50 product management blogs you should be reading
Regardless of whether you’re a newbie PM or a veteran in your field, there are tons of product management blogs worth checking out. Getting ready for your first PM interview? There’s a blog for that. Need a detailed how-to on some obscure product challenge? There’s a blog for that. Just feeling kind of “stuck” today? There are definitely many blogs for that.
One of the really awesome things about the PM community is the degree to which knowledge-sharing has become second-nature. So we decided to compile our favorite product management blogs. Note: this is not a complete list. There are some great sites we ended up having to leave on the table — at least for now. We’re planning to update this list soon, so let us know if we forgot an essential entry!
To help parse the sheer volume of PM writing out there, we’ve organized this list into 8 categories:
- The Classics
- The Communities
- The Influencers
- The Educators
- Best of Medium
- Design & UX
- For Startups
- Misc. but not least
Obviously, there is overlap between these buckets. Most influencers are educators, and most of our favourite Medium writers are definitely influencers, as well. These categories are intended as a loose guide, not pigeonholes.
The Classics
1. Pragmatic Marketing Our own CEO, Latif, often credits Pragmatic Marketing for getting him up to speed during his early years in product. They actually have five different product management blogs, each hosted on their own domain. But beyond their designated “blog” content, the site includes pretty much every other type of resource for product managers. Infographics! Webinars! A magazine! They do everything.
- Read this first: A product manager’s worst nightmare
2. Mind the Product You’ve been to the meetups. The conference is in your calendar. Now read the dang blog already! Could MTP be the mother of all product management sites? They feature writing from some of the most interesting and insightful people in the business. Must-read stuff.
- Read this first: The history and evolution of product management
3. 280 Group 280 Group is there for you when you want to beef up on product strategy — or when you need a pep talk. This training and consulting firm is one of the most established (and prolific) hubs for PM content.
- Read this first: Coping with product manager burnout
4. Sirius Decisions Home to product management heavyweight Jeff Lash (more on him in the Influencers section), Sirius Decisions is a global B2B advisory firm. Their blog is a serious informational resource covering a broad range of relevant topics — from meat-and-potatoes product advice to marketing and sales.
- Read this first: What you need to know about aligning innovation with strategy
5. Silicon Valley Product Group This no-frills website features product advice from Silicon Valley coach Marty Cagan, whose former gigs include eBay, AOL, Netscape and HP. Cagan’s writing is both helpful and personal. He offers insider advice gained from his deep roots in the Valley’s tech community.
- Read this first: Product Success
The Communities
6. Product Manager HQ This is one of our favorite PM resources. The world’s largest Slack product community, PMHQ often hosts AMAs with leading product managers. Their site also includes articles and guest posts on career development. TL;DR: Go here to get hired/inspired.
- Read this first: 19 lessons I learned during my first year as a product manager
7. Product Club This content hub, led by “product hustler” (and bulldog lover) Tim Platt, offers real talk for peers. Posts like “Stop Improving Your Product” and “Cut the Crap and Build with Empathy” exemplify their no-nonsense approach to product advice.
- Read this first: Average manager vs. great manager
8. Product Coalition Medium has become such a popular outlet for product managers that we’re dedicating an entire section of this roundup to Medium all-stars. But if you don’t have the bandwidth for yet anotheronline community, just visit Product Coalition. Run by Jay Stansell, this publication aggregates awesome product writing from around Medium. And they have a Slack community, too.
- Read this first: The four villains of product management
The Companies
9. First Round Review Learn from the smartest product managers at the coolest companies. First Round Review specializes in long-form interviews with superstar PMs. Like Airbnb’s Jonathan Golden. And Reddit’s co-VPs of product Alex Le and Kavin Stewart. And Uber’s Frederique Dame. And, and, and…
10. Inside Intercom We’re a little obsessed with Intercom’s intelligent, highly opinionated approach to product management content. They don’t do the usual “how to” schtick. They’ve got smart people on staff with ideas to share. Extra points for their gorgeous illustration.
- Read this first: The first rule of prioritization: No snacking
11. InVision Design conundrum? InVision has you covered, whether you’re looking for tactical tips or more, er, existential guidance. A LOT of design challenges are political — and InVision gets that. They write extensively on psychology, productivity and dealing with disagreements.
- Read this first: 13 impressive statistics on user experience
12. Fresh Tilled Soil This Boston-based product and UX firm writes a consistently engaging product management blog covering the intricacies of strategy, design and productivity. You can also follow them on Medium, if that’s how you roll. In short: a lovely, helpful read.
- Read this first: Onboarding: experience is everything
The Influencers
13. Ken Norton Wait, what? You DON’T subscribe to Ken Norton’s weekly newsletter? Please correct that. Then get caught up by reading his site. A Google Ventures Partner, Ken Norton is one of the most creative and encouraging thought leaders in the field.
- Read this first: Meetings that don’t suck
14. Nir and Far Attn: armchair psychologists (and regular-chair product managers). Author Nir Eyal is essential reading for anyone interesting in user behavior and psychology. His popular book, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, proposes a four-step process for building sticky products. Visit his archives for a trove of insightful content.
- Read this first: Hooked for good: How habit-forming products improve lives
15. Andrew Chen Uber’s Andrew Chen delivers essays via his weekly(ish) newsletter, but you can also read his writing directly from his personal site. According to his LinkedIn, Chen has written OVER 700 ESSAYS. So, a lot.
16. Learning by Shipping On his Medium-hosted publication, Andreesen Horowitz partner Steven Sinofsky delves into technology, productivity and the business side of product management. Also, why his tablet has stickers. (Spoiler: They’re not just there for decoration.)
- Read this first: Disruption’s long, slow, complex journey
17. Josh Elman Josh Elman’s resume almost reads like a parody of a dream PM resume: it’s got Twitter, Facebook AND LinkedIn. These days, Elman is a partner at Greylock Partners. He blogs on Medium, naturally — it’s in Greylock’s portfolio.
- Read this first: The five types of virality
18. Ben Horowitz If you haven’t read Ben Horowitz’ classic piece Good Product Manager/Bad Product Manager, then… well, you’re probably not even reading THIS piece because any human interested in product management would have read that first. Horowitz’ product management blog isn’t updated very frequently these days, but it’s got more than enough archive content to keep your eyeballs busy. Also: THE RAP LYRICS.
- Read this first: Andy
19. Jason Fried Basecamp Founder & CEO Jason Fried draws on his extensive experience as an entrepreneur and product leader to deliver inspiring — and cliché-busting — ideas via his Medium account. The ideal PM pick-me-up.
- Read this first: I’ve never had a goal
20. Ryan Hoover In recent years, Product Hunt has emerged as a crucial source for intel on product trends, releases and quirky ephemera. Its founder, Ryan Hoover, maintains a fun blog on Medium — just in case you didn’t get enough geek-out time on Product Hunt’s main site.
- Read this first: A dangerous new game called camera rollette
21. David Cancel Currently the CEO of Drift, David Cancel has a long and impressive history as an entrepreneur and product leader. In short: he knows how to build and scale worthwhile products. Another thing he’s good at: sharing knowledge with others. (Bonus: you also might want to check out the Drift blog and the Seeking Wisdom podcast — we’re fans.)
- Read this first: Creating a customer-driven product machine
The Educators
22. Roman Pichler Roman Pichler is definitely a fan favourite when it comes to product management learning. A product consultant, Pichler offers in-depth posts on some of the more complex product challenges, as well as leadership guidance for up-and-coming PMs. A must-have on any product management reading list.
- Read this first: How to scale the scrum product owner
23. Product Talk Teresa Torres is one of the smartest people writing about product today. She publishes meaty, longform articles that explain, IN DETAIL, how product managers can revolutionize their work. Reading Torres, you get the sense that she cares deeply about her work.
24. Folding Burritos Portugal-based product consultant Daniel Zacarias has mastered the quality vs. quantity conundrum. He doesn’t churn out volume, but rather attacks key product management topics in exhaustive detail. Really great for wrapping your head around dense — but important — PM concepts.
- Read this first: The complete guide to the Kano Model
25. Under 10 Consulting Another veteran consultant, Steve Johnson publishes fun, thought-provoking posts via the blog for his firm, Under 10 Consulting. Read it when you’re feeling burned out and need a quick hit of inspiration to get back on your game.
- Read this first: Do product managers need to be technical?
26. Rich Mironov Rich Mironov’s product management blog is probably the most longstanding on our list: it started back in 2002. Two thousand and two. But even his earliest posts are still relevant, addressing topics like recruiting beta customers and the role of the “secret shopper.”
27. Melissa Perri Melissa Perri does not whip off PM puff pieces. Her posts are in-depth and thought-provoking, tackling some of the most knotty product management challenges. Also, if you don’t already know about the Build Trap, you might be at risk of getting caught in it.
- Read this first: Changing the conversation about product management vs. UX
28. Hardcore Product Management “To handle complexity, you need preparation and the ability to respond with creativity.” This idea is at the heart of Nils Davis’ blog, which helps product managers find creative solutions to the difficult, messy, headache-inducing problems.
- Read this first: A toolset for getting unstuck when your creativity is blocked
29. How to Be a Good Product Manager Sirius Decisions’ Jeff Lash founded his blog wayyyyy back in 2006, and maintains it to this day. The archive includes thoughtful writing on pretty much all aspects of product management — but we’re especially fond of the posts about self-improvement.
- Read this first: Reconsider your jack-of-all-trades strategy
30. Tyner Blain Product management veteran Scott Sehlhorst has been sharing ideas at Tyner Blain for over a decade. He’s a trusted source for astute insights into some of the more complex dimensions of product management.
- Read this first: Product owner manager
Best of Medium
31. Brandon Chu Brandon Chu writes fun, personal posts based on his experiences working for companies like Shopify and Freshbooks. We really appreciate his frank tone and in-the-trenches anecdotes. Plus, he’s Canadian. 🇨🇦
- Read this first: A bad product decision
32. Ellen Chisa We’re big Ellen Chisa fans around here. In fact, we recently interviewed her about the role of writing in product management. Ellen has gained a strong following for her insightful writing on some the challenges associated with working in both product and tech, including career frustration and issues of gender diversity.
- Read this first: Networking for introverts
33. Lulu Cheng Pinterest’s Lulu Cheng recently pivoted into product management from marketing, and has documented her transition. She’s probably been the most successful writer yet to tackle the perennial question: How technical does a product manager really need to be?
- Read this first: Getting to “technical enough” as a product manager
34. Bo Ren Tumblr’s Bo Ren uses Medium to chart her personal journey in product management — but with a caveat: “This is not a how-to guide.” Bo’s writing exemplifies a growing trend in the PM community. Often pointing a spotlight on issues of diversity, she doesn’t just talk about how to develop a PM skill set, but rather offers a series of essays and critiques on the field itself.
- Read this first: Confessions of a PM: 7 ways to disarm the impostor syndrome
35. Matt LeMay A big reason we like Matt LeMay: he revamped that totally over-shared product management Venn diagram. Another reason: his blogs are fun to read and actually helpful. He doesn’t just talk about how to be a product manager, but how it feels to work in product.
- Read this first: Against self-deprecation
36. Jess Ratcliffe We like Jess Ratcliffe’s product management blog so much, we interviewed her about it. Each week, Jess grabs coffee with an awesome woman working in product, and publishes their conversation on Medium. A great way to (vicariously) get to know your product heroes.
- Read this first: Coffee with Merci Grace
37. John Cutler A prolific Medium contributor, John Cutler is an awesome source for fast tips and light-a-fire-under-your-ass inspiration. Oh, and he recently published amazing pictures of his 100-day doodle challenge.
- Read this first: How To Tame Engineers, Be A Rockstar, and Ship ****ing Product
Design & UX
38. Julie Zhuo Facebook product design VP Julie Zhuo was named the #1 product management influencer in NomNom and Data Stories recent analysis of PM content on Medium. Not only is her writing extremely insightful, Julie herself just seems straight-up cool.
- Read this first: Design, illustrated in 3 charts
39. Users Know Laura Klein has made it her mission to help startups master UX. Her recent book, UX for Lean Startups, gives startup product leaders the tools to connect with their users. Prefer a shorter read? Her blog is a great source for user-focused research and ideas.
- Read this first: The right deliverables
40. UserOnboard UserOnboard is like Pop-Up Video for the app age. In his signature “teardowns,” Portland-based designer Samuel Hulick walks readers through the onboarding process for various apps, dishing out sassy commentary along the way. Helpful UX lessons PLUS comedy. Can we be his friend?
- Read this first: How Kimoji onboards new users
41. Cindy Alvarez Cindy Alvarez is a longtime leader in user experience and customer development. Director of UX at Yammer, she blogs about nurturing customers, honing communication, and product design. She has also tackled issues surrounding workplace culture — including the less-fun parts.
- Read this first: 5 ways to ensure usability testing results aren’t ignored
For Startups
42. Hunter Walk A partner at Homebrew, Hunter Walk focuses on growing startups — and their products. His hugely popular product management blog is part tech criticism, part knowledge-sharing, plus interviews with super-smart people working in PM.
- Read this first: Google finds that successful teams are about norms not just smarts
43. Steve Blank Steve Blank’s 2005 book, The Four Steps to the Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Products that Win, lay the groundwork for how we see and engage customer development today. On his blog, Blank continues to write about customer-driven entrepreneurship and disrupting big companies.
- Read this first: The mission model canvas — an adapted business model canvas for mission-driven organizations
44. Startup Lessons Learned If you’re in product at a startup and you haven’t read Eric Ries’ hugely influential 2011 book The Lean Startup, don’t bother reading ANY of these blogs until you have. After that, spend some time on Startup Lessons Learned, Ries’ ongoing blog.
- Read this first: How lean startup helped serve communities in Kenya
45. Benedict Evans Another Andreessen Horowitz partner, Benedict Evans mixes tech commentary with entrepreneurial advice on his fun blog. Less tactical, his writing examines major tech trends and how they fit into the startup/business landscape.
- Read this first: Mobile, ecosystems and the death of PCs
Misc. but not least
46. Sachin Rekhi What’s great about so many product management blogs is that they’re not self-promotional — it’s really all about knowledge-sharing. Sachin Rekhi exemplifies that attitude. In his essays (which he also delivers via a weekly newsletter), he shares ideas and observations from over a decade working as a PM in Silicon Valley.
- Read this first: Product management career ladders at 8 top technology firms
47. The Product Guy Product manager and friendly floating head Jeremy Horn has been writing The Product Guy blog since 2007. One of its most fun features: The Best Product Person (TBPP for short), an annual competition “honoring excellence in product management.”
- Read this first: Becoming a truly customer-centric product manager with the “jobs to be done” framework
48. Product Management Meets Pop Culture Boston-based product manager Christopher Cummings uses analogies to Pokémon, Batman, and a range of fun pop culture touchpoints to explore important (and sometimes complicated) PM topics. A must-read for comic-book fans. A fun read for everyone.
- Read this first: Pokémon Go: A Mobile Product Manager’s Perspective
49. The Art of Product Management Asana PM Jackie Bavaro doesn’t just use Quora to answer questions — it’s where she hosts her insightful blog, The Art of Product Management. Her posts are encouraging, detailed, and introvert-friendly.
- Read this first: 3 easy exercises to improve your customer focus
50. The Clever PM The Clever PM is the anonymous advice column for the product management world. Written by a mysterious, Seattle-based product manager (Cliff Gilley in real life — according to LinkedIn), the site provides handy tips and inspiration for fellow product managers.
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