Content Marketing for PMM: How to Create Content That Actually Drives Pipeline

You publish a blog post about your new feature. 47 views. 2 minutes average time on page. Zero conversions.

Marketing asks: "Can you write more blog posts?"

You ask: "What's the goal?"

Marketing: "More content. It's good for SEO."

You write 10 more posts. Traffic increases slightly. Pipeline doesn't move.

This happens because most PMM content is created for activity (publish more!) instead of outcomes (drive pipeline, enable sales, convert prospects).

Good PMM content isn't about volume. It's about creating the right content for the right audience at the right stage of the buyer journey.

Here's the framework for content marketing that drives pipeline.

The PMM Content Strategy Framework

Bad content strategy: Write blog posts about features

Good content strategy: Create content for each stage of buyer journey that moves prospects forward

The Buyer Journey Content Map

Stage 1: Problem Awareness (Top of Funnel)

• Buyer state: "I have a problem but don't know solutions exist"
• Content goal: Educate on problem, create urgency
• Content types: Thought leadership, trend pieces, problem-focused guides

Stage 2: Solution Exploration (Middle of Funnel)

• Buyer state: "I'm researching solution categories and approaches"
• Content goal: Position your category as the solution, educate on evaluation
• Content types: Buyers guides, comparison content, webinars

Stage 3: Vendor Evaluation (Bottom of Funnel)

• Buyer state: "I'm comparing specific vendors"
• Content goal: Prove you're the best choice
• Content types: Case studies, product comparisons, ROI calculators, demos

Stage 4: Decision & Implementation (Customer)

• Buyer state: "I've bought, now I need to get value"
• Content goal: Drive adoption, expansion, advocacy
• Content types: Onboarding guides, best practices, customer stories

Most PMM content lives in Stage 3-4. Best PMMs create content across all stages.

Content Type Framework

Content Type 1: Problem-Focused Thought Leadership

What it is: Educational content about the problem space (not your product)

Goal: Attract early-stage prospects, build authority

Examples:

• "The Hidden Cost of Manual Product Launches"
• "Why 60% of Product Launches Fail (And How to Fix It)"
• "The Product Marketing Bottleneck: Why GTM is Broken"

Format: Blog post (1500-2000 words), LinkedIn article

Distribution: Organic social, SEO, email newsletter

Call-to-action: Download guide, subscribe to newsletter

Conversion goal: Email capture, brand awareness

Metrics: Traffic, engagement (time on page), email signups

Content Type 2: Educational Guides

What it is: Comprehensive how-to content that solves specific problems

Goal: Capture mid-funnel prospects researching solutions

Examples:

• "The Complete Guide to Product Launch Planning"
• "How to Build a Sales Enablement Program from Scratch"
• "The Product Marketing Tech Stack: What You Actually Need"

Format: Long-form guide (3000-5000 words), downloadable PDF

Distribution: Gated landing page, email nurture, organic search

Call-to-action: Download guide (email required), book demo

Conversion goal: MQLs, sales conversations

Metrics: Downloads, MQL conversion rate, pipeline influenced

Content Type 3: Comparison Content

What it is: Help prospects compare solutions (including competitors)

Goal: Influence vendor evaluation, position yourself favorably

Examples:

• "[Your Product] vs. [Competitor]: Which is Right for You?"
• "Project Management Tools vs. GTM Platforms: What's the Difference?"
• "Build vs. Buy: When to Build Your Own GTM System"

Format: Blog post with comparison table, interactive calculator

Distribution: SEO (people Google "[Product A] vs [Product B]"), paid search

Call-to-action: Start trial, request demo

Conversion goal: SQLs, trials

Metrics: Trial signups, demo requests, win rate in competitive deals

Content Type 4: Case Studies

What it is: Customer success stories with quantified results

Goal: Prove value, overcome objections, close deals

Examples:

• "How TechCorp Reduced Launch Time by 40% with [Product]"
• "FinServ Co Shipped 3x More Launches with Same Team"

Format: Written case study (800-1200 words), video testimonial

Distribution: Website, sales enablement, email campaigns

Call-to-action: Book demo, talk to sales

Conversion goal: Deal acceleration, close

Metrics: Sales usage (# of deals where case study shared), close rate

Content Type 5: Product-Focused Content

What it is: How your product works and what it does

Goal: Educate prospects on capabilities, demonstrate value

Examples:

• "5 Ways to Use [Product] to Accelerate Launches"
• "New Feature: Launch Analytics Dashboard"
• "[Product] Demo: See How It Works in 5 Minutes"

Format: Blog post, video demo, product tour

Distribution: Website, email to prospects/customers, product updates

Call-to-action: Start trial, upgrade plan

Conversion goal: Activation, expansion

Metrics: Trial signups, feature adoption, expansion revenue

The Content Creation Process

Step 1: Define Content Goals (What You Want to Achieve)

Bad goal: "Create more content"

Good goal: "Generate 100 MQLs per quarter from mid-funnel educational content"

Goals by stage:

• Top-of-funnel: Email signups, brand awareness
• Mid-funnel: MQLs, demo requests
• Bottom-funnel: Trials, deals closed
• Customer: Adoption, expansion, advocacy

Step 2: Identify Content Gaps

Audit current content:

• What stages of buyer journey do we cover?
• What's performing well (traffic, conversions)?
• What's missing?

Example audit findings:

• Lots of product-focused content (Stage 3-4)
• No problem-awareness content (Stage 1)
• Missing comparison content (Stage 2)
• 3 case studies (not enough for different industries)

Content priorities:

• Create 5 problem-focused pieces (Stage 1)
• Build 3 buyers guides (Stage 2)
• Develop 5 more case studies (Stage 3)

Step 3: Create Content Calendar

Plan quarterly:

Q1 Content Calendar:

Week	Content Type	Topic	Stage	Goal	Owner
1	Blog post	"Why Launches Fail"	ToFu	Awareness	PMM
2	Guide	"Launch Planning Guide"	MoFu	MQLs	PMM + Content
3	Case study	TechCorp story	BoFu	SQLs	PMM
4	Comparison	"vs. Asana"	MoFu	Trials	PMM
5	Product demo	Feature X video	BoFu	Activation	PMM + Video
...	...	...	...	...	...

Cadence:

• 1-2 major pieces per week (guides, case studies)
• 2-3 blog posts per month
• 1 video per month

Step 4: Write High-Quality Content

Content quality checklist:

Clarity:

• [ ] One clear takeaway per piece
• [ ] Written for target audience (not too technical, not too basic)
• [ ] Actionable (not just theory)

Structure:

• [ ] Clear headline (promises specific value)
• [ ] Intro hooks reader (problem, promise, preview)
• [ ] Scannable (subheadings, bullets, short paragraphs)
• [ ] Conclusion with clear CTA

Value:

• [ ] Teaches something useful
• [ ] Specific examples (not generic)
• [ ] Framework or template included
• [ ] References data or research

SEO:

• [ ] Target keyword in headline and subheadings
• [ ] Meta description optimized
• [ ] Internal links to related content
• [ ] Alt text on images

Step 5: Distribute and Promote

Don't just publish and hope. Actively promote.

Distribution channels:

Owned:

• Website/blog
• Email newsletter (to subscriber list)
• Product (in-app messages for customer content)

Earned:

• Organic search (SEO)
• Social shares (LinkedIn, Twitter)
• Backlinks from other sites

Paid:

• LinkedIn promoted posts
• Google ads (targeting high-intent keywords)
• Retargeting (to website visitors)

Promotion plan for each piece:

• Day 0: Publish on blog
• Day 1: Email to subscriber list
• Day 1: LinkedIn post (personal + company page)
• Day 2-30: LinkedIn promoted post ($500 budget)
• Day 3: Tweet thread summarizing key points
• Day 7: Repurpose as LinkedIn carousel
• Day 14: Follow-up email to non-openers

Step 6: Measure and Optimize

Track performance:

Engagement metrics:

• Page views
• Time on page
• Scroll depth
• Social shares

Conversion metrics:

• Email signups
• Guide downloads
• Demo requests
• Trial signups

Business metrics:

• MQLs generated
• Pipeline influenced
• Deals closed (content-attributed)

Optimization:

• If high traffic, low conversion → improve CTA
• If low traffic → improve SEO, promotion
• If high bounce rate → improve intro/hook

The Content Repurposing Framework

Don't create once and forget. Repurpose into multiple formats.

One guide becomes:

1. Blog post (full guide on website)
2. PDF download (gated version)
3. Email series (5-email course covering key points)
4. LinkedIn carousel (10 slides with key frameworks)
5. Twitter thread (15 tweets summarizing)
6. Webinar (live session teaching the guide)
7. Video (animated explainer or talking head)
8. Podcast episode (interview format discussing guide)

Example:

Original: "The Complete Product Launch Planning Guide" (4000 words)

Repurposed:

• LinkedIn carousel: "10 Steps to Successful Product Launches"
• Email course: 5-day "Launch Planning Bootcamp"
• Webinar: "How to Plan a Product Launch" (60 min)
• Twitter thread: "Product launch mistakes to avoid"
• Video: "Launch Planning in 5 Minutes" (animated)

Impact: 1 piece of core content → 6 distribution formats → 10x reach

Common PMM Content Mistakes

Mistake 1: Only writing about product features

All your content is "Introducing Feature X"

Problem: Only appeals to existing customers, doesn't attract new prospects

Fix: 70% problem/education content, 30% product content

Mistake 2: No distribution plan

You publish and hope it gets found organically

Problem: Great content with no readers

Fix: Promote every piece (email, social, paid)

Mistake 3: No clear CTA

Content ends with "Hope you enjoyed this!"

Problem: No conversion path

Fix: Every piece has clear next step (download, demo, trial)

Mistake 4: Writing for search engines, not humans

Keyword-stuffed, unnatural writing

Problem: Poor user experience, low engagement

Fix: Write for humans first, optimize for SEO second

Mistake 5: No measurement

You create content but don't track performance

Problem: Don't know what's working

Fix: Track conversions and business impact per piece

How to Measure Content Marketing ROI

The content attribution model:

First-touch attribution:

• What content did prospect first engage with?
• Measures awareness and top-of-funnel effectiveness

Multi-touch attribution:

• What content did prospect engage with across journey?
• Measures influence across buyer journey

Last-touch attribution:

• What content converted prospect to customer?
• Measures bottom-of-funnel effectiveness

Example deal journey:

1. Found via blog post "Why Launches Fail" (first-touch)
2. Downloaded "Launch Planning Guide" (mid-funnel)
3. Read case study "TechCorp Success" (last-touch)
4. Requested demo → closed

All three pieces influenced the deal.

ROI calculation:

Investment:

• Content creation: 20 hours × $100/hour = $2K per piece
• Promotion: $500 per piece
• Total per piece: $2,500
• 10 pieces per quarter: $25K

Return:

• MQLs from content: 200
• MQL → SQL conversion: 25% = 50 SQLs
• SQL → Customer: 20% = 10 customers
• Avg deal size: $50K
• Revenue influenced: $500K

ROI: ($500K - $25K) / $25K = 1,900% ROI

For every $1 spent on content, generated $19 in revenue

The Quick Start: Launch Content Program in 1 Month

Week 1: Strategy

• Audit current content (what exists, what's missing)
• Define goals (MQLs, SQLs, brand awareness)
• Map buyer journey (what content needed at each stage)

Week 2: Planning

• Create Q1 content calendar (10-12 pieces)
• Assign owners and deadlines
• Set up tracking (UTM codes, conversion goals)

Week 3-4: Create First 4 Pieces

• 1 problem-focused blog post (ToFu)
• 1 educational guide (MoFu)
• 1 case study (BoFu)
• 1 comparison piece (MoFu)

Ongoing:

• Publish 1-2 pieces per week
• Promote via email, social, paid
• Track performance monthly
• Iterate based on what's working

Impact: 50-100 MQLs per quarter from content (vs. 0 before)

The Uncomfortable Truth

Most PMM content gets created but never read because it's too product-focused and not promoted.

They create:

• Feature announcements
• Product updates
• "About Us" content

Prospects want:

• Solutions to their problems
• Education on evaluation criteria
• Proof from similar companies

What works:

• 70% problem/solution content, 30% product
• Content for all buyer journey stages
• Promotion plan for every piece (don't just publish)
• Measurement and iteration (double down on what works)

The best PMM content programs:

• Map content to buyer journey stages
• Create educational content (not just product marketing)
• Repurpose into multiple formats
• Actively promote (email, social, paid)
• Measure business impact (MQLs, pipeline, revenue)

If your content isn't generating MQLs or influencing deals, it's not working.

Create strategically. Promote actively. Measure religiously.