Build Your GTM Foundation: The Case for Product Marketing First— with Shirin Shahin

Episode notes

#17 - If your demand gen is underperforming, the problem might not be your campaigns — it might be what was never built before them. Product marketing is one of the most critical and most misunderstood functions in B2B marketing. It's the foundation behind your messaging, your ICP clarity, your sales enablement, and your go-to-market strategy. And most marketing teams bring it in too late — if they bring it in at all. In this episode, Mandy sits down with Shirin Shahin, a product marketing leader and consultant with 12+ years of experience building and scaling product marketing functions across B2B SaaS startups and enterprise tech companies. Shirin makes a compelling case for why product marketing should be your first marketing hire — and what breaks when it isn't. Topics covered in this episode: What product marketing actually is — and the who, what, why framework every CMO should know Why CMOs hire product marketing too late and what it costs them in pipeline and conversion Where product marketing should sit in your org — and why the answer matters for go-to-market success How to align product marketing with brand, demand gen, and sales enablement When to hire fractional vs.