Scaling Product Marketing: Specialists vs. Generalists

When you're the first product marketer through the door at a startup, you wear all the hats. You're responsible for everything from positioning and messaging to content creation, sales enablement, and launch execution. As the company grows and your team expands, you face a pivotal decision: do you build a team of generalists who can tackle any project, or do you invest in specialists with deep expertise in specific domains?

This is what I've learned about the advantages and challenges of each approach.

The Case for Generalists

In the early stages of a startup's evolution, generalists offer unparalleled flexibility. With a small team and limited resources, having utility players who can seamlessly shift between tasks is invaluable. When a product launch looms, everyone pitches in – from messaging to sales tools to webinar support. This cross-functional exposure also helps generalists develop a holistic understanding of the product marketing lifecycle, which can be incredibly valuable as they grow into leadership roles.

However, as the company scales and the product portfolio expands, the generalist model can become strained. It's challenging for any individual to maintain deep expertise across an increasingly broad surface area. This can lead to suboptimal execution as the complexity of initiatives increases.

The Specialist Advantage

Specialists, on the other hand, offer unparalleled depth in their areas of focus. A dedicated messaging architect, for instance, can develop a nuanced understanding of positioning frameworks and hone their ability to craft crisp, compelling narratives. A content marketing specialist can become an expert in SEO, editorial calendars, and amplification strategies.

This is how I approach building specialist teams: I identify the core pillars of product marketing – messaging, content, sales enablement, and so on – and assign dedicated owners for each domain. These specialists can then develop playbooks, establish best practices, and drive consistent execution within their areas of expertise.

The challenge, of course, is ensuring seamless collaboration across these specialized functions. Without careful orchestration, you risk creating silos that undermine the holistic product marketing experience. This is why I emphasize cross-training and knowledge sharing within my teams – even as we cultivate deep specializations, we must maintain a shared understanding of how the pieces fit together.

A Hybrid Approach

In my experience, the optimal solution often lies in a hybrid model that blends generalists and specialists. As the team scales, I typically introduce specialist roles in high-leverage areas like messaging and content marketing. These specialists can then train and enable a layer of generalists who can execute on that foundational work across a range of projects and initiatives.

This approach allows me to benefit from the depth of specialist expertise while maintaining the flexibility and cross-functional exposure that generalists provide. It's a delicate balance, to be sure, but one that can pay dividends as the company continues to grow and the product marketing function evolves.

Conclusion

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to structuring a product marketing team. The optimal approach will depend on the company's stage, the complexity of its product portfolio, and the specific goals and challenges it faces. This is why I advocate for an iterative, adaptable mindset – continuously reevaluating and refining your team structure as the business landscape shifts.

By thoughtfully blending generalists and specialists, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and maintaining a shared understanding of the product marketing lifecycle, you can build a team that can scale with your company's ambitions.