How writing makes me a better PM
A few months ago, I set out to write a newsletter centred around my experience as a SaaS founder, entrepreneur, and product enthusiast.
The world didn't need another newsletter. I was aware of that.
And yet here I am: writing a newsletter.
This is why I bother writing, and why I think most PMs would benefit from practising writing, too.
Writing helps me think
"I don't know what I think until I've written it down".
I stand by this famous quote.
I've always been an avid writer. I've had various blogs throughout my life. I've been taking 'notes' on, well, pretty much everything since I can remember. I have stacks of notebooks of penned notes on my shelves.
I write for myself a lot. For example:
At the end of every month, I write about my experience, progress on my goals, and goals for the next month.
I journal almost every day, even if sometimes just a couple of sentences.
I write a bunch of notes on books, podcasts, articles, etc.
Why? Because writing has always helped me think.
Every time I write, I am forced to process my thoughts, organise them on paper, and make them make sense.
Could you see how that would be valuable for a product manager?
Sam from The Product Trench agrees:
"Writing has reinforced my skills as a product leader by requiring me to consistently distil complex ideas into actionable insights—a major skill for building a product strategy.”
Managing a product is an intensely intellectual job. We make plenty of leaps, extrapolations, and assumptions. We process a bunch of data, organise them, and attempt to make it all make sense.
A writing habit helps me hone that skill.
Writing makes me a better communicator
In product management, communication is everything.
PMs are at the centre of almost all product conversations. We must be comfortable switching from technical to financial conversations, from empathic conversations with customers to analytical conversations with the C-suite -- all in quick succession.
Clear, crisp communication is a skill. Writing helps me practice this skill.
Through writing, I practice communicating my thoughts. Even if I'm just writing for myself, writing forces me to articulate my points on paper and to create a coherent story.
Writing clarifies my thoughts. Clear thoughts are easier to communicate.
I’ve asked Rohan from Product Artistry for his thoughts on this and he delivered:
“Writing also forced me to go deeper into the concepts I rely on, pushing me to question assumptions and think critically instead of just defaulting to 'best practices. This deeper reflection has made me a more thoughtful and precise communicator, especially in decision-making contexts.”
Everything we do is writing
If the two sections above haven't convinced you to practice your writing, this one may: everything product managers do is writing.
Think of all the tasks you do every day:
Write PRDs, user stories, scopes.
Write strategies, roadmaps, capabilities decks.
Write release notes, documentation, support articles.
Write stakeholder updates, customer emails, interview scripts.
And much more.
Almost everything we do revolves around writing. Elena from Product Release Notes noted something similar in a recent post:
“Writing consistently improved my ability to convey complex ideas in a clear and concise manner. […] By honing my writing skills through my newsletter, I was better able to craft emails, presentations, and other forms of communication that were easily understood by all parties involved.”
The world may not need another PM newsletter. You may not want to expose your thoughts in such a public way.
But, as a product person, you owe it to your product, your team, and your stakeholders to be a clear thinker and an excellent communicator.
And there is no better way to practice than by writing.
PS: Writing also helps me vent
I'm halfway through an excellent Churchill biography.
When faced with a particularly stressful or frustrating event, Churchill had a habit of writing letters (to political opponents, for example) but never mailing them. The practice of putting his thoughts on paper seemed cathartic enough.
As product managers, there is no shortage of conflicts to manage. We tend to be in the eye of every storm, making our lives extremely stressful.
Writing helps me defuse some of this frustration.
You, of course, don't want to publish angry thoughts about your coworkers on Substack. But you can take a page from Churchill's book and keep your writing private.