According to ListenNotes, there are currently over 700K active podcasts worldwide. In recent years, the business genre has been steadily growing and hundreds of tech-related podcasts have flooded the market. But, as a working professional with limited time on your hands, how do you decide which shows deserve your attention?
Don’t worry, we’ve got it figured out. Our list of product management podcasts features thought leaders in product development, design, and marketing. These experts have a track record for delivering great content by sharing real-world experiences, diving into the complexities of lesser-known issues, and extracting actionable advice from their guests.
Product managers, product owners, entrepreneurs, growth strategists — take note. Whether you’re looking for ideas on how to boost product growth, create better product roadmaps, keep up with marketing trends, or gain a deeper understanding of UX practices and customer development, these podcasts have you covered.
1. Lenny’s Podcast
In just a few short years, Lenny Rachitsky has become one of the most respected thought leaders in product management. Every week on Lenny’s Podcast, he interviews other top product experts — recent guests include Ryan J. Salva, VP of Product at Github, and Adam Grenier, former Head of Growth Marketing & Innovation at Uber.
Lenny’s got a knack for asking the right questions and drawing actionable insights from his guests. He also has a strong background in building and growing SaaS products. Before pivoting into writing and podcasting, he was a Product Lead at Airbnb for over 7 years, and a startup founder prior to that.
Lenny’s weekly newsletter is chock-full of great tips and boasts 250K+ subscribers on Substack. You can also find him on Twitter where he shares practical advice with his 145K followers.
2. Product, Explained
Each week on Product, Explained, hosts Mike Alcazaren and Jeff Lee tell the story of how a popular tech product came to be. They dive into the history and evolution of products like Asana, Figma, and Loom, unpacking the challenges these tech companies have faced and what makes them so successful.
It’s safe to say that Mike and Jeff have a genuine love for products and really know their stuff. They are product managers themselves (Mike at Amazon and Jeff at Robinhood). As such, their discussions are peppered with clever observations and words of wisdom.
We believe this podcast is particularly useful for founders or product managers navigating the early stages of new product development. Listening to real-world success stories can help you shape product strategy, choose the right startup framework, and learn from the mistakes of others.
Last but not least, episodes are only about 20-30 minutes long, which makes them ideal for squeezing into a busy Monday morning routine.
3. Giant Robots Smashing into Other Giant Robots
Don’t let the name fool you — this podcast has little to do with actual robots, and everything to do with the business of building great products!
Giant Robots is a true hidden gem of the tech podcast scene. Every week, co-hosts Chad Pytel and Victoria Guido chat with the founders/c-suite executives of successful SaaS companies. Guests share their experiences and discuss various aspects of product design, development and management. Regardless of your role or market, there’s something valuable to take away from each episode.
B2B consultancy thoughtbot are the brains behind the podcast. They have plenty of experience building products themselves, having partnered with the likes of Vimeo, Postmates, and Merck in the past. Giant Robots is actually one of two podcasts run by the thoughtbot team. If you’re more into the development side of things, check out their other awesome show, The Bike Shed.
4. UX Podcast
What does it mean to ‘design for stress’? Do UX ‘best practices’ still have a place in modern tech companies? And what is Web3, really? These are just some of the important questions that Per Axbom and James Royal-Lawson recently explored on UX Podcast, a weekly show that’s been running for almost 15 years.
From the moment you tune in, it’s clear that Per and James are passionate about improving user experience and digging deep into the challenges that product experts face today. They interview industry leaders from all over the world and offer creative tips in subject-led episodes — topics range from sitemaps and diagramming, to brainstorming and onboarding.
UX Podcast a must-listen for product managers and anyone else in the product development field.
5. Marketing School Podcast
If you’re short on time, but still want to keep up-to-date with the latest marketing trends and breakthroughs — this podcast is for you.
Hosted by industry titans Neil Patel and Eric Siu, each episode lasts between 3 and 10 minutes, and addresses a topical issue in the marketing space. Some recent examples include ‘How Generative Search Will Change Marketing Forever,’ and ‘How to Build a Billion-Dollar Network.’
Since episodes are so short, don’t expect to get comprehensive insights into marketing tactics and strategy. This is simply bite-sized content at its best.
Railsware’s PDM podcast experience
At Railsware, we’re always on the lookout for opportunities to share the processes and strategies that work for our teams. Whether it’s webinars, podcasts, or here on the blog, we’ll take any excuse to discuss what it takes to build damn good products!
A little while ago, our Coupler.io Product Lead, Julia Ryzhkova, had the chance to speak on The Digital Project Management Podcast with host Galen Low.
So, here’s a behind the scenes look at how our product managers build complex software solutions with fully-distributed teams: ‘Project Teams Without Project Managers: Exploring The PM Dilemma’.
Other great picks…
- One Knight in Product – Jason Knight is truly passionate about all things product. Like Lenny Rachitsky, he interviews some of the most talented and interesting professionals in the product development field.
- The GaryVee Audio Experience – Gary Vaynerchuk is CEO of multi-million dollar creative agency, VaynerMedia. He’s a gifted communicator and sought-after keynote speaker, with plenty of marketing and general business advice to share on his daily podcast.
- Master of Scale – From Meta’s Sheryl Sandberg to Airbnb’s Brian Chesky, Masters of Scale features interviews with some of the most influential people in tech. Hosted by legendary LinkedIn co-founder, Reid Hoffman.
- Product Thinking with Melissa Perri – Melissa is founder of Produx Labs and the author of Escape the Build Trap. She’s a true expert in product management methodology and invites some great guests onto the show. Check out her ‘Dear Melissa’ segment where she answers product managers most pressing questions.
Food for thought
The more you know, the better equipped you are to deal with bumps in the road as you shape and scale your product. Here are some podcasts that can help you see things from a new perspective…
99% Invisible
To generate new ideas, or to solve new problems, we all need a little inspiration now and then. Something to kickstart our out-of-the-box thinking.
The 99% Invisible podcast is perfect for any professional who’s interested in the design of everyday things, or ‘the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about.’ It’s a good place to find some inspiration, gather domain knowledge, and learn from the creative solutions of others.
Episodes touch on everything from the history of vending machines to the evolution of search bars (we recommend filtering by ‘technology’ on their website to find the most relatable content).
Stuff You Should Know
Listening to Stuff You Should Know won’t help you improve your leadership skills or build better products — at least, not directly.
No matter the topic, co-hosts Josh and Chuck never fail to deliver fascinating, well-researched content. With episodes ranging from Your Gut is Also a Brain to The Ins and Outs of Beekeeping, this podcast is a mixed bag, but it’s also packed full of interesting facts about how the world works. There are over 2000 episodes to check out, so who knows — you might just learn something that comes in handy one day.
Wrapping Up
There are countless tech-related podcasts out there. At first glance, it’s hard to work out who’s an expert and who’s just trying to make a quick buck, but that’s why we’ve only featured genuine thought leaders, professionals, and influencers in this article. Whether you’re a product manager or a startup founder, you’ll find plenty of actionable tips and inspiring stories in the podcasts on this list. So, from our product team to yours — happy listening!
Thanks for reading - originally posted on Railsware's blog! How many of these podcasts have you given a try? 👀