Growth Marketing |
| Launch Plan | How will we introduce this to the market? | PMM |
| Sales/CS Enablement | How will we equip customer-facing teams? | PMM + Sales/CS |
| Measurement | How will we know if it worked? | PMM + Analytics |
GTM Strategy vs. Launch Plan
| GTM Strategy | Launch Plan |
|---|
| Scope | The entire approach to bringing a product to market | The specific activities for a single launch moment |
| Duration | Ongoing (evolves with product and market) | Time-bounded (pre-launch, launch, post-launch) |
| Focus | Strategic choices (who, why, how) | Tactical execution (what, when, where) |
| Ownership | Product marketing leads, cross-functional input | Product marketing drives, many teams execute |
The GTM Canvas for your product
1. Target Audience Prioritization:
| Priority | Segment | Why First/Next |
|---|
| 1 | Active consumers seeking daily habit | Largest addressable, highest intent, best conversion |
| 2 | Lapsed consumers re-engaging | Emotional trigger, life events drive return |
| 3 | Young adults exploring wellness | Growing segment, long LTV potential |
| 4 | Community leaders seeking group resources | High influence, multiplier effect |
2. Key Messages by Segment:
| Segment | Primary Message | Secondary Message |
|---|
| Active consumers | "Start every day with God -- a engagement session chosen for you" | "Join millions in daily engagement and content" |
| Lapsed consumers | "Find your way back -- one engagement session at a time" | "No judgment, just 5 minutes of peace and presence" |
| Young adults | "Personality that fits your life" | "Audio, text, or video -- your practice, your way" |
| Community leaders | "Give your audience a daily engagement companion" | "Community groups that keep your community connected between Sundays" |
3. Channel-Message Alignment:
| Channel | Best Audience | Message Focus |
|---|
| App Store (ASO) | High-intent searchers | Feature and benefit clarity |
| Paid Social (Meta) | Active consumers, Lapsed | Emotional connection, testimonials |
| Search Ads | High-intent ("mobile app") | Direct value proposition |
| Community partnerships | Leaders, Audiences | Group features, community value |
| Content/SEO | Seekers, Young adults | Educational, inspirational content |
| Email/Push | Existing users | Retention, conversion, habit reinforcement |
Module 3: Launch Planning and Tiering
Mary Sheehan's Launch Tiering Framework
Not every launch deserves the same investment. Sheehan, having led 250+ launches, developed a tiering system that matches launch effort to potential impact.
Tier 1: Major Launch ("Gold")
- Reserved for new products, major pivots, or features that change the value proposition
- Full cross-functional mobilization
- Press, analyst relations, customer events
- Dedicated landing pages, new creative, new messaging
- 6-12 weeks of preparation
- your product example: Launching a completely new "Engagement Community" product within the app
Tier 2: Significant Launch ("Silver")
- For features that meaningfully enhance the product for existing users
- Cross-functional coordination (marketing, product, CS)
- Blog post, email announcement, in-app messaging
- Updated App Store screenshots and description
- 3-6 weeks of preparation
- your product example: Launching audio content feature or guided session series
Tier 3: Minor Launch ("Bronze")
- For incremental improvements, bug fixes, small features
- In-app notification, changelog update
- No external marketing required
- 1-2 weeks of preparation
- your product example: New engagement session category, improved search, UI refinements
Tiering Decision Framework
Does this launch change who the product is for?
+-- Yes --> Tier 1 (new audience = full launch)
+-- No
+-- Does it change the core value proposition?
| +-- Yes --> Tier 1 (fundamental product change)
| +-- No
| +-- Does it add a major new capability?
| | +-- Yes --> Tier 2 (significant enhancement)
| | +-- No
| | +-- Is it visible to most users?
| | | +-- Yes --> Tier 2 or Tier 3 (depends on impact estimate)
| | | +-- No --> Tier 3 (incremental improvement)
| +-- Will this drive measurable business impact (retention, revenue)?
| +-- Yes --> At least Tier 2
| +-- No --> Tier 3
The Launch Playbook (Tier 1 and 2)
Phase 1: Planning (6-4 weeks before launch)
- Define launch goals and success metrics
- Align with product on ship date and feature scope
- Develop positioning and messaging for the launch
- Create the launch brief (shared doc that aligns all teams)
- Assign roles and responsibilities
Phase 2: Preparation (4-2 weeks before launch)
- Create all marketing assets (landing page, email, social, press materials)
- Update App Store listing (screenshots, description, what's new)
- Brief and enable customer-facing teams (support, community)
- Prepare in-app messaging and push notification sequence
- Finalize measurement plan (what metrics, what tools, what dashboards)
Phase 3: Launch (Launch week)
- Execute the launch sequence (press embargo lift, email send, social posts, in-app announcement)
- Monitor real-time: app store ratings, support volume, feature adoption
- War room for first 48 hours (rapid response to issues)
- Capture launch content (screenshots, quotes, metrics) for future marketing
Phase 4: Post-Launch (1-4 weeks after)
- Measure against success metrics
- Gather customer feedback (surveys, reviews, support tickets)
- Identify optimization opportunities
- Write the launch retrospective (what worked, what did not, what we would do differently)
- Feed insights back to product for iteration
The Launch Brief Template
| Section | Content |
|---|
| Launch Name | What are we calling this? |
| Launch Tier | Tier 1, 2, or 3 |
| Ship Date | When is the feature available? |
| Launch Date | When do we tell the world? (may differ from ship date) |
| Target Audience | Who is this for? |
| Positioning | How are we positioning this feature/product? |
| Key Messages | 3 key messages, in priority order |
| Success Metrics | What does success look like? Specific numbers. |
| Channels | Which channels will we activate? |
| Assets Needed | Landing page, email, social, press, in-app, ASO |
| Team Roles | Who owns what? |
| Timeline | Key milestones with dates |
| Risks | What could go wrong? Mitigation plans? |
Module 4: Pricing and Packaging (Cross-Reference)
For pricing and packaging frameworks including Value-Based Pricing, paywall optimization, trial strategy, tier design, pricing communication, and pricing experiments, see the Consumer Subscription skill (consumer-subscription).
That skill covers:
- The three pricing philosophies (cost-plus, competitor-based, value-based) and why value-based pricing applies to your product
- Packaging strategy: what to include in free vs. premium tiers to optimize habit formation and conversion
- Trial design decisions (length, onboarding sequences, paywall placement)
- Pricing experiments methodology (price point testing, annual vs. monthly framing, anchoring)
- Pricing communication and framing principles
- Price change governance and execution
The Consumer Subscription skill is the canonical source for all pricing and packaging decisions at your company.
Decision Tools
Decision 1: How to Position a New Feature
Who is this feature primarily for?
+-- Existing users (retention/expansion play)
| +-- Does it change the core product experience?
| | +-- Yes --> Reposition the entire product (update all messaging)
| | +-- No --> Position as enhancement ("Now with X")
| +-- Does it address a known pain point?
| +-- Yes --> Position around the pain point ("You asked, we delivered")
| +-- No --> Position around the opportunity ("Discover a new way to...")
+-- New audience (acquisition play)
| +-- Does the current positioning include this audience?
| | +-- Yes --> Extend existing positioning
| | +-- No --> Create sub-positioning or consider repositioning
| +-- Will this audience understand the current product language?
| +-- Yes --> Use existing messaging with new proof points
| +-- No --> Develop audience-specific messaging
+-- Both existing and new users
+-- Lead with existing users (they validate the feature)
+-- Then extend to new audience (credibility established)
Decision 2: What Launch Tier Is Appropriate
Is this a new product or major product pivot?
+-- Yes --> Tier 1 (Gold) -- full cross-functional launch
+-- No
+-- Does it meaningfully change the user experience?
| +-- Yes
| | +-- Will it affect >50% of active users?
| | | +-- Yes --> Tier 1
| | | +-- No --> Tier 2 (Silver)
| +-- No
| +-- Is it visible to users at all?
| | +-- Yes --> Tier 3 (Bronze)
| | +-- No --> No launch needed (internal changelog)
+-- Is there a business metric this will materially move?
+-- Yes (e.g., >5% impact on trial conversion or retention)
| --> At minimum Tier 2
+-- No --> Tier 3
Key Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Product Positioning | The strategic decision about how a product is perceived relative to alternatives in the customer's mind |
| Positioning Statement | A concise articulation of target audience, category, differentiation, and proof points |
| Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy | The overarching plan for how a product reaches its target market, including positioning, channels, and enablement |
| Launch Tiering | Categorizing launches by potential impact (Tier 1/Gold, Tier 2/Silver, Tier 3/Bronze) to match effort to opportunity |
| Launch Brief | A shared document that aligns all teams on launch goals, messaging, timeline, roles, and success metrics |
| Competitive Positioning | How a product is differentiated from specific competitors in the market |
| Win/Loss Analysis | Research into why customers chose your product (win) or a competitor (loss) |
| Feature Adoption Rate | The percentage of eligible users who use a new feature within a defined time period |
| Product-Market Messaging Fit | When your messaging resonates with customers because it accurately reflects both the product's value and the customer's need |
| Launch Retrospective | A structured post-launch review of what worked, what did not, and what to do differently |
Reference Files
references/product-positioning-framework.md -- How to build a research-backed positioning strategy that drives differentiation and business resultsreferences/go-to-market-launch-playbook.md -- Mary Sheehan's launch tiering system and end-to-end GTM planning frameworkreferences/messaging-and-validation.md -- Messaging architecture, audience-specific messaging, and positioning validation methods
