Better Product

Product marketing is at the intersection of many teams in a product company. The work of a product marketer supports the wider product team, sales, marketing, executive stakeholders, and most of all, buyers. It’s for this reason product marketers tend to play a quarterback role, says Kimberly Biddings, VP of Product at BIO-key International. As Kim knows from experience, they’re responsible for not just knowing a product in and out—they have to translate its selling points for others to use. Join Kim and Tina to hear more about the opportunities product marketers can bring to your growing organization. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: Product marketing starts from the second there’s a business idea. There’s more than one way to be a product marketer. Things To Listen For: [0:30] Icebreaker: Who is on your dream interview list (aside from the amazing guests we talked to for Unlock Product Marketing)? [2:00] Why did we create this series? [4:00] Introducing today's guest, Kimberly Biddings of BIO-key International [6:00] Takeaway: there are different kinds of product marketers, not just one [7:00] Intro to Kimberly Biddings and her cybersecurity product marketing career [8:30] How Tina and Kim met with product marketing and brand work through Innovatemap [10:00] In the beginning, many people did product marketing in marketing roles [10:30] What is a regional product manager? And why teams still need PMM advocates. [12:00] What are the jobs to be done by product marketing? [14:00] Product marketers are like company quarterbacks [15:00] If you need product marketing from day one, why is it typically one of the last roles to be hired? [16:00] The seven stages of product marketing as a company scales [18:30] You have to market yourself as a product marketer so people understand it [21:00] Find bite-sized ways to inject product marketing strategy into your interactions [27:30] Product marketing’s first question: does anyone actually care about this? [29:00] Don’t start with the what, start with the why [31:00] Always consider “who are you talking to?” and “what are you saying?” [38:00] Be your product manager’s best friend

One of the fundamental strategies product marketers must lead is positioning. It’s what determines how you’ll talk about your product, your company, and your brand as you scale. So why do so many people get it wrong? Catherine Spence, VP of Global Marketing at Microblink, joins Leanna to share her best lessons on brand and product positioning, from leading marketing at an international company to her own startup, Pomello. If you’re looking to stay in your comfort zone, this isn’t the episode for you. Catherine shows us why we need to use our positioning to pick a fight and take a stand, especially in B2B SaaS. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: Positioning gives you focus. You can’t be everything to everyone. Product positioning should make you think. Brand positioning should make you feel. Don’t prioritize brand positioning until you have product-market fit. Things To Listen For: [2:00] Icebreaker: If you had to write an autobiography and name it after one of your guilty pleasures, what would you call it? [3:00] What’s the difference between brand positioning and product positioning? How do marketers and PMMs work together to define it? [7:00] IntroducingCatherine Spenceand her role atMicroblink [9:00] PMM is the intersection of product, marketing, and sales[11:00] The ask of product marketing is simple. But it’s difficult to do well. [12:00] How Microblink thinks about brand positioning vs. product positioning when marketing AI when the world isn’t familiar with it yet[13:00] The deceiving similarities between product positioning and brand positioning, and what unites them at the core [14:00] Brand positioning should be internal and external [15:00] How do brand positioning and product positioning work together?[16:00] All positioning should reflect your vision and who you want to be in the world. When are you willing to walk away? [19:00] Why B2B product marketers and marketers need to position products that “pick a fight and take a stand” for their products[22:30] Clear positioning doesn’t just make sense. It makes dollars. [23:00] When is the best time to focus on brand positioning?[26:00] Use your vision statement to anchor your brand positioning [28:00] The role of employer brand in positioning [36:00] The future of PMM: how do we find great product marketers?

In today’s world, building a great product isn’t enough. You have to master your go-to-market strategy by telling a story that will leave a lasting impression on your audience. Product marketing gets you there, according to long-time product marketer and Costanoa Ventures partner Martina Lauchengco. Martina is the author of the latest book from the esteemed Silicon Valley Product Group, LOVED: How to Rethink Marketing for Tech Products. Alongside Tina and Leanna, she explores how her career start as a product manager equipped her with the product curiosity and technical competence needed to thrive when marketing digital products. She shows us today how to think about product marketing as the discipline it is and how companies should be leveraging it if they want their product to be recognized and adopted. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways Product marketing tells the world why your product matters and why it’s distinct from something similar. Product marketers must be genuinely interested in what products do and why the product exists to make it meaningful for the market. Things To Listen For [0:30] Introducing our guest hosts, Innovatemap’s Tina Hafer and Leanna AdeolaAmbassador — product marketers connect customer and market insights Strategist — product marketers direct a product’s go-to-market Storyteller — product marketers shape perceptions of productEvangelist — product marketers empower others in your company to represent and share the product

Product marketing is the foundation for better product. It should play a strategic role in your business from day one. It's a product discipline to master and respect—not just a list of jobs to be done. But product marketers continue to struggle with recognition. Because the discipline is still new, the way product leaders think about product marketing is continuously evolving. That’s why Innovatemap’s Tina Hafer and Leanna Adeola are taking over the Better Product podcast for a special series on the power of product marketing. Alongside fellow industry experts, they’ll explore why digital products need product marketing to accelerate growth, how company leaders can best equip product marketers, and the potential product marketers have as the translation point between product, sales, marketing, executives, and most of all, your audience. We're exploring product marketing's past, present, and future with: Martina Lauchengco, author of LOVED: How to Rethink Marketing for Tech Products, and partner at Costonoa Ventures Catherine Spence, VP of Global Marketing at Microblink Kim Biddings Johnson, VP of Product at BIO-key International Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community.

How you position your product can help you connect with the people who most need it, unlocking rapid growth for your company. But first, you need a solid foundation. Today, Christian and Meghan discuss what product leaders get right vs. wrong when positioning their products. Led by Meghan’s insights in product marketing, we’ll also walk through a process any team can use to find a position that will give you a cutting edge while letting you stay true to who you are. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: To create a positioning strategy, you need: A foundational statement that is the truth of your product Benefit pillars that focus on your differentiators A description of your product features as proof Positioning work is internal, but it should inform the external. Test your positioning’s effectiveness by asking if it’s simple, meaningful, repeatable, and relevant. Things To Listen For: [1:30] Friday recordings, turning 40, and why smart people have worse memories [2:30] Icebreaker: if you could debate anyone, real or not, who would it be? [3:00] Meghan’s hot take: “90% of cars are so much uglier than they have to be” [4:00] Christian’s defense of minivan designs and the 2014 Toyota Sienna [9:30] Today’s topic: how we shape perceptions of our product with positioning [10:00] Positioning says who you are and why you matter [11:00] “Positioning at its core is your north star; it should set the course” [12:00] How appreciation for positioning in product has evolved over time [12:30] Increasingly, product marketers and product designers are working together to bring positioning to life (see our episode on Pinterest) [13:30] Can you tell if a product is positioned well from an outside perspective? [14:30] Your positioning works if it’s simple, meaningful, repeatable, and relevant [15:00] Positioning statements must be factual and true to who you are [16:30] Positioning explains why your designers are designing, and for whom [18:00] How to start applying your positioning to a product roadmap [20:00] What to do about positioning when you’re an in-house product marketer [24:00] Why to revisit positioning as your company grows and hires new leaders [25:30] Consider changing your positioning when something foundational shifts [28:00] Previewing our upcoming series, Unlock Product Marketing j3UA7CRzZSpZyfw6gjIN

For better and for worse, ego follows us all into our work lives. But leaders must pay special attention to what role ego plays in building a product. Sometimes, ego can be the charisma an early-stage founder needs to get attention for what they’re creating. Other times, ego is a roadblock that can lead to ignoring critical perspectives from users and the product team. Using Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase as a case study, today’s show explores what role ego plays in product, when to use it to your advantage, and when to empower others to take charge. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: Ego can help people believe in your product, but it can’t guide everything. Strive to create a “cabinet of rivals” to balance your product perspective. How you position your product should be true ANDfeeltrue. Things To Listen For: [1:00] A new room for Erica’s new role: “product therapist” [4:00] Our icebreaker: what company would you buy if you had the money? [10:00] Twitter’s new features and overall progress in the digital product space [14:00] Ego can have an outsized influence in spaces that are driven by people, including social networks like Twitter [16:00] “You can’t scale human behavior the way that you scale battery factories” - and social platforms scale “the best and the worst” of humanity [20:00] How to think about ego in your own product career [23:30] Strive to have a “cabinet of rivals” to keep your ego in check [24:00] You need ego in the early stage to rally people around your product vision [25:30] You need a little bit of ego to sell a new or unusual idea—because if you don’t believe in it, no one else will [26:00] How to think about ego when creating your positioning statement [28:00] Positioning statements about your product can be like “Tinker Bell” [29:30] Don’t be a dictator; trust your product team to create to the vision

Everything has to start somewhere. But in product and in life, the beginning tends to be awkward. We have room to grow, and glow, up. The real question isn’t about whether we’ll glow up, but when. Christian & Meghan walk us through their answers from working in UX, product marketing, and brand to help us all find the best moment to embrace the “product glow-up” while staying true to our vision. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: Don’t be afraid to get started and make a mess. Before you can glow up, you have to find product-market fit. Your first users are your strongest advocates; learn from them. If you only make tweaks but avoid the overall experience, you fall behind. Things To Listen For: [3:00] Icebreaker: what’s something that gives you a sense of nostalgia? [6:00] When nostalgia gets complicated and the “worst decade for style” [7:00] Our apologies to Dave Grohl, if you’re listening out there [8:00] Introducing the product glow-up [10:00] The big question: when is the right time for a product glow-up?[11:00] The awkward phase is when you’re trying to find product-market fit [11:30] Why not to glow up your product or brand too early [12:30] You shouldn’t invest everything in creating a great brand until you know what your product is [13:00] In the beginning, you need to be focused on what people will buy [14:30] Lessons from tech boom companies that invested in brand upfront [15:30] How product glow ups are like an episode ofWhat Not To Wear [17:30] Early adopters don’t buy because you have a good brand or UX; they buy because they connect with your vision [20:00] If you’re going to be trendy, make sure your choices are intentional [23:00] The influence of tech debt on when you need a glow-up [24:00] Signals (and red alarms) for when it’s glow-up time 🚨[28:00] A quick case study: Peloton and products in COVID

Product research is a discipline that’s transformed in recent years. The days of waterfall testing are over. Today, research is happening at every stage of a product’s life cycle, and there are more tools than ever before to help. But how do product teams stay focused on what truly matters? How do we single out real insights from an outpouring of data? Christian & Meghan unpack their lessons learned about product research and examine how the field has evolved. They’ll also explain why research isn’t actually about finding answers; it’s about limiting uncertainty. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: Product research has evolved from a waterfall approach to a continuous approach; research is happening at more stages, and more often. Research is about limiting uncertainty, and not findingtheanswer. It’s best to “measure twice to cut once” in product research. Things To Listen For: [3:00] Icebreaker: what’s your best/worst research paper from school?[8:30] The evolution of product research and how it continues to change [9:00] Research is what makes better products possible [10:00] From Christian: In the beginning, research focused on what happened after your product made it into the world [10:30] Now, research is happening earlier and contributing idea[11:00] The difference today: research is about insights, not just data [12:00] When stakeholders disagree on the importance of research [13:00] Overcoming the fear of research (and the ideas it might diminish) [13:30] “Once you know what the research tells you, you have to act on it” [14:30] Barriers to research in startups include time, the founder’s connection to the market [16:00] The shift from waterfall research to continuous research[16:30] Who does research and the rise of digital productsforresearch [17:30] “Measure twice to cut once” when conducting research [19:30] You need both good research products and research professionals (as we explored with Amplitude’s Justin Bauer in supporting PMs with data) [22:00] Let your product research be experimental [23:00] Don’t over-index the voice of your customer

Today we’re talking about love—but not in the way you think. We’re looking at the intersection of product and a timeless human experience: falling in, and out, of love. Forget couples counseling as you know it. Ours co-founders Liz Earnshaw, Jessica Holton, and Adam Putterman are using their relationship wellness platform to reduce stigma and build “software for love.” In conversation with Christian & Meghan, the Ours founders will help you cherish the couple experience (and building great products) all over again. For more insights on how product is shaping modern health and wellness, revisit our series on Health Tech. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways Experience-driven products keep people at the center of tech. A brand plays a big role in reducing stigma around health products. Try a consumer look that will get your audience excited. Use symbolic language to show your audience the bigger picture. Things To Listen For [2:00] Introductions & our fave love stories, from Jim & Pam toBride Wars[8:00] How the idea for Ours was born from personal experiences in relationship counseling, from the patient and therapist POV [8:30] The intention: make couples therapy something worth celebrating [9:30] Why couples therapy can be like going to a spa or yoga retreat [10:30] The role of technology in creating better therapy, from patient onboarding to tracking [13:00] There are enough therapists in the world, but not enough ways to get connected with the patients who need them[13:30] The difference between proactive and reactive couples therapy [15:00] What it means to create an experience-driven product[16:00] Ours should feel like a hot yoga class: challenging but worthwhile[16:30] How Ours blends live guided sessions with asynchronous “loveware” [19:30] How the Ours brand breaks down barriers to relationship wellness[20:30] Balancing playfulness & expression in the Ours brand with sincerity [24:00] Making relationship wellness normal by making it public [27:30] Why Ours primarily focuses on engaged couples [33:30] “Our closest relationships are the number one predictor behind health and happiness”

Messaging is the story we tell about our product. But how do we know if we’re telling the right story? To talk about your product, you need to learn from the audience you serve, while never losing sight of the bigger picture your market provides. Christian & Meghan will share their observations on product messaging best practices and red flags to avoid; plus, they’ll explain why the best messaging is often the simplest. They’ll also attempt to message their own lives, as inspired by quotes from comment section fights and the great Humphrey Bogart. Revisit our episode with Peep Laja of Wynter for more insights on product messaging and how to get better, faster feedback on its effectiveness. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: Positioning is the north star that guides your product decisions; it’s the foundation that leads to good messaging. Successful messaging allows you to share specific messages with the different personas in your audience. Good messaging isn’t just clear about who you are; it says who you are not. Things To Listen For: [1:30] Messaging our own lives with internet quotes and actor mottos[5:00] The power of pumping brakes, on Twitter and in real life [7:30] Positioning is the most truthful description of what your product does[8:30] Messaging is born from positioning, organized around benefit pillars[9:00] Focus on messaging your top three benefits or differentiators [10:00] Why positioning tends to be more challenging than messaging [11:00] Positioning doesn’t have to be pretty; it just has to be true [12:00] Why the exact same message won’t work for your entire audience[14:00] The attributes of good messaging: clarity & a distinct voice [14:30] Great messaging requires more than a fun tone; not everyone can be Dollar Shave Club…[15:00] …but B2B companies also aren’t sentenced to being boring [17:30] The paradox of claiming a niche[20:00] Good messaging is hard to identify; that’s what makes it good.[21:00] Examples of early-stage messaging fromClayandOzone[25:00] Why analogies and metaphors are so powerful in messaging [28:00] Red flags and common traps to avoid when messaging your product

Product marketing is an evolving field with much left to define about what product marketers can actually measure and support. Peep Laja founded his company, Wynter, on the belief that product marketers do better work with swift, real-time feedback on their product messaging. In today’s conversation, he explains why taking weeks (or even months) to do critical testing and validation puts your product in a losing position. He’ll also describe how Wynter is helping B2B product marketers get impactful insights on their product’s messaging & positioning, without wasting time on KPIs that keep you looking in the rearview mirror. Want to get even better at B2B product marketing? Follow along with Peep’s How to Win podcast and the Wynter newsletter. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: If you wait to test and validate your product marketing, you lose.Product marketers should prioritize the speed of feedback. When marketing your product, prioritize function over form. The best differentiation is to actually be different. Things To Listen For: [1:30] An introduction to Peep (and a callback to an episode he inspired) [2:00] Better copy leads to conversion. But how do you know if your copy is good? [3:00] How Wynter can give you direct feedback from your target customer [6:00] Product marketing is ultimately about finding common ground between opinions—from your marketers, your sales team, your CEO, and your customers [7:30] Wynter’s goal is to speed up feedback loops; no more waiting for insights [9:00] Wynter democratizes user research, even if you’re not a research expert [9:30] Product marketing is troublesome because it’s a new & evolving role [10:00] Don’t let your product marketers be “deck monkeys” [13:00] Revenue as a metric is like looking through the rearview mirror [14:30] Peep’s 5 buckets for understanding product messaging: Clarity - does your audience “get it”? Do they want it?Relevance - are you speaking about things that are a high priority?Desirability - is your product’s value understood? Do people want it?Differentiation - have you made clear how your product stands out?Brand - are you creating the right perception for your product? [17:00] “Messaging and copy are the manifestations of your positioning” [21:00] Clarity in messaging is key: “if they don’t get it, they’re not going to buy it” [23:30] Don’t treat your website homepage like Netflix [24:30] What it looks like to sell a category vs. sell a narrative [30:00] Differentiation also comes down to how you see yourself

Opportunities in product today are seemingly endless. But if you’re new to the industry or looking to break in, it can be hard to know what skills you need to succeed. Many roles don’t have precise requirements, and product itself is continuously evolving. Today, Christian & Meghan will share their takes on the habits and mindsets that will serve product people at any stage of their careers. We’re talking about the impact of good taste, critical thinking, ego vs. insecurity, and how knowledge of other product disciplines can accelerate your own work. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: If you focus only on adhering to the process, you’ll lose sight of the why. Design isn’t just art; it’s a problem solver. Success in product requires us to keep ego & insecurity in check. Things To Listen For: [0:00] A re-introduction to our moderator, Erica Irish, and what role she’ll serve [3:00] Breaking the ice with an alternate universe: what would Christian & Meghan be doing with their careers if they hadn’t chosen a path in product? [9:00] Post-retirement aspirations, a better design school, and NFT PhDs [11:00] How Christian & Meghan first found their careers in product [15:00] Knowledge of good design applies regardless of the medium [17:00] What we mean by good taste, stolen ideas, and an Ira Glass reference [22:00] The importance of critical thinking and learning from other product roles [24:30] How ego and insecurity impact your product work—and why to never keep a tight grasp on anything you’ve created [26:30] Earn trust so you to make the decisions in the product area you own [28:00] Strive to separate yourself from the features [29:00] Questions you can ask about product in the face of critique [30:00] A multidisciplinary product perspective gets us closer to where the truth is [35:30] “If you were the friend who made the study guides, you’d probably make a good product marketer,” and other product personas

It’s the series finale of Power to the People Ops, and today, we’ve got a real treat. We’re speaking with Mel Skochdopole, co-founder of Parkday—a.k.a. “the Tinder of food.” Using the power of data, Parkday curates personalized workplace meals that are tailored to everyone’s food preferences. As a result, Parkday is saving people ops leaders valuable time and protecting them from the awkward (and potentially damaging) mistake of ordering food someone on their team can’t eat. Meghan and Mel explore how food is a small but powerful way to affect work culture and how people ops products can get personalized perks right. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways Don’t just add workplace perks—personalize them with product. Food quality can directly affect team productivity and health. Things To Listen For [1:30] Introducing Mel & Parkday’s mission of building data-driven food programs [2:00] How Parkday personalizes meals, as inspired by the founders’ own food preference journeys [4:00] As companies return to the office, food is something that will always be impactful; it unifies teams across departments [5:00] The issue for people ops leaders: food is important, but it takes a lot of time and effort to curate the best meals for every person in a company [7:00] Good food is a matter of team productivity and health [9:30] 85% of people are looking to eat healthier or follow a specific diet today, and that preference is even stronger among young workers [12:00] Why Parkday is “the Tinder of food” and how to use it to find your food type (anyone else out there a spicy vegetarian? 🌶) [15:00] How Parkday found its way by supporting the people ops space [18:00] The perfect storm affecting the transition from HR to people ops [19:00] What we mean by total compensation and the impact of workplace perks

Employee engagement is at the core of what keeps people motivated, productive, and happy at work. But unlocking what keeps people engaged is easier said than done. That’s why Julie Jeannotte, senior researcher at Officevibe by GSoft, is on a journey to create a product that measures and responds to engagement. Using pulse surveys and curated conversation starters, Officevibe is measuring human nature with science and creating a space for real talk at all levels of the workplace. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Clarification: At 15:02, Julie says "60%" of Officevibe's clients are enterprise companies. Officevibe actually serves 60 enterprise clients total. The vast majority of companies that use Officevibe are small or mid-size, with teams between 0 to 100 employees. Takeaways: In people ops, asking questions is what matters most. But how you ask will determine what you uncover. When employees are more engaged, they’re more productive & innovative. Recognition and sense of purpose are drivers of engagement that people ops products can harness. Things To Listen For: [1:30] Introducing Julie Jeannotte and her experiences in HR and people ops [5:00] How product thinking and agility found its way into the HR industry [7:00] The people ops mantra: finding ways to “put employees first” [7:30] Considering people ops as an approach vs. a business function [8:00] Why people ops products need to introduce more than cosmetic changes, like fun title changes (“chief happiness officer”) [9:00] The original people ops definition from Laszlo Bock: helping employees be “productive, healthier, and happier” [10:30] How Officevibe shapes employee experiences through pulse surveys [11:00] How Officevibe’s parent company, GSoft, embraces a “fail, adapt, learn, build, and grow” philosophy [12:00] Why Officevibe’s product features strive to build “cultures of feedback” [16:00] The science behind Officevibe’s pulse surveys, illustrated by a tree [19:30] Without good relationships, engagement efforts in product fall apart [26:30] Expectations in the employee-employer contract are changing

With an uptick in challenges like the Great Resignation and remote work, companies who are hiring today must understand people—their users—in order to thrive. Tim Pröhm, vice president at the KellyX Digital Innovation Lab, recognizes this opportunity and is using it to introduce agile product thinking and a significant digital transformation to the 75-year-old recruiting firm Kelly. Kelly impacts thousands of workers around the world each year and is setting the example for how to attract and retain talent at a critical moment. In this episode, Tim shares how his team encourages startup strategy in the enterprise world, and how they are bringing the people ops wave to new heights through Kelly’s reach. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: People ops products only succeed if they are customized to the holistic employee experience. The job of people ops is to ask, “what do the people in your organization need to be successful?” Things To Listen For: [1:30] Tim’s journey to product & his career intersections with the service industry [3:30] Background on Kelly and its global influence in the staffing & talent industry [4:30] How technology & product thinking emerged in Kelly’s work in recent years [5:00] “It’s not about the human interaction anymore” in a digital world [5:30] Innovation emerged through rapid prototyping, being responsive to users [7:00] Lessons from Laszlo Bock’s book, “Work Rules!” on people ops vs. HR HR focuses on compliance and traditional administration People ops focus on “the full, real experience” in the organization [8:00] Why you shouldn't exclude people ops leaders from strategic product decisions [8:30] If you can’t retain or attract talent, your org will fail; people ops can help [11:30] HR professionals tried to “rebrand” as people ops before, but it didn’t work [12:30] COVID made companies realize workforce strategy needs to be holistic [13:30] The reality of “the overwhelmed employee” experience (hint: it’s more common than you might think) [21:00] The importance of real-time visibility in business and people ops [23:00] How automation, hiring, and people ops go hand-in-hand [25:00] The growing importance of qualitative research [27:00] “Digital transformation is a neverending exercise” [30:00] Why startups and corporations need to “cross-pollinate”

Imagine a world where every person in a company is understood. They have engaging 1:1s with managers where their voices are heard, and consistent opportunities to connect with their peers—whether they work together or not. This is the future people ops products are building; and, it’s the same future John Wetzel is defining as CEO & co-founder of Gather. He explains how people ops is transforming companies, how product leaders in the space can get necessary feedback, and most importantly, how Gather strives to get people ops leaders at early-stage companies “off their islands” to deliver a better employee experience. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: People ops is owning more and more of what HR once covered. The best outcomes of people ops products happen in real life. Effective people ops leaders think like product managers. Things To Listen For: [2:00] How Gather got started, with inspiration from 2019 [3:00] John’s past experiences in hardware and software before founding Gather [5:00] How John defines “people ops,” and how the category differs from HR [5:15] The three functions of traditional HR: talent acquisition, logistics, people operations (a.k.a culture, communications, DEI) [6:00] The reality: people operations is owning “more and more” of HR [6:15] Is people ops going to become the “new HR,” or something else? [7:00] Explaining how the Gather product automates people ops work [8:30] How Gather integrates with Slack as a “workflow builder” [9:00] Why Gather leverages & automates HRIS, the “CRM” of people ops [10:00] Exploring Gather’s unique product features, like the onboarding buddy [11:30] The best outcomes of Gather happen in real life, not through automation [13:00] Why John & Gather believe “the future is people ops” [14:00] How marketing a people ops product relates to category creation [15:30] Why does the world need people ops? [16:00] How John pairs his personal brand with Gather’s in marketing people ops [17:00] How the Great Resignation is affecting people ops products [19:00] People ops is about harnessing the small moments in the workplace [20:00] For people ops leaders, their product is the employee experience [24:00] Community can give you early feedback on your product and priorities

Many employers are coming to a huge realization: there’s power in investing in people. But keeping teams happy, organized, and engaged at work can be easier said than done. That’s why in recent years, dozens of digital products have emerged to give rise to the challenge. So-called people operations, or people ops, products exist to give workers better processes that can help them believe in (and stay) at their companies amid challenges like the Great Resignation. In this series of Better Product, we’re exploring how people ops products are one way employers can ensure their teams are seen, heard, and respected, and why these products are growing in popularity. We’re talking to leaders in the people ops space, including: John Wetzel, CEO & Co-Founder ofGather Tim Prohm, VP at theKellyX Digital Innovation Lab Julie Jeannotte, Employee Engagement Expert & Senior Researcher atOfficevibe by GSoft Our producer Erica is joining the conversation to ask the tough questions and be an advocate for you, our listeners. Want to add your own take? Write a note or record a voice memo, and send it to erica.irish@innovatemap.com to join the conversation. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: People ops products are multiplying, but the shift from HR isn’t new. Companies that take people ops seriously keep their employees at the center and create a culture with them in mind. Product leaders in people ops are trying to measure and respond to human nature with tech. Things To Listen For: [3:00] Why we’re talking about people ops, vibe shifts, and the future of work [6:30] How we define people operations vs. HR [7:30] “People ops is about creating a better holistic experience for teams” [8:30] Exploring our different levels of work experience [12:30] Tying today’s people ops products back to 2006, Laszlo Bock, and Google [13:00] People ops products ask: how can companies fit the way they operate into people’s lives—not the other way around [14:30] Design to design ops, security to security ops, and people to people ops [16:00] In the age of remote work, companies have to consider, “what else do I have to offer?” [17:00] People ops lets companies “create the canvas for culture to emerge” [19:30] People ops products have to be intentional about fostering interactions [20:00] How the people ops transformation is “making the attention to people and experience more systemic”

Growth design is a powerful concept. It’s how we bring the goals of product marketing into focus and activate those goals through great design. As Christian puts it, it’s about evolving the areas of your product that grow metrics like revenue and users. But too often, growth design is reduced to a buzzword; to make the most of the practice, you have to consider the context in which you’re working. This episode explores what growth design looks like today, what it is not, and how it takes the best of two product disciplines, PMM and UX, to accelerate change. Oh, and we’re trying something new with the show. Today you’ll hear a new voice: our producer Erica is joining the conversation to ask the tough questions and be an advocate for you, our listeners. Want to add your own take? Write a note or record a voice memo, and send it to erica.irish@innovatemap.com to join the conversation. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: Growth design is about building features that accelerate growth in your product, like increasing revenue and users. At its core, growth design is the intersection of product marketing and UX. Things To Listen For: [0:30] Introducing our moderator & producer, Erica Irish [3:00] Why Christian & Meghan were initially skeptical about growth design [4:00] Growth design is a layer on top of UX design meant to help the product accelerate growth, in revenue, users, etc. [4:30] Hear more from Pinterest’s growth design team in our 2020 episode [6:00] Growth design brings product marketing into focus (e.g., microcopy) [8:00] Growth design leads to “users supporting other users” (product-led growth) [9:30] How web3 and decentralization could affect growth design (or not) [12:30] Growth design accelerates users who are beyond the “hesitancy phase” [13:00] Products need a category foundation before they get to growth design [14:00] Examining NFTs, community membership…and an NFT vending machine [16:00] A case study: Coinbase’s experimental Super Bowl commercial [17:30] Why “marketing is never responsible for education,” but PMM can be [20:00] Growth design as understood through Andrew Chen’s “cold start problem” [20:30] The early stages of a product should be different from your later stages [21:00] The goal of your first stage: figure out if your product is valuable, so you have something good to grow from [23:30] How to define and think about “growth design features”

Some of the most popular digital products today, including the world-recognized FAANG stocks, are platforms. They are spaces that facilitate communication, connection, or a specific activity core to your lifestyle or business—and in almost every case, platforms have succeeded so much because they’ve monetized the interactions that happen on them. It’s because of this achievement that many in product strive for the platform model, in what Jonathan Knee describes as “the platform delusion.” To win in product, you actually don’t need a platform; instead, Christian & Meghan explain, you can learn from the way platform leaders think, and apply those lessons to your own product vision. Want to add your own take? Write a note or record a voice memo, and send it to erica.irish@innovatemap.com to join the conversation. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: All platforms are products, but not every product should be a platform.Three core lessons from platforms to apply to your product: Platforms excel at brand & PMM; they leverage FOMO and blur the line between marketing and features. Platforms make strategic decisions about new features. Platforms use great UX design to create, then enhance, experiences. Things To Listen For: [0:30] Christian’s Startups To Watch newsletter and how it inspired this episode [1:00] A summary of Jonathan Knee’s book, “The Platform Delusion” [3:00] Too many tech leaders see platforms as the “end all, be all”—without recognizing everything that it takes to build them [6:00] Platforms think about product differently from most products [6:30] How we define platforms: “products that facilitate communication, connection, or some kind of activity that you make part of your lifestyle” [7:30] The platform types that meet our definition, from Spotify to Salesforce [8:30] Examining consumer-oriented vs. B2B-oriented platforms, like Twilio [12:00] How platforms approach product differently, from three perspectives: Brand & PMM Product Management UX Design [15:00] Platforms tend to blur the line between features and marketing campaigns [18:30] “The buyer of B2B software is still a consumer” [19:00] A quick detour to our previous discussion on category creation

In today’s digital product landscape, the possibilities seem endless. We’re watching new products emerge to serve completely new categories—many of which, like web3 and the decentralized internet, have yet to be totally defined. Finding the answers and taking charge of a new product category, Christian and Meghan share in this episode, is up to you as the product leader. And any good journey in category creation starts with thinking about how the product you’re building can set the standard. When done well, your product becomes “the proof” new categories need to survive and thrive. Want to add your own take? Write a note or record a voice memo, and send it to erica.irish@innovatemap.com to join the conversation. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see the latest in Better Product, a show part of the Better Product Community powered by Innovatemap. The community is the connection point for product leaders & practitioners to learn and share what it takes to design, build, market, and sell better products. Learn more at betterproduct.community. Takeaways: Creating categories is all about timing & awareness. Use tools like Gartner, ProductHunt, and expert newsletters to figure out where to start. Product is “the proof behind the category you’re trying to create.” Things To Listen For: [0:00] Exciting news - the Better Product Community is on Slack! [1:30] A primer on why we’re talking about category creation [2:00] What category creation is, what it isn’t, and categories vs. industries [4:30] How & why to use tools like Gartner to validate your product’s category [5:00] What to do if you’re an early-stage company in an emerging category [7:00] Overview: How should you start thinking about category creation? Understand your business in the context of the wider marketThink about your current growth stage and your growth trajectoryConsider the resources available to you [7:30] Understand positioning to uncover your category creation potential [10:00] How to think about your growth trajectory, with lessons from “Play Bigger” [11:00] The advantages of building your product in an emerging category [12:00] Even if you’re creating a new category, use familiar interaction patterns [14:30] Product is “the proof behind the category you’re trying to create.” [16:00] You need resources to support the content you need to build a category [18:00] You have to tell people “over and over again” what your category means