Earlier, it was Data science then there was Blockchain & now it is Artifcial intelligence (AI).
There is just no stopping the buzz.
Sure, some of these (hypes!) concepts will fizzle out & only a few will end up having a long-term impact on the software industry.
But we can all agree that technology landscape seems to be moving a little too fast for any product to retain its status quo.
Naturally, folks who practice product management need to keep themselves abreast. Not just with the technologies, but also the best practices around stakeholder management & improvements in their crafts.
Upskilling & cross-skilling is the only way for product managers to stay in the game.
But how do product managers keep up with the latest trends in their fast-paced professional lives?
Simple – learn from the best in your domain.
In this article, we give you a handy reference list of top blogs & podcasts every product manager should follow.
Top 10 blogs for Product managers
- Reforge blog: Content on this blog is just top notch. Written by some of the most successful folks from Product management, Growth, Product marketing & other adjacent functions – product managers should bookmark this blog, without doubt.
All the posts here go into so much depth & include actionable ideas that any product manager would miss out a lot by not following it.
The Reforge blog is a valuable resource for those product managers looking to deepen their understanding of growth & product strategies.
- SVPG insights blog: Silicon Valley product group, that’s what SVPG stands for.
This blog offers vital insights for product management professionals.
Originally initiated & still led by Marty Cagan (author of Inspired – How to create tech products customers love) this blog is a gold mine of ideas for product management tactics.
SVPG insights blogs share perspectives of the top tech product leaders. It is an important source for product managers because it caters to various disciplines serving the product organizations ranging from startups to large enterprises.
- Roman Pichler’s blog: A renowned international expert in Product strategy, agility & leadership shares his pearls of wisdom on this blog.
Roman’s blog assists product managers gain their foothold where teams work in Agile set ups. Roman has written several books based on his experience in the field & Product managers can find a plethora of free topics and audio clips in his blog.
This blog also provides a few free tools for product managers such as Product management framework, Product vision board, Product canvas etc
- Ken Norton’s blog: Although now an executive coach, Ken Norton used to be a Product manager who looked after Google’s flagship products in their initial days.
Ken is known for his famous essay, “How to Hire a Product Manager.” His blogs offer strategic insights for product managers focusing on planning, prioritization, and strategy.
Inevitably any product manager will find nuggets of wisdom spread over various articles on this blog.
- Sachin Rekhi blog: CEO of note taking app for teams, Notejoy, Sachin writes about product management & entrepreneurship on this blog.
On this blog, Sachin has written over 175 essays that have been viewed more than 3 million times.
Sachin’s blog covers a variety of product management related topics. And he does not restrict himself to the written form, but also posts videos on select topics. Overall, a feast for product managers who seek to learn & grow in their careers.
- Amplitude blog: Writing product focused blog is a no-brainer for Amplitude. After all, their product targets the product managers at large.
Product management best practices, Product led growth fundamentals are some of the collections available on Amplitude blog.
Amplitude’s philosophy is based on the idea that product analytics should be available to anyone. It highlights how product managers can use analytics to enhance their products. It features guest posts from product experts such as Hiten Shah, Brian Balfour, John Cutler, and others.
- Pendo blog: A broad suite of products under the Pendo umbrella are geared towards Product managers. It is only natural for Pendo to focus on creating valuable content for its target audience.
Typically Pendo’s blog posts cover product management areas such as – feature adoption, user onboarding, product analytics, product lead growth & user experience.
For any product manager who wants to broaden their skills across a wide spectrum of product building & optimization, this is an apt resource.
- Product Talk by Teresa Torres: ‘Make better product decisions’ – that’s the tagline for Teresa’s blog.
A renowned coach, known for her work on Product discovery, Teresa writes actionable & useful articles on this blog. This blog features high-quality, long-form content on product management. It offers practical examples, infographics, and links that are useful for product managers.
Teresa’s extensive coaching experience adds value to the content that gets published on this blog. If you are a product manager, her blog will provide you with significant product discovery and leadership insights.
- Inside Intercom: This blog was an integral part of Intercom’s GTM strategy in its initial days. It still continues to be a valuable source on Intercom’s thought process behind building & designing great products.
Intercom does not restrict itself to textual content but also publishes some really informative & education videos. Their podcast series Intercom on Product is a valuable resource for product managers across different sectors.
- Hacker Noon: This one is a bit different from the pack. Not exclusively meant for Product managers, this technology focused forum is a treasure trove of knowledge.
If you are a technical product manager or want to become one, this is a resource you do not want to miss out on. Also works quite well for any product managers working with bleeding edge technologies.
10 ultimate podcasts for Product managers
Not all product managers are alike. Some like to read, some don’t. But all want to learn & grow in their career paths.
For those, who are not keen readers – here are top 10 podcasts every Product manager should follow.
- Lenny’s Podcast: Lenny was one of the early hires at Airbnb. His podcast has become one of the go to resources for product managers across geographies.
He invites successful individuals, some of them pioneers in their own way & interviews them around topics. Majority of the times the topics are around product & growth.
In a short time since it started, Lenny’s podcast has managed to become extremely popular in the Product management & Startup/Growth circles. With his uncanny knack for extracting actionable insights from his guests, Lenny drives immense value for the podcast’s listeners.
- The Product Podcast: The Product Podcast, brainchild of Product School, is one of the best product management podcasts.
Product school is well known for its Product management certifications as well as courses. Topics covered in this podcast include the psychology of product management, career advice, tips, and hacks for product managers, and many more.
Product managers can get great ideas from the Product Podcast.
- How I Built This with Guy Raz: In this podcast, Guy Raz interviews the world’s best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands.
While you won’t find any topics that are directly related to ‘Product management’ in here, the idea is to read between the lines through the valuable interviews.
Inevitably, the guests on this podcast share some of the moments of self-doubt & vulnerability in their journey & allude to how they navigated them to build a long-lasting brand. He also hosts special episodes where product managers can ask questions related to product management.
- This is product management: In this podcast, the host discusses pro tips for product managers.
In each episode, they select an important topic and discuss how it impacts the different stages of product management.
This podcast covers tactical approaches for product managers to get the maximum out of their development teams.
- Product Love: What makes certain products so lovable to us? That’s the question this podcast tries to address.
The host interviews product managers trying to learn from them how they build products that spread joy and connect deeply with the target audience.
The podcast does not shy away from talking about real-world problems faced by product managers, such as scaling product operations, digital transformation of various workflows, and radical product thinking.
- Rocketship.fm: This podcast covers a broad range of topics. As it identifies itself as – The Podcast for entrepreneurs, product managers and anyone working in tech today.
Some of the episodes are stories of entrepreneurs whereas others are purely product management topics. You will need to identify the ones that can add value for you.
Michael, host of this podcast, also does some bonus interviews that may or may not be directly related to product management.
- 100 product managers: 100 product managers offers multiple learning resources for product managers including courses. The podcast is one of that offerings.
This podcast channel aims to interview 100 product managers from startup to enterprise levels. They bring stories, in-depth information, and perspectives from a diverse group of product managers from various industries. The episodes cover topics such as OKRs, team management, and the personal journeys of product managers.
- Product People: Although not active anymore, this podcast identifies itself as a podcast about great products & the people who make them.
The recorded podcasts are worth a listen if you seek to learn the art & science of product management.
Podcast episodes primarily discuss how product managers can find themselves in and navigate difficult situations involving senior management. Host Justin Jackson has invited guests from leading brands to share their experiences and personal lessons.
- Masters of scale: Hosted by Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder & a VC, masters of scale interviews innovators for candid conversations.
In this podcast, topics like technology, startups, and innovation are covered. It provides important insights and trends for product managers.
- One knight in product: This is a podcast for people interested in building or designing tech products.
Jason Knight, the host of this podcast, interviews product managers & leaders as well as anyone else involved in product management/delivery.
If you are looking for some unique perspectives on product management coupled with practical advice, this is your go to podcast.
Learn & grow
Following top blogs and podcasts can help product managers keep up with industry trends, strategies, and leadership insights. If you want to think outside the box, learn regularly focusing on growing your skills.
