What makes a good Product Manager into a great Product Manager?
Talking to customers, understanding the industry, working with engineers and designers – these are all standard things that all PMs need to do to succeed. However, to do them exceptionally, it almost always comes down to communication.
A core part of communication that many PMs don’t focus on enough? Writing.
“Clear written communication is an absolute prerequisite for a product manager” — John Cutler
And I’m no exception. I haven’t given writing enough practice and I want to change that. This blog is for exercising that muscle.
Writing helps you learn
Ravi Kumar wrote a great summary around “Why must all Product Managers write” that covers the topic well.
He interviewed a few PMs and there was a quote that really spoke to me:
“Writing is absolutely a learning process for me. I write about anything that I want to learn about because when I try to write about it, it forces me to learn.
It doesnt matter what you write is not very good. You dont write to impress anyone else. You write for yourself. Writing, sharing, giving talks is first and foremost is for yourself. They are all rich learning experiences for your own self.
Even if no one reads what you are writing, it still is worth the effort because you will learn and become better.”
— Yevgeniy Brikman, Author, Hello Startup
The idea that writing actually helps you learn is something most PMs don’t think about and it motivated me to get this blog started.
314 words or less
However, like any good PM, it all comes down to scope. To make writing this blog achievable and to practice brevity, I will limit each post to no more than 314 words.
So here goes! My thoughts on building great products in 314 words or less.
314 words 