As product managers, there are some things we just have to learn through experience. You’ll never know what it really feels like to present your product roadmap to your executive staff, for example, until you call that meeting and do it.
But that doesn’t mean you’re on your own as a product manager. You don’t have to learn every strategy, challenge, and pitfall of the profession through trial and error. Turns out there are lots of terrific product management communities out there filled with product managers eager to share their knowledge, wisdom, and encouragement with you.
You’ll find lots of benefits in belonging to the right product management groups, including:
- You can learn product management best practices from people actually using them.
- It’s a great opportunity to network and talk shop with other product managers.
- Maybe you’ll even find your next PM job through one of these communities.
Here are some product management communities we think you should sign up for right away. Additionally, be sure to check out our ultimate guide to resources for product professionals to broaden your possibilities of learning and career development.
1. The Product Stack
What it is:
The Product Stack is a coalition of like-minded organizations (full disclosure: ProductPlan is one of them) offering practical solutions for modern software teams.
What to expect if you join:
Members get plenty of valuable benefits, including access to webinars, advice and interesting product management conversations through our Slack channel.
Note: This is a SaaS-focused PM community, so although many of the discussions and advice offered will apply broadly to other industries, much of the content tends to be software-focused.
2. Product School
What it is:
Product School is a tech business school providing a diverse curriculum for the next generation of product management professionals. With 20 campuses worldwide and an even larger online community, Product School offers courses in product management, product leadership, data analytics, digital marketing, UX design, and coding.
What to expect if you join:
Along with 35,000+ other product managers, becoming a member unlocks access to a network of tech professionals, hiring managers, and mentors. The Product School community has a wealth of resources, a Slack channel where the Product School CEO hosts Q&As, and the opportunity for interview preparation and career support.
3. The Product Coalition
What it is:
The Product Coalition, a Medium.com organization, is the largest free community for product managers and publishes Medium’s leading product management online publication, ProductCoalition.com.
What to expect if you join:
The community has published thousands of articles on PM topics, has a lively Slack channel where thousands of product managers exchange ideas every day, and will even let you submit your own content for possible publication on ProductCoalition.com.
4. Elezea
What it is:
Elezea is the product management blog and community of Rian van der Merwe, a longtime tech product manager and the author of Making it Right: Product Management for a Startup World.
What to expect if you join:
The word Elezea is Swahili word meaning to elucidate, explain, and clarify. The content on Elezea helps bring clarity and new perspectives to topics related to product management, design, and software development.
But membership in the community (which costs $3 a month) is really about helping van der Merwe keep the site up and running and allowing him to research topics to write about. In other words, you can enjoy all of the content on Elezea for free, even if you don’t join the community. But occasionally, van der Merwe sends updates, app suggestions, and other content exclusively to Elezea members.
5. Creative Product Managers
What it is:
Creative Product Managers is a LinkedIn community offering a private place online where more than 72,000 creative PMs exchange ideas, share experiences, and offer each other guidance. The community’s mission is to help product managers improve their skills.
What to expect if you join:
As the community’s group administrator explains, Creative Product Managers is an open discussion forum for PMs to ask questions, talk about their experiences bringing products to market, and offer advice to other product managers.
Members are free to post content to the community anytime, but the site is monitored and moderated to keep the discussions strictly PM-related, meaning any posts that veer from this subject are removed right away.
Join Creative Product Managers
6. Product Management Insider
What it is:
Product Management Insider is an online publication dedicated to all things product management. Its editor-in-chief, Mike Fishbein, is also the host of the leading PM podcast This Is Product Management.
What to expect if you join:
Like the other 7,000+ product managers in this community, when you join you’ll receive access to Product Management Insider’s exclusive content, including industry data, alerts on important industry events, and even career opportunities.
Join Product Management Insider
7. Women in Product
What it is:
Women in Product is a community founded to provide women with equal access and representation in product management careers. The organization features both geographic chapters — the Austin community, the Toronto community, etc. — with a broader online community where women at all levels of product management can network, offer advice, and even find jobs.
What to expect if you join:
As a Women in Product member, you’ll have access to the community’s dozens of conferences and other live events throughout the year. You’ll also receive the official community newsletter featuring discussions of key product management topics and the success stories of other women in the field. And as the community itself explains, members of the Women in Product community have the opportunity to “celebrate each other’s accomplishments, share our knowledge, and build skills to grow our careers.”
8. Hacker Noon
What it is:
Hacker Noon is a community-based online publication featuring posts and discussions about software. The community was designed for coders— it’s not called Product Manager Noon — and software developers make up the majority of its member base. But you will find valuable ideas and insights for tech PMs both in the community’s articles and in its discussion groups.
What to expect if you join:
Hacker Noon is an open community. You don’t need to take any steps to become a member. As the site explains, “Anyone can start a tech discussion at community.hackernoon.com.” You can also submit your own posts at contribute.hackernoon.com or by emailing stories@hackernoon.com.
Hacker Noon: Start Reading and Contributing
9. Mind the Product
What it is:
Mind the Product is one of the industry’s largest communities for product professionals. The organization’s mission is to help product people “push our craft forward together.” They do this today primarily through member meetups all over the world.
What to expect if you join:
In addition to access to the community’s frequent meetups in more than 175 cities, as a member you will also be invited to contribute articles to Mind the Product, you’ll receive the community’s daily product newsletter, and you’ll be able to participate in Mind the Product’s Slack channel, one of the largest such channels in the world for product professionals.
10. Products that Count
What it is:
Founded by a veteran product manager from Facebook and Nokia, Products that Count is one of the world’s largest product management communities, with more than 200,000 active members.
What to expect if you join:
Members of Products that Count receive exclusive management videos, podcasts, and other digital content. Members also have access to invitation-only meetings, executive panels, and other live events featuring product-industry thought leaders.
11. Product Manager Jobs
What it is:
This LinkedIn group is just what its name suggests: a private forum with listings of open product management positions.
What to expect if you join:
If you join the more than 24,000 other PMs in the Product Manager Jobs LinkedIn community, you’ll have immediate access to the latest product management postings across a wide range of industries — including Enterprise Software, SaaS, eCommerce, AdTech, FinTech, HealthTech, Marketing Tech, and others.
Also, as the community’s group administrators explain, only quality listings featuring full job descriptions (or links to the fill job descriptions) will be permitted on the forum. So, as the admin says, you won’t have to waste time sifting through posts that say: “I’m hiring — call me.”
Join the Product Manager Jobs LinkedIn Community
If you know of other great PM communities, please share them in the comments section.
