On the show today, I have Alex Eaton, Director of Product Marketing at UserEvidence.
Before joining UserEvidence, Alex worked in product marketing at Help Scout and Lessonly.
What you’ll learn:
The 3 traits that separate great product marketers from good ones—and why “execution” is the most underrated
How Alex avoided a messaging disaster at UserEvidence—and the simple question that unlocked the right positioning
Why most messaging gets overlooked inside companies—and how Alex ensures people actually use it
A tactical breakdown of messaging docs that get read—why yours should be under two pages
The “gut tension” test Alex uses to know when messaging isn’t ready yet—and how to push past it
How to tailor messaging for multiple personas without breaking consistency
The role of customer evidence in brand messaging—and why UserEvidence leads with faces, not product shots
How to enable sales without being the “messaging cop”—Alex’s exact approach to feedback, coaching, and internal buy-in
What Alex learned from working with messaging consultants like Fletch—and when to bring in outside help
The mindset shift from “being right” to “driving outcomes”—why collaboration beats ownership in product marketing
And so much more.
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In our conversation, we cover:
00:00 – Intro & Welcome
00:51 – What Separates Good from Great Product Marketers
03:32 – How to Get Teams to Rally Behind You
06:19 – The Anxiety of Surface-Level Messaging
07:48 – Execution Over Strategy: Getting In the Weeds
09:23 – How Alex Nearly Blew the Messaging at UserEvidence
12:02 – The Phrase That Almost Made It: "Evidence-Based Content Platform"
13:57 – The Simpler, Stronger Message: Customer Evidence Platform
14:56 – Rolling Out the Messaging: Site, Deck, Personas, and More
15:43 – Connecting Problem and Solution: From Evidence Gap to Platform Fit
17:36 – Working With Fletch on Messaging: Why External Voices Matter
21:37 – Simplifying Messaging for Global Understanding
23:23 – Leading With Customer Stories in Messaging
25:51 – Becoming the Best at Customer Evidence—In Their Own Marketing
27:31 – Leading With Personas, Not Product
28:26 – Why Real Faces > Stock Photography
31:32 – The "Two-Page Messaging Doc" Philosophy
34:06 – How to Layer in Nuance After the Message Sticks
36:24 – Giving Feedback Without Micromanaging Sales
41:43 – Enabling Sales to Use the Message Consistently
44:53 – Tailoring Messaging for Personas Without Losing Focus
50:11 – Final Takeaway: The Power of Gut Tension
51:36 – What’s Living All About?
53:13 – Where to Connect With Alex
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👉 Where to find Alex
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexeaton1/
👉 Where to find Josh
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-chronister/
Substack: https://onmessaging.substack.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUdKBktrLJWzNMDS45fh_Bg
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🎙️ Referenced
Mark Huber: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markehuber/
Jillian Hoefer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianmacnulty/
Evan Huck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanhuck/
Ray Rhodes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-rhodes-a0672568/
Anthony Pierri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonypierri/
Robert Kaminski: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyrobk/
David Ogilvy: https://www.amazon.com/Ogilvy-Advertising-David/dp/039472903X
Jason Oakley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oakleyjason/
UserEvidence: https://www.linkedin.com/company/userevidence/
Lessonly: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lesson-ly/
Gong: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gong-io/
Help Scout: https://www.linkedin.com/company/help-scout/