What are the things we SHOULD NOT do if we want to influence the roadmap?

Haha, good question! Here are some things I can think of:

• Don’t do the PM’s job for them. If you have an idea, recommend and discuss it rather than force it. 

• Don’t recommend something without due diligence. Ensure you can answer ‘Why is this so important,’ ‘Why now?’ and ‘How does it align with our goals.’

• Don’t be biased. Just because it didn’t work for you or for that one very vocal customer doesn’t mean that the world is ending and the roadmap needs to be changed now. Proactively build a case for the change with your research.

• Don’t burn cross-functional bridges. Collaborate with sales, CS, design/UX, community, support, and other potential counterparts to support new ideas and show alignment.

• Don’t overload requests. The product team almost always has a feature backlog and tech debt to work on. Strive to balance break-fixes, incremental enhancements, and longer-term innovation while considering customer needs.

We often hear that Product Marketing is a blend of art + science. Well early on in my career, I'd come mostly from a place of art and then dragging very slowly behind...the science.

I'd frequently find myself wondering why my voice didn't feel heard and then it dawned on me: for a business to run at hypergrowth speed, it needs that blend of art + science but one without the other is a recipe for disaster.

If you're trying to influence the roadmap, come prepared with customer insights, field input, analyst themes/trends, marketing-sizing of the opportunity, competitor audits, etc. That shows you're coming from a place of calculated decision-making and have done your homework gathering the data.

Alternatively, trying to influence based on feeling alone will not go very far. I've found most PMM + PM relationships are open and well receptive; however, to make your voice heard you want to bring the data to back it up. Start with a feeling, trust your gut, and bring the data to back it up. It's an art and science.

If your goal is to influence the product roadmap there are a few pitfalls you should avoid.

1. Don't treat the roadmap as something fixed/set in stone - Having a roadmap is super crucial to helping focus product teams + also giving the market a clear sign on where you are going. However, there needs to be a fine balance here, so that you don't miss opportunities to meet the moment. A better approach - is to recognize that roadmaps are dynamic, frame your input as a way to enhance priorities or respond to emerging trends.

2. Don't focus only on features, ignoring the problem - Suggesting features without tying them to customer pain points or business outcomes can make you seem out of touch with the broader goals. Instead, present insights framed as 'problems to solve' e.g. the customer needs a better way to track ROI, letting PM's design the solution

3. Don't forget to make trade-off's - Suggesting changes and additions without tradeoffs can make your input seem unrealistic or unhelpful. Instead acknowledge tradeoffs and frame as opportunities for discussion (e.g. if we say yes to this, we may need to delays Y. Here's the impact of both options)

4. Don't overpromise to customers - Making commitments about future features without product team's buy-in can lead to misaligned expectations. Instead communicate roadmap priorities but be clear when things are in consideration, or timeline hasn't been finalized.

5. Don't dismiss the product's teams expertise - this sounds like a no-brainer but PM's are experts in their product - acknowledge their expertise, ensure you are clear in framing your recommendations from your expertise in bringing market and customer insights

6. Don't forget to follow up and have shared documentation - follow up and shared documentation is super crucial to finishing the swing