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The Overview #71

? Hey there. This is The Overview, a weekly roundup of noteworthy B2B SaaS stuff. You’ll find interesting thoughts, articles, and more from around the internet.

If you’re a freelance product marketer, let’s chat! I’m looking for a PMM work with our team at Remote on a six-month contract. Ideally you’ll have 5+ years of PMM experience in B2B SaaS, preferably in the HR or fintech industry. Full-time only, remote by default. Drop me a reply with your LinkedIn profile!

Please, let’s stop this.

Sometime soon, I’m going to create a shit list of all the crap phrases that we need to unequivocally BAN from our work.

Industry-leading is a great example of a phrase we think sounds impressive, but actually is a load of waffle. One of the first things I ever wrote on the internet also volunteered:

  • “…made easy”
  • “Complete with…”
  • Best of breed, or best-in-class
  • “…empowers…”
  • Enterprise-grade

What would you add? Contribute to the shit list – get in touch with the product marketing words and phrases you’d like to boot into the sun.

Don’t forget, best practices are inspiration.

In the content I write, I try to focus on pretty common situations that most product marketers will face and add context to describe the surrounding situation. This is so you can recognise when it may apply to you, and why I did what I did – so you can decide whether or not to pay attention.

One lesson I learnt in a previous failed product launch was that best practices are inspiration, not instructions to follow. Always apply critical analysis and take everything with a pinch of salt.

And whether you’re sharing the lessons you’ve learnt or you’re taking past experience into your next role, don’t forget to evaluate the context of your experience, and how it may not work in other situations too.

Swipe File: “Wait, what’s getting released?”

???? When you become a free Building Momentum subscriber, you get access to my exclusive product marketing swipe file! Click here to find out more.

This post by John Zilch includes many tips on effective product launches, including this nugget:

The distinction between a “product release” and a “product launch” could be deemed the thesis for this article.  A ‘“product release” – in this context – is the technical publication of code to production environments.  A “product launch” – for the sake of this article – is the communication of value to the customer.  

Always separate out the release of code into production, and the product launch to customers. Maybe even add a step in the middle, for product availability. This gives you more flexibility, more confidence, and results in less stress for everyone involved.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought – find me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

P.S. If you’ve found value in Building Momentum, could you buy me a coffee? Here’s my tip jar – any support is gratefully appreciated! 

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