Your PMM Promotion Playbook (Part 2)

Today, we'll continue our discussion on getting promoted in product marketing. As a reminder, promotions aren't just about performance. They're about strategy, timing, and visibility. The full Promotion Playbook consists of 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")

In our last newsletter, we covered the first two crucial steps: being in the right company and doing the right work. Now let's tackle the remaining elements that will seal the deal on your promotion.

Today, we'll focus on steps 3 and 4 – the two most often-neglected ingredients in getting promoted, because even exceptional work won't get recognized if it's invisible to decision-makers.

For your reference, this is part of a multi-part series on career advancement:

• Part 1: Focused on the first two ingredients you need: being at the RIGHT company and having the RIGHT skillsets.

• Part 2: Focuses on etting in front of the RIGHT people and asking for promotion the RIGHT way. <— this newsletter. 

• Part 3: Beyond traditional promotions - Alternative paths when conventional advancement isn't the right fit for you - coming in April. 

P.S. my friend Brian Lee, Director of GTM Strategy at JPMorgan (and former PMM leader), and I have worked closely on this topic. In today’s newsletter, I’ll break these down and share a tactical approach to ensure you get the recognition and career growth you deserve.

Step 3: Get in Front of the Right People (Driving influence)

The value + recognition equation. 

Imagine you're at the right company, working on meaningful projects, and consistently delivering excellent results. But as we all know, doing great work alone isn’t enough to secure a promotion. If the right people don’t see and recognize your contributions, they may go unnoticed.

To advance in your career, you must ensure your work is recognized by those you aim to influence - not just your boss, but also key stakeholder teams. This is especially critical for PMMs, who often operate with limited direct authority.

So, how do you build influence with the right people? It starts with understanding the Value-Recognition Equation. In our last newsletter, we covered how to create value. Now, let’s focus on the second half of the equation: getting recognized.

Here’s how you can amplify your impact and drive influence in three key steps:

1: Map your circle of influence 

The first step is identifying who needs to see your work. These needs to be people who have real power who can actually advocate for you: 

1. Your direct reporting line: Manager and their manager

2. Cross-functional partners: Product leaders, sales representatives and so on 

3. Executive sponsors: VPs and other decision-makers who approve budgets and headcount

Quick Action: Set aside 15 minutes this week to create a simple influence map. Draw yourself in the center, then add everyone who influences your career growth as connected circles around you. Note their roles and decision-making power.

2: Understanding what matters to them

Once you've identified your key stakeholders, take time to understand:

• Their goals: What they're measured on and what success looks like for them

• Their blockers: What prevents them from achieving their goals

• Their communication preferences: How they like to receive information

For example:

• Sales teams are measured by quotas and deal velocity. They need concise, actionable content they can immediately use with customers that actually work. 

• Product teams care about driving adoption and championing the product. They want PMMs who deeply understand the product and can articulate its value.

• Leadership is focused on bottom-line results. Always ask yourself "so what?" about your work until you can connect it directly to business outcomes.

If you feel that your stakeholders won't make time for you to understand their goals, remember you can make time for them. Instead of just asking them to meet 1-1, start by reviewing their team OKRs or public goals. Attend their team meetings as an observer. If possible, shadow them for a day to see their challenges firsthand.

3: Add value consistently 

With this understanding, you can align your work to address what matters most to your stakeholders:

1. Match your work to their priorities: Help solve their problems

2. Be proactive: Anticipate needs before they arise

3. Plan your socialization strategy: Just as you would plan a product launch, create a plan for how you'll share your work's impact

This last point is crucial and often overlooked. For every major project or initiative, set aside time in your project plan specifically for socializing your work and its outcomes. Don't wait until the project is complete - create multiple touchpoints throughout the project lifecycle:

• When you create the initial plan

• At key milestones

• Before launch ("pre-launch roadshow")

• After launch results are available

• During retrospectives

Influence is not self-promotion. 

With these steps, you'll be well on your way to building relationships and getting recognized. But if you're introverted or feel uncomfortable with "selling yourself," like I am, remember: influence isn't about self-promotion - it's about building genuine relationships through value and education.

By shifting your mindset, you'll see that influence is a natural and essential part of being an effective employee. When the right people step up and drive influence, they create positive ripple effects that benefit their teams and organizations.

Meet Dia… 

One of my clients, Dia, a PMM at a growth-stage B2B cloud company, hadn't been promoted in four years despite transitioning from lifecycle marketing to product marketing and performing well. 

She was frustrated, felt stuck, and it didn’t help that in 4 years she had 3 different managers. 

Working together, we identified that she needed to improve how she socialized her work and build stronger relationships with the product team - the most important stakeholder in her circle of influence (instead of only trying to prove her worth to her managers).

Understanding this, she focused on a tier-one product launch, actively treating the product managers as partners in the process rather than just stakeholders. She included them throughout the launch planning and execution, created a killer launch plan, sought their input and incorporated their feedback.

The results of the launch were transformative. Dia received written praise from the product team (which was shared with her manager), and the lead product manager even told her, "you're now part of the product team :) " – the ultimate validation. 

After this successful launch, she got a note from her manager that said “The launch was phenomenal, and I heard positive things from the Head of Product - well done”

Step 4: Ask the Right Way (To get promoted as a PMM)

So, you've built a strong circle of influence and are thriving in your role by delivering great work. But does that mean a promotion will automatically come your way?

No. You have to make the ask.

One of the most valuable lessons I learned early in my career came from a VP in my first marketing role. He told me that 99% of the promotions he received happened because he asked for them directly. Making the ask signals your ambition and holds your company accountable for supporting your growth.

But when and how you ask makes all the difference.

The Biggest Promotion Misconception

If you’re asking for a promotion during your performance review, it’s already too late. By the time that conversation happens, the decision has likely been made.

Promotion decisions don’t happen in the review meeting, they happen months earlier, during informal discussions and calibration meetings. Your review is simply the final, formal announcement.

Think of your promotion like a product launch and work backward from your review date.

Since most performance reviews happen annually or semi-annually, you need a strategic approach to proactively shape the decision before it’s made. Here’s a promotion playbook to help you influence the outcome and maximize your chances of success.

When and How to Ask 

6-12 months before your review 

Start by aligning your goals with a promotion in mind. Work with your manager to create a career development plan: a structured document outlining where you are now, what’s required for the next level, and the steps to bridge that gap. This should include:

• A current level assessment of your skills and strengths

• A target level breakdown of what’s needed to get promoted

• A gap analysis highlighting key areas for growth

• A clear action plan with specific projects and initiatives to develop those skills

• The support and resources (mentorship, training, coaching) your manager can provide

Beyond formal planning, actively identify and take on key projects that showcase your ability to operate at the next level. Schedule career development check-ins separate from your regular 1:1s to ensure ongoing alignment and feedback.

3-4 months before your review

At this stage, start collecting proof of impact. Gather results from your projects, seek feedback from stakeholders, and reinforce your interest in a promotion with your manager. Keeping it top of mind ensures they advocate for you when decisions are made.

1 month before your review

Document your key achievements and present them to your manager. This makes it easier for them to build your case during promotion discussions. As a former manager, I can tell you—while leaders are aware of big wins, having everything documented makes their job easier and ensures nothing is overlooked. Proactively sharing your progress allows you to control the narrative.

Strategic timing beyond the review cycle 

While annual or semi-annual reviews are the most common promotion moments, you can also leverage key career milestones to make your ask:

• After major wins: Strike while the iron is hot, especially when you've driven strong results or received company-wide recognition.

• After taking on new responsibilities: If your role has expanded but your title and compensation haven’t, it's time to discuss leveling up.

• When already operating at the next level: If you're consistently executing at a higher level, make the case that the promotion is simply a formal acknowledgment of your contributions.

Final word

By following this approach, you take control of your promotion path while ensuring your manager can provide the right support. But remember, promotions don’t always happen on your timeline. External factors like budget constraints or organizational shifts can delay even the best-laid plans. If your manager is invested in your growth but the promotion doesn’t happen, stay open-minded and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Dia’s story.. continued... 

After Dia’s successful launch and the glowing feedback her manager received, she seized the moment to ask for a promotion. To ensure a strong case, we crafted a strategic approach that framed her impact as a win for both her manager and the team.

In her next 1:1, she made the ask, and her manager responded positively. Within two months, at her next review, she was promoted to Senior Product Marketing Manager with a 17% salary increase.

But Dia didn’t stop there. Committed to reaching Director, she worked on a structured development plan, aligning her growth with her manager’s goals. This proactive approach set her up for long-term success and strengthened her leadership impact.

Putting It All Together: Your Action Plan

Remember, to maximize your promotion chances, focus on these four steps:

1. Be in the right place: Use the career health checklist to assess your environment

2. Do the right work: Create a career growth plan to target high-impact projects

3. Get in front of the right people: Map your influence circle and create a socialization strategy

4. Ask the right way: Develop a career development plan with your manager and time your request strategically

Three Actions You Can Take This Week:

1. Map your circle of influence – Identify the 5-10 people who most impact your promotion prospects

2. Schedule a career development conversation with your manager separate from your regular 1:1s

3. Choose one high-visibility project to focus on this quarter and create a plan to socialize its results

   
   

In the next newsletter, we will discuss alternative paths to career growth. As you have probably seen on my LinkedIn post, getting promoted is NOT the only way to grow, because our career is not linear, and it’s not just about pursuing going up the ladder. 

How I can help 

If you read this and thought, Wow, this is great, but you also know that just reading advice isn’t enough to actually get promoted—then my coaching might be exactly what you need.

In Thrive, I work with PMMs who want to move up to high IC and Director (or adjacent leadership roles) without wasting months figuring it out alone. This is a highly tactical and effective mix of PMM coaching + career coaching, designed to get you real results.

If you’re ready to take control of your career path, let’s talk. 

That’s all for now! 

See you next time.