Introduction

Welcome to the new episode of the GTM Rapid Fire. The format as usual is very simple: five questions, short and sweet, yet we try to uncover the secrets of PMM from the leaders.

Today we have a really special guest joining us. As you might have known him from his LinkedIn posts, we have Jonathan Pipek with us. Jonathan is the founder of Blue Manta Consulting. He does GTM and product marketing for B2B SaaS startups and is also one of the top hundred marketing influencers, amongst many other roles and titles.

Jonathan runs Blue Manta Consulting, mentors through 1871 (a Chicago innovation center and startup accelerator), and guides individual product marketers through ADP list.
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Starting a Career in Product Marketing: PMM Trends in 2025

When asked how he would start a product marketing career in the current market, Jonathan acknowledged the challenges: "The market is pretty terrible right now, like just the job market for product marketers generally. But then on top of that, if you're talking about starting your career in product marketing, there's just not a lot of entry-level product marketing roles even when the market's good."

Jonathan recommends a counterintuitive approach for breaking into product marketing, which aligns with PMM trends in 2025:

1. Focus on what industry and company size interests you most
2. Select only high-growth companies that have at least one or two product marketers
3. Apply for general entry-level marketing roles (e.g., marketing coordinator)
4. Excel in that position while volunteering to help the product marketing team
5. Gradually take on more product marketing projects while expressing interest in transitioning

"This approach might take six to eighteen months, depending on the company and how fast it's growing, but eventually leads you to the product marketing role," Jonathan explained. "Applying to entry-level product marketing roles is challenging because there are very few positions and the competition is fierce."
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Upskilling for Product Marketing: Preparing for PMM Trends in 2025

Since product marketing varies across organizations and lacks specific degree programs, Jonathan recommends several resources for upskilling:

Books and Thought Leaders:

• April Dunford's books on positioning
• Emma Stratton's "Punchy" for copywriting and messaging
• Following thought leaders like Elon Pay, Jason Oakley, and Tamara Kaminsky

Organizations and Communities:

• Product Marketing Alliance (local chapters and summits)
• ShareBird (AMAs and resources)
• PMM Ops (free resources)

Certifications:

• Free certifications from Pendo, HubSpot, and PLG org
• Paid courses from Product Marketing Alliance and Excel (though Jonathan hasn't taken the latter personally)

As PMM trends in 2025 continue to evolve, these foundational resources will help aspiring product marketers stay current and competitive.
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Running a Consulting Business

When asked about his favorite and least favorite aspects of running Blue Manta Consulting, Jonathan shared:

Favorite Parts:

• Making a massive impact on startups in a short time
• Seeing the immediate results when positioning, sales pitch decks, or pricing and packaging click
• Working with diverse projects and industries from veterinary tech to data privacy, cybersecurity, and fintech

Least Favorite Part:

• Administrative work like creating proposals, following up with prospects, sending contracts, invoices, and payments
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AI and Product Marketing: A Major PMM Trend in 2025

Jonathan offered a unique perspective on what people are getting wrong about AI in product marketing, which is likely to be a significant PMM trend in 2025:

"I think it's kind of illogical how some companies are trying to use AI to automate qualitative customer research. That's always been kind of confusing to me," he explained. "To me, qualitative customer research is the foundation of excellent product marketing. So even if I could automate it all, I would never want to."

For effective AI use cases in product marketing, Jonathan mentioned:

• Competitive intelligence
• Pricing and packaging analysis
• Extracting insights from customer feedback transcripts
• Analyzing CRM data
• A/B testing
• Creating presentations and content

He also recommended following Michelle Nirenberg for exceptional content on AI in product marketing, which will be crucial as PMM trends in 2025 continue to develop.
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PMM Hot Take

When asked for his "hot take" on product marketing, Jonathan was direct: "I think that advertising should be among the last, not the first go-to-market channels that startups invest in."

This perspective challenges conventional wisdom and suggests a shift toward organic content, which aligns with emerging PMM trends in 2025 that emphasize authentic engagement over paid advertising.
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Non-Work Experiences That Help in PMM

Jonathan shared how travel and experiencing different foods have made him a better product marketer:

"I've been lucky enough to meet a ton of different people with really different perspectives, who speak different languages, who use different analogies... And really, to make that concrete, when you have to explain what a food tastes like to someone who's never had it before, that's really tough."

He uses the example of explaining peanut butter to someone who's never tasted it—a challenge that mirrors what product marketers do when introducing new concepts or features. This experience has made him more empathetic, open-minded, and a better communicator—skills that will remain crucial as PMM trends in 2025 emphasize cross-cultural understanding and clear communication.
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Final Advice: Embracing PMM Trends in 2025

In closing, Jonathan urged product marketers to look beyond traditional responsibilities:

"Product marketers need to look beyond kind of traditional responsibilities of like ICP, personas, positioning, messaging, product launches, etc. I think so much of what we do exists in these predetermined buckets, and I think we need to move beyond them and think about overall go-to-market strategy."

He suggests focusing on:

• Making a bigger dent in the market
• Identifying strategic partners for instant distribution
• Partnering with communities that provide direct access to ICPs
• Empowering customers to become advocates

Jonathan used an NBA analogy to illustrate his point: "All NBA players are fantastic basketball players... But what separates the top 1% from everyone else is basketball IQ." Similarly, the product marketers who will thrive amid PMM trends in 2025 are those who can connect insights from customers, the market, and product to drive comprehensive go-to-market strategies.

"When you can pull those together and actually use those to drive your go-to-market, that's when you've unlocked the next level of product marketing... you're less susceptible to layoffs, you're more likely to get promoted, you're a better cross-functional team player... you elevate the conversation and have these conversations with leadership and C-suite."
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This interview has been edited for clarity and length. For more insights on PMM trends in 2025 and go-to-market strategies, follow GTM Rapid Fire.