Hire the best Product Marketers

A product marketer, often called a product marketing manager (PMM), helps you successfully launch products or services, craft messaging that resonates with customers, and build demand long after the launch.

By hiring a product marketer, you bring on a strategic thinker who understands your competition, industry, and customer needs. They also collaborate with teams to create sales enablement content that drives revenue.

Writing a product marketer job post

To engage a product marketer as an independent contractor, you don’t need to write a full job description as you would when hiring an employee, but you should be clear about who qualifies for the project. Here’s how to write a clear job post that attracts the ideal product marketer for your business.

Job post title

Create a simple title that exactly describes what you’re looking for. Here are a few ideas:

• Product marketing manager to strategize positioning for a health product in Latin America
• Director of product marketing to lead the research and marketing expansion strategy for a SaaS company
• Product marketing specialist to research new markets within the U.S.
• Global product marketing manager to develop go-to-market strategies in South America and the Middle East

Project description

When hiring on a project basis, be sure to include enough information in your project description for the professional to know if they’re a good fit. This will help reduce the number of unqualified submissions you have to sift through. Some examples include:

• Scope of work. List all the deliverables you’ll need, such as conducting market research, performing a competitive analysis, and analyzing data to segment customers.
• Project length. Indicate how long you expect the arrangement to last, such as a one-month project, a 6-month project, or contract-to-hire.
• Background. State your requirements like number of years leading successful product launches with startups, a proven track record with fintech products, and intermediate data analytics skills.
• Budget. Set a budget and note your payment preference, such as hourly or flat rate. More experienced or senior-level talent working on a contract basis may ask to get paid on a monthly retainer.

Job responsibilities

Job responsibilities differ depending on the product marketer’s level of experience and specialization. These are a few of the more common responsibilities:

• Develop and implement go-to-market strategies for new products or services
• Craft messaging that resonates with the audience and positions the product so that it’s seen as a value-add by customers
• Create sales enablement collateral and training to promote product adoption 
• Plan and execute marketing campaigns to drive product awareness, demand, and adoption
• Track and analyze product marketing initiatives and suggest improvements

Qualifications

Don’t hold back listing all of the qualifications for your business needs, based on your budget. Although you should ask for who you need, be sure to clearly distinguish between must-haves and nice-to-haves. Sample qualifications include:

• Digital marketing certification
• Minimum two-year track record launching SaaS products
• Technical product marketing experience
• Five years of experience in brand management or product marketing
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or a related field

Helpful information to know before you hire a product marketer

Understanding the role and demand for product marketers will help you determine the right fit for your company.

Role of a product marketer

A product marketer’s role may start with identifying what product or service your customers would find most valuable, launching the product and strategizing campaigns for increasing sales into the future.

Like many roles today, product marketers can work 100% remotely, so you’re not limited to local talent. This widens your talent pool and boosts your chances of finding the perfect fit.

Whether they’re working full-time or on a project basis, the role of a product marketer is to:

• Develop a go-to-market strategy. Plan and execute a product launch, including market research and competitive analysis.
• Craft messaging and determine positioning. Position the product so that it stands out from competitors and write messaging that resonates with the audience.
• Support sales enablement. Provide sales tools and training to sell the product effectively short and long term.
• Analyze marketing performance. Gather and analyze customer feedback to refine product features, improve messaging, and adjust campaign strategies to increase results.

Hiring demand for product marketers in 2024

The job outlook for product marketers in 2024 looks positive and is influenced by several trends. Topping the list: Companies are increasingly digitizing their marketing and using artificial intelligence (AI) to increase personalization, efficiency, and effectiveness. 

With markets more crowded than ever, the demand for product marketers is rising as companies invest in developing the right product and ensuring successful market launches. Marketers also face constant pressure to prove return on investment (ROI), especially during economic slowdowns, making skilled product marketers highly valued.

However, there may be fewer qualified professionals than needed. In the U.S., demand for product marketing skills is expected to grow by 16.3% from 2024 to 2026, according to Lightcast research.

Common projects for a product marketer

Product marketers can make a positive impact, even on a project basis. You can bring them in at any stage of the product life cycle, whether it's for strategizing upgrades or boosting slow sales.

Here are a few projects ideal for a product marketer:

• Product positioning. Conduct market research and develop a product story and appropriate pricing so that your product stands out in the market.
• Product innovation. Analyze customer feedback, competitors, and industry trends to help develop new products or upgrades, as well as enhancements to existing ones.
• Market expansion. Develop a strategy to penetrate new markets and generate long-term sales within them.
• Content creation. Create specific messaging for each customer segment, across all channels, including packaging.
• Performance analysis. Gather insights from past and current marketing efforts and fine-tune them to optimize their performance.

Industries hiring product marketers

Any company that wants to ensure its products solve the problems that customers care about and wants long-term sales success could benefit from hiring a product marketing manager. How product marketers affect specific industries include:

• Technology and software. Launch products that customers differentiate from competitors and fuel adoption.
• Consumer goods (CPG). Create brand stories that resonate with customers and promote brand loyalty.
• Healthcare and pharmaceuticals. Clearly communicate service and treatment benefits to patients and healthcare workers.
• E-commerce and retail. Create personalized messaging and campaigns to boost brand awareness and sales.
• Financial services. Promote new products and identify ways to improve customer experience.
• Telecommunications. Develop promotions that attract new customers and increase renewal rates.
• Automotive. Design campaigns and messaging that position specific models to resonate with target audiences.
• Education and edTech. Clarify messaging to ignite interest in the school, specific programs, and online courses.
• Energy and utilities. Design and launch campaigns to market renewable energy products.
• Fashion and apparel. Boost customer engagement and sales across digital channels.

Average cost of hiring a product marketer in 2024

The total salary varies depending on where the professional is located, years of experience, specialized knowledge, and the size of the employer. For instance, if you work in a major city center, the average cost of hiring a product marketing manager (PMM) locally may be higher than an equally qualified remote worker who’s located outside of a major city.

Data from Glassdoor shows the average pay rate by experience level, which we detail below. Salaries include base pay and cash compensation such as bonuses and profit sharing.

Entry-level

Entry-level product marketers, also known as associate product marketing managers, have zero to three years of PMM experience. They usually come from related fields like marketing, product management, sales engineering, or consulting, so they have the hard and soft skills to communicate clearly, think strategically, and manage projects. They may work on one or two projects within a product launch with close guidance from a PMM or senior PMM.

Average pay rate:

• Hourly. $52 – $90
• Full time. $108,000 – $187,000

Mid-level

Mid-level product marketers, also known as product marketing managers, have three to five years of experience. PMMs manage all the workflows involved in a product launch. They may have some guidance from a manager, but they’re expected to have most of the required key skills such as planning strategy, creating content, and analyzing results.

• Hourly. $65 – $101
• Full time. $135,000 – $209,000

Senior-level

A senior-level product marketing manager has five to ten years of experience. They’re proficient in every aspect of the profession and focus on developing strategies and managing launches. In larger companies, their work may be supervised by a more experienced PMM and they may manage a team.

• Hourly. $67 – $104
• Full time. $139,000 –$216,000

Find your ideal product marketer on Upwork

Product marketers connect the customer's needs with your product engineers, sales team, and customer support.

These professionals play a key role in both the short- and long-term success of your products, ensuring you deliver solutions customers want and create a positive experience from start to finish.

Whether you need help with a short-term project or a potential full-time hire, you can find the perfect fit on Upwork. Join now to access the world’s largest network of freelance professionals—signing up takes only a minute and is completely free.