TMMF #031 · March 5, 2025

The Chief Product Storyteller

Crafting Compelling Narratives, Aligning Cross-Functional Teams & Building Product Marketing Foundations.

Guest: Shirin Shahin Messaging Show notes

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Why listen

The signal, minus the noise.

“You can’t do, I believe any positioning, messaging, work, sales, collateral, any of it until you have your narrative down.”

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of product marketing with Shirin Shahin, a seasoned product marketing consultant with over 10 years of experience helping organizations build and grow their product marketing foundations. With her wealth of experience both in-house and as a consultant, Shirin shares her insights on what makes product marketing truly effective.

We explore Shirin’s approach to crafting compelling product narratives, discussing why establishing a strong narrative is the essential foundation for all positioning and messaging work. Shirin walks us through her methodical process for aligning cross-functional teams around positioning and messaging, emphasizing the importance of getting buy-in from key stakeholders early in the process.

Steal these ideas

At 02:11, Chris and Shirin dig into what’s most exciting about product marketing — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation
At 03:14, Chris and Shirin dig into defining product marketing: connecting market, customer, and product — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation
At 05:51, Chris and Shirin dig into discovery and intake process for new clients — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation
At 08:32, Chris and Shirin dig into working with a product marketing partner — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation
At 13:18, Chris and Shirin dig into hardest part of positioning and messaging work — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation

Key topics covered

A skimmable map of the conversation.

Start with the idea you need, then jump into the full episode when something catches.

What’s most exciting about product marketing

At 02:11, Chris and Shirin dig into what’s most exciting about product marketing — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Defining product marketing: connecting market, customer, and product

At 03:14, Chris and Shirin dig into defining product marketing: connecting market, customer, and product — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Discovery and intake process for new clients

At 05:51, Chris and Shirin dig into discovery and intake process for new clients — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Working with a product marketing partner

At 08:32, Chris and Shirin dig into working with a product marketing partner — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Hardest part of positioning and messaging work

At 13:18, Chris and Shirin dig into hardest part of positioning and messaging work — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Importance of staying informed about broader company updates

At 15:28, Chris and Shirin dig into importance of staying informed about broader company updates — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Being the chief storyteller of your product

At 19:49, Chris and Shirin dig into being the chief storyteller of your product — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Defining narrative, positioning, and messaging

At 21:18, Chris and Shirin dig into defining narrative, positioning, and messaging — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Show notes

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