As a solo product marketer, every day brings impossible choices.
Sales needs new battlecards for a competitive deal closing Friday. Product wants positioning feedback for a launch in two weeks. Your CEO asked for market sizing analysis for the board meeting. Customer success needs case studies. And you haven't updated the website messaging in six months.
Everything feels urgent. Most of it actually isn't. But without a framework for deciding what matters, you'll spend your days reacting to whoever asks loudest.
Here's how to prioritize when you're drowning in requests.
The Impact-Effort Matrix (Actually Useful)
The classic 2x2 matrix works, but only if you're honest about what "high impact" actually means.
High impact = directly affects revenue in the next 60 days or prevents a significant revenue loss.
Not "might be useful" or "would be nice to have" or "could help brand awareness." Revenue. This quarter.
Low effort = you can complete it in less than one week with resources you already have.
Not "just needs a few hours" that turns into three weeks because you need design, legal review, and stakeholder approval.
Map every request:
High impact, low effort = Do this week: Updated battlecards for your #1 competitor that's in 40% of deals.
High impact, high effort = Schedule for next month: Complete messaging overhaul that sales has been requesting for months.
Low impact, low effort = Do if you have 2 hours free: Update the pricing page copy that's been bugging you.
Low impact, high effort = Politely decline or postpone 6+ months: Comprehensive competitive intelligence platform that takes weeks to build and won't change how deals close.
Most solo PMMs fail because they do too much low-impact work. It feels productive. It's visible. But it doesn't move the business.
The Revenue Proximity Test
When two tasks both feel important, ask: "Which is closer to revenue?"
Sales enablement that helps close deals this month beats content marketing that might generate leads in three months.
Competitive battlecards that increase win rates beat customer advisory board planning that won't show results for six months.
Launch messaging that drives product adoption beats brand positioning research that informs long-term strategy.
This isn't saying content, advisory boards, and positioning don't matter. They do. But when you're solo, revenue proximity determines sequence.
Do the thing closest to revenue first. Everything else can wait.
The "What Breaks?" Question
Before saying yes to a new project, ask: "If I don't do this, what actually breaks?"
If the answer is "nothing breaks, it just would be better if we had it," that's a no.
If the answer is "the launch happens anyway, just with less polish," that's probably a no.
If the answer is "sales can't respond to this objection and we lose deals," that's a yes.
Example: Your CEO wants a new pitch deck template. Ask what breaks if you don't do it.
"Sales will keep using the current deck" = Nothing breaks. Don't do it yet.
"We can't pitch to enterprise buyers without case studies and the current deck doesn't include them" = Something breaks. Do it.
Most requests don't actually break anything if you don't do them. Doing nothing is often the right choice.
The Three Buckets System
Every Monday, categorize all requests into three buckets:
Must Do (This Week): 2-3 items maximum. These directly impact revenue, have hard deadlines, or prevent fires. If you do nothing else, do these.
Should Do (This Month): 4-5 items that are important but not urgent. Schedule specific time to work on these. Don't let them drift.
Nice to Have (Backlog): Everything else. Keep a list. Review quarterly. Most items will become irrelevant before you get to them.
Share this list with stakeholders. When someone asks "when can you get to X?" you can show them where it sits relative to other priorities. This makes prioritization visible instead of mysterious.
The Stakeholder Value Calculation
Not all stakeholders are equal. Some requests matter more than others because they come from people who directly impact your success.
Rank stakeholders by:
Decision authority: Can they fire you or decide to eliminate PMM?
Revenue responsibility: Do they directly own revenue targets?
PMM advocacy: Will they champion PMM's value to others?
Your CEO, Head of Sales, and VP Product typically rank highest. Individual sales reps and customer success managers rank lower.
This doesn't mean ignore junior stakeholders. But when the Head of Sales and a single rep both want something and you can only do one, choose the Head of Sales.
The Batch and Delegate Approach
Some work doesn't need to be done immediately, and some work doesn't need to be done by you.
Batch similar work: Don't update battlecards one at a time as competitors make changes. Batch competitive updates monthly. This is more efficient and creates a regular cadence stakeholders can expect.
Delegate ruthlessly: Can sales ops pull win/loss data instead of you doing it? Can marketing ops update the website copy once you draft it? Can a contractor create slide templates while you focus on messaging?
Solo PMMs often do too much themselves because it's faster than explaining. Short term, yes. Long term, you become the bottleneck.
The "Good Enough" Standard
Perfectionism kills solo PMM productivity.
The sales deck doesn't need to be beautifully designed. It needs to help close deals. Text-heavy slides with clear messaging beats gorgeous slides with vague value props.
The battlecard doesn't need comprehensive competitive analysis. It needs the three objections reps hear most and the responses that work.
The launch email doesn't need award-winning copy. It needs to clearly explain what's new and why customers should care.
Ship good enough today beats shipping perfect next month. You're in a startup. Speed matters more than polish.
When to Say No
The hardest prioritization skill is saying no without damaging relationships.
Script: "I'd love to help with [request]. Looking at my current priorities—[list 2-3 items]—I couldn't start on this until [realistic date]. Does that timeline work, or should we find another solution?"
This acknowledges the request, shows you're busy with important work, and gives the stakeholder a choice: wait or find an alternative.
Most people will either wait or solve it themselves. Both outcomes are fine.
The Monthly Priority Reset
Every month, review what you actually spent time on versus what you planned to prioritize.
If you planned to focus on sales enablement but spent 60% of your time on one-off requests, something's wrong. Either your prioritization framework isn't working or you're not defending your time.
Ask: "What would I do differently next month?"
Usually the answer is: say no more often, batch small requests, delegate more, or set clearer expectations with stakeholders about timelines.
The Real Prioritization Question
Every request ultimately comes down to one question: "Will doing this help us grow revenue faster than anything else I could do with this time?"
If yes, do it. If no, don't.
Everything else—stakeholder politics, guilt about saying no, FOMO about missing opportunities—is noise.
You're solo. You have limited time. Spend it on work that matters.
Revenue proximity. Impact over effort. Good enough over perfect. Say no often.
That's how solo PMMs survive and create real impact.