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PMM Files 🗂️

PMM Files #120 – Grandpa’s Social Proof, Cutting Through AI Hype, and a Problem Section Written by Customers


Read Time: 3.8 minutes

Thanks for reading PMM Files. A newsletter where we share five cool product marketing examples we found last week.

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Example #1 - Customer Stories Grandpa Would Click

Five Pathways clearly knows who they’re speaking to.

Their Journeys from the Past section leans hard into signals that resonate with older buyers — Better Business Bureau logos, handwritten signatures, and lo-fi home videos from retirees in their living rooms.

From top to bottom, everything speaks to people preparing for their next phase of life, not those who buy software.

​→ Go get Mom or Dad and check this out​

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Example #2 - Talk to Founders, Not “Sales”

Most homepages push you to Talk to Sales. Midday says Talk to Founders.

If you’re early and the founders are doing the selling, why not say it?

Buyers will talk to someone who knows the product inside and out, and actually cares if it solves their problem — sounds like a pretty compelling offer.

Everyone’s trying to feel personal. This is personal.

​→ Want to talk to the Founder?​

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Example #3 - Cutting Through AI Hype

Zapier doesn’t just say “we do AI.” They show you the receipts.

Spoiler: it's a lot.

This proof section shows an up-to-date counter ticking up when AI tasks are automated with Zapier. It's paired with a clear graph that shows the exponential growth in usage.

Scroll down and you get specific use cases: connect 300+ AI tools to 8,000+ apps, build agents that work while you sleep.
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If you’re building with AI, this section makes Zapier feel like a no-brainer.

​→ No AI hype here...​

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Example #4 - A Problem Section Written By Customers

Ambrook doesn’t write their problem section at all.

They let their customers do it, with four quotes that I’d suspect resonate extremely well with their ICP.

  • “I don’t know if we can keep going on like this.”
  • “I’m not sure if we can really afford this right now.”
  • “I want to be in the field, but am stuck in the office.”
  • “I need to get the business ready for the next generation.”

They then break down their solution into three simple buckets that clearly explain how they help.

The takeaway here: When you’re writing your problem section, make sure it’s something your customer would actually say.

​→ Read this before writing your problem section​

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Example #5 - A Homepage That Doesn’t Make You Guess

Orbi's hompeage does a ton of heavy lifting in just three short sections.

The hero makes it instantly clear what the product does and who it's for. The animated hero image alone says it all.

The problem section gets right to the point, highlighting the #1 pain for freelancers.

The solution section breaks down the product in three simple steps with an easy-to-understand description.
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No fluff. No jargon. Just the information you need to want in on their beta.

​→ Tell me this page isn't simple AND clear​

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Founding PMM Jobs

I've started a simple job board, focused on curating new Founding PMM job opportunities.

Some highlights from this week:

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​Find More Founding PMM Jobs ↗️​

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3 More Things

Three articles, posts, or tools you should add to your swipe file.

  1. ​Inside Anthropic’s Influencer Program - More PMMs are using influencers to drive launches. Check out this blog to see how some of the best in the biz are doing it.
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  2. ​How Parabola Went Full ICP Marketing - Kyle Poyar breaks down how Parabola ditched the spray and pray and went all-in on ICP in 30 days.
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  3. ​How to Land a $200K+ PMM Role - Tamara Grominsky shares practical advice for PMMs ready to make the leap into bigger roles with bigger paydays.

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What did you think of this week's edition?

Hit reply and let me know, or leave a quick testimonial. I'd love to hear from you!

See you next Wednesday!

Jason and Aubrey

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P.S.

I work with startups and founding PMMs that are trying to build product marketing from zero. If that sounds like you, here are some ways I can help:
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  • ​Get the PMM Jetpack - My premium library of Templates, Playbooks, and Examples for Founding PMMs.
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  • ​Join the PMM Accelerator (Waitlist) - a 90-day group coaching program designed to help founding and solo PMMs build a high-impact product marketing function, from scratch.
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  • ​Need a fractional Founding PMM? - we offer strategic advising and hands-on execution to a small number of startups looking fractional PMM support.
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  • ​Sponsorships - Want to reach the Productive PMM audience with educational content that puts your product in the spotlight? Let's chat!
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​Jason and Aubrey​
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PMM Files 🗂️

Every week, I share 5 practical product marketing examples. Your weekly dose of PMM inspiration and practical advice in less than 3 minutes.

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