14 questions I get as a PM content creator

What's the upside of writing content, how do you find the time, what's your process & much more.

Hi BPL fam,

I’m breaking protocol here by publishing this post while I’m on a break.

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about today’s topic and wanted to get my thoughts out while the iron was hot.

Below are the 14 most frequently asked questions I receive as a PM/PMM content creator. 4 of them are allegations:

1. What’s the upside of creating content?

2. How do you find time to create content with a full-time job?

3. Who makes your visuals and graphics?

4. How do you come up with ideas to write about?

5. What’s your content creation process?

6. What’s your advice to someone thinking about content creation?

7. How do I get started as a content creator?

8. How do I make my content go viral?

9. Do you make money from your content?

10. What’s something you didn’t know about content creation before you started?

Then, there are allegations:

11. “These creators have never done PM. They aren’t qualified.”

12. “Creators just use AI to generate posts. It’s a scam.”

13. “Creators just want to make a quick buck. It’s a ponzi scheme.”

14. “Creators behave like know-it-alls. A lot of advice hardly applies in practice.”

Below are my answers. They reflect MY thoughts. I can’t speak on behalf of other creators.

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1. What's the upside of creating content?

I started writing content back in 2019 because I found it cathartic. Yes, I know that sounds cheesy.

But writing on LinkedIn wasn’t my first gig. I used to write blogs, compose fan fiction, and stitch up presentations for fun long before my PM content. The biggest upside, therefore, is that it’s a hobby that I enjoy.

Over time, new benefits have emerged. Content creation helps me:

• Open doors: I connect with field experts and top decision-makers.

• Get invites: I receive invitations to speak at conferences & podcasts.

• Attract job opportunities: Recruiters reach out to talk shop.

• Find meaningful people: I’ve found lifelong friends and generous mentors.

• Make some dough: a few consultancy, training & sponsorship opportunities.

2. How do you find time to create content with a full-time job?

I usually write after work hours. When I’m in Canada, I write after 9 pm local time. I also spend a lot of time on the weekends/holidays. It’s a hard grind but you need to be passionate about writing to keep up.

Sometimes, the process is quick. My "pen" flows organically and I'm able to type up something coherent in 30 minutes.

Other times, I repurpose something I've written before.

But certain topics are an arduous battle. They can take well over 6 hours to research, compose, and write, especially if I plan to attach a supporting visual with them. Funnily enough, such over-cooked posts underperform a lot.

Over time, I’ve arrived at a cadence that’s comfortable enough to follow, so that it doesn’t undercut other priorities in my life.

Sometimes, this question is asked with a “suspicious” undertone suggesting that creators write during their work hours or are under-performers.

It doesn't work that way for me. As a VP, I'm responsible for new sales revenue in the company. I have people to answer if metrics fall short. Also, I’m clogged up in meetings during the day and have hard deliverables to turn in. I would be shown the door if I wasn’t performing as per expectations.

When it comes down to priorities, work always comes first for me. I can sacrifice a couple of days of writing if the company needs me.

Luckily enough, my manager supports my writing endeavors.

But the biggest credit goes to my family who affords me the space to pursue writing.

3. Who makes your visuals and graphics?

I make every one of them myself. I use Canva Pro. It’s made life so much easier.

How do I ideate a concept?

I have a whiteboard in my house and I often scribble designs on it first. It allows me to explore different ways to express myself.

I also consume a lot of infographics daily. There are set patterns you can pick up like:

• Venn Diagrams

• Flowcharts

• Pie charts

• Timelines

• Tables

I try exploring how I can break down a concept using these design constructs. Then, I let my mind wander.

For example, this one took around 2 hours - it was inspired by other onion infographics I’ve seen online:

4. How do you come up with ideas to write about?

It’s a simple process:

1. Consume

2. Capture

3. Bucket

Consume
I read a lot online (LinkedIn, Medium, Reddit, Quora, etc.) and listen to podcasts (Lenny’s, The Top, Refine Labs) on my daily commutes and walks. It maximizes the surface area of coming across interesting topics or problems to write about.

Capture

There are three avenues here:

• After “consuming” online content, I pluck out topics and sound bites that I feel I have a strong opinion about. I add that to my Notion board.

• I field questions and conduct polls in my newsletter to see what my audience wants to learn from me.

• Contacts in my LinkedIn network send me a lot of questions too. The ones I feel are generic enough for a wider audience make my Notion board as well.

Bucket

When I ideate about a topic, it usually falls into a category of posts.

For example, I choose one of the following modes:

• opinion: my voice on a certain topic e.g. Airbnb’s take on PMMs.

• listicle: a compilation of resources, books, tools e.g. PMM tools

• case study: in-depth exploration of a product story e.g. Clickup

• personal story: a lesson from my personal life e.g. Moms are PMs

• how-to: a step-by-step process e.g. How to create product portfolio

• analogy: a parallel concept to a PM topic e.g. launches are like weddings

• alt thought: a different take on a common concept e.g. PM Venn diagram

• simplification: explaining a concept in simple terms e.g. Churn

I love this post from Dickie Bush where he shares 21 post templates that you can consider when sitting down to write.

Think about:

• what am I working on right now that others might find interesting?

• what have I done in the past that will benefit others?

• what do I think about a (relevant) trending story?

• what can I teach someone in 5 minutes?

• what am I learning these days?

Overall, I’m not inventing new frameworks with every post I write.

Mostly, I’m just adding my unique voice to something my audience understands.

5. What's your content creation process?

It's not as sophisticated as other "operating systems".

It’s really:

• Ideation (consume → capture → bucket)

• Research

• Write & Design

• Post or schedule

I’ve already talked about the ideation process above: whenever I stumble upon interesting ideas during my “consume” cycle, I log the main idea of my take on the matter on a Notion board.

My topic criterion is that the idea needs to be something I’m knowledgeable and passionate about. Typically, topics that fall under:

• PM Career Paths

• Product Discovery

• B2B SaaS Growth

• Product-led Growth

• Product Launches

• Product Marketing

• Product Analytics

Here’s what my Notion board looks like (warning: some of the headlines may not make sense to you):

I have the Notion app on my mobile phone as well. If I come across something on the go, I quickly push it into my content dashboard.

Sometimes I get to find new angles on topics already on the board (mostly when I’m in the shower :P), so I come back and nurture a few cards over time.

The trick is to find a way to log ideas quickly as soon as you discover them. If you wait, you’ll lose them forever.

When I’m done writing, I schedule my post using LinkedIn’s scheduler. My posts typically go out close to 10.30 pm EST.

In recent times, I’ve started creating the visual first and the post later. The visual story then guides the text narrative.

How do you research a topic?

First, I pick topics that I can already speak to comfortably.

That said, I spend time educating myself about the latest debate and commentary from experts. The purpose isn’t to steal their point of view but to ensure I have sufficient knowledge to cover loose ends.

This is how writing content isn’t just about educating others. It’s a forcing function to educate yourself too. Many people don’t realize this.

My go-to research channels include:

• LinkedIn (I use the post search)

• Twitter (I use advanced search)

• Reddit (a lot of hot takes and unfiltered perspectives here)

• Medium blogs (Google “Medium.com [topic]”)

• Slack communities (e.g. Product School)

When I’m unpacking a product story, I search for podcasts that any of the CXOs of the company have been on and listen in. I also look for them on Youtube.

Is there a process you use to break down complexity to simplify a topic?

My go-to method of simplifying a concept is to draw an analogy with something already well-understood.

Also, I try to steer away from jargon, abbreviations, and complex sentence structures and bulletize my thoughts wherever possible to make them easy to follow.

This goes against me sometimes as well as more seasoned folks find my writing verbose when I try to explain basic jargon and concepts.

So, how do you prioritize your posts? Do you have a set calendar?

No, I find that too hard. The honest (and boring) answer is that:

• on weekdays, I browse through my topic backlog, select one based on my mood, and write and publish the same day.

• on weekends, I’m able to write 2-3 posts (I select based on what I like at the time), so I schedule them.

It isn’t more complicated than that.

How frequently do you post?

There was a time in 2021 when I mandated a daily cadence for myself. It was brutal.

I’ve now given myself some breathing space and try to post when I feel I can add value. I’m aiming for a cadence of three times a week in 2024. The process I follow ensures I have enough content ideas at any point to scale my content creation.

Do you use post templates?

I attempted to reverse-engineer some templates of top creators last year. I’ve picked up a few tactics that I incorporate in my writing e.g.

• bullet lists ordered by length

• generous white spacing

• punchy hook lines

• short sentences

• question CTAs

However, I don’t dump a post template and customize it. It suffocates my writing process and I become bored after a while.

I now have a branding template for my visuals (colors, logo, headline style). I usually make a copy of that and start composing a graphic.

What tools do you use?

My tech stack consists of:

• Grammarly (for spelling and grammar mistakes)

• Shield Analytics (for metrics per post)

• Notion (for post management)

• Substack (for the newsletter)

• Canva (for graphics)

I used to use Postdrips to schedule my posts but now I just resort to LinkedIn’s native scheduler.

6. What's your advice to people starting as creators?

First, figure out why you want to write.

Some sustainable reasons:

• you have a love for writing.

• you have a burning desire to teach.

• you want to generate inbound lead gen for your business.

• you’re privileged with lesser-known knowledge and wish to distribute it.

And here are doable but short-lived reasons:

• become famous.

• get a huge following.

• stack up tons of reactions.

• get recognition as a top creator.

Shaan Puri’s advice on this matter is gold:

Yes, there was a time when I fell into the glamour trap. I was measuring my intrinsic value by looking at follower counts and reactions. However, I’ve grown a bit wiser with age and silver hair.

Certain incidents (which I won’t go into here) made me realize the hard way that a large follower count gave me algorithmic reach but didn’t contribute to my internal fulfillment.

If you only chase those vanity metrics, you'll not only burn out fairly quickly but also become a victim of depression whenever your content underperforms for reasons beyond your control.

So, what’s a better metric to look at?

In my case, I value “inbound quality conversations” measured by the kind of direct messages I’m getting.

I know my content has made an impact if it:

• inspired someone to ask a follow-up question,

• became a topic to discuss in a meetup I’m attending,

• triggered a request to talk about it at length on a podcast,

• resonated so much that it resulted in a commercial opportunity

For more advice on this, check this X post out.

7. How do I begin as a content creator?

The common advice is to "just start writing". I don't encourage that.

First, figure out why you want to write as explained above.

Then, if I were to advise my older self, I'd do something like this:

1- Identify a virtuous intersection: what you know well + what audiences would love to learn.

2- Create a pipeline of 10 solid post ideas and plan for an easy and highly achievable cadence (e.g. 2 posts a week).

3- Write the first 3-5 posts. Email the text to friends and relevant contacts directly to get their feedback. Revise them a bit.

4- Schedule the first 2 weeks of posts to create momentum.

5- Continue writing, learning, and iterating on a set cadence.

8. How do I make content that goes viral?

I would be lying to suggest there aren't any tips to formulate posts to maximize reach. There are playbooks and courses on when to post, the best hook lines to use, post structures, supporting visuals, etc.

Check out Justin Welsh and Jasmin Alic if you’re interested in learning more about this. And if you’re searching for hook lines that work well, check out Jackson Yew’s post on this.

Along with this, in my experience, there are some “safe bet” templates that do well on LinkedIn. For example:

• List of resources, books, podcasts

• Book reviews and lessons from it

• AI-related posts in 2023, especially those that start with “99% of people aren’t using ChatGPT right” accompanied by a list of AI tools or a barrage of chat prompts.

• Cheat sheets for a [popular topic]

• People you should follow (with all those accounts tagged)

It’s hard to say whether they will remain popular over time though.

Having said all this, most experts would agree that placing virality as your North Star is the wrong way to go about content creation.

Instead, focus on the writing process and getting better at articulation. Express yourself uniquely in a manner that will inspire people or compel them to share, save, or act. All the other “goodness” will follow.

It’s like what Google told most bloggers. Stop with the keyword stuffing and quick-win hacks. Focus on content that demonstrates Expertise-Authority-Trust (EAT) and SERPs will love you for it.

Yes, I optimize my posts to make them readable and easy to follow. But I put the most effort into the heart of the post: what I want to say and why.

I’ve seen several non-viral posts with modest reach and reactions, where the comment feed will be on fire. A heartfelt post may generate interesting conversations in your message inbox too.

Virality is kind of overrated.

9. Do you make money from your content?

I’ve made some money, yes.

But apart from a few sponsored posts, I've not made a concerted effort to monetize aggressively (for some personal reasons).

I know creators who take their craft way more seriously and make decent amounts (north of $20K per year) as a side gig.

They monetize using:

• newsletter subscriptions (monthly or annual)

• sponsored posts

• paid courses or workshops

• digital products e.g. e-book

• 1:1 consultancy appointments (premium)

But I also know they invest a lot of effort in constructing their funnels and diversifying their offerings. It’s not easy money.

10. What is something that you didn’t know about content creation before you started?

There’s a lot of hate out there and you need to be ready to face it.

For example, this is a real post on Reddit:

This could be because they were burned by a creator, suffer from professional jealousy, or simply find the creator’s advice cringeworthy. Regardless, there will always be a segment of the audience that will love seeing you fail as soon as you become a public figure.

Note that I’m distinguishing “hate” from criticism here. Not everyone will agree with you online and that’s okay. That’s the beauty of intellectual discourse.

However, some people will take the liberty to attack you because you appear successful to them or seem to garner “followers” when they think you’re not worthy. That’s different. It happens a lot more when you start growing fast.

I’ve had my fair share of “hate” online in different forums. One of my posts was picked apart and I was personally roasted with names. When people project unfounded assumptions and misrepresent me online, it’s hard to come to terms with it without mental strength and thick skin.

People will allow themselves to discuss you and your work however they want. This is what they’ll tell you when you attempt to defend yourself:

If you just can’t take any negative opinion, then stop trying to be an “influencer”.

That’s why you need to know “why you’re writing”.

If you’re producing content just for adulation and audience praise, you’ll find it hard to deal with the hate that comes with it. Be strong.

11. Allegation: “These creators have never done real PM themselves. They aren’t qualified and constantly underperform at work.”

You’ll see sentiments like these brewing up in forums:

It’s interesting to see some people can launch claims with no evidence to support it. The assumption here is that all content creators are:

• are no longer practicing product management

• don’t operate with any real stakes

• always harp about frameworks

• always talk in hypotheticals

Well, it depends on who you’re following.

I typically stay away from sharing my accolades but if you’ve talked to me or followed my journey, you would know that I started writing content after a decade of PM experience.

This writing phase started after being the sole Product Manager at 2 classifieds portals and a recruitment tech product. I picked up product marketing as a skill later and only talked about it after leading marketing for an event tech product for the past 8 years.

Have I stopped practicing?

Yesterday I had a chat with my CEO on a product post-mortem for 2023. A week ago, my Head of Product and I discussed the merits/de-merits of a new proposal for a product org structure that is critical for growth this year.

Enough about me. Most of the peer creators I follow and talk to are in a higher league.

Shreyas Doshi, Lenny Rachitsky, John Cutler, Itamar Gilad, Pawel Huryn, Aakash Gupta, and Moe Ali are all top practitioners. Their experience timeline is no joke.

Moreover, it’s quite evident from their content that they’ve put in hard yards and are sharing first-hand experiences in a packaged format.

Yes, some content may come off as over-simplifications. Some posts may not cover all the bases of a topic. Some frameworks might feel too idealistic for all situations. So, you certainly don't have to agree with every perspective as a lot of advice is subject to exceptions.

But to dismiss the credentials of creators on baseless rumors or a personal “whim” is nothing but poor judgment.

Apart from that, there are bad sheep everywhere.

You can judge an author's expertise by their profile and the consistency, originality, and quality of content they're generating.

Just because some creators are unqualified to talk about a topic, doesn't mean all are.

12. Allegation: “Creators just use AI to generate posts. It’s a scam.”

I’ve been writing since 2019 long before Generative AI became a thing. Many of my creator colleagues are in the same boat. I value the importance of an original voice.

I experimented with custom GPTs once by feeding it in my past posts and seeing if it could generate something new based on that. While the writing style wasn’t too far off, the beliefs/perspectives weren’t aligned with me. I found myself re-writing the entire post.

But all that aside, it’s the journey of writing thoughts that I enjoy, not just dishing out text and hitting “post”.

Yes, some people heavily lean on Generative AI for the bulk of their writing.

Some creators that use it for lead generation for their businesses argue that you don’t need unique content every time, rather you need just “good enough” content. I don’t belong in that camp though.

Serious creators I know are using AI to elevate their content.

I use ChatGPT as an assistant for:

• Research: to help me explore various aspects of a topic.

• Sparring partner: I share my post text and get feedback on what I’m missing.

• Examples: when I’m explaining a framework or a resource template e.g. strategy doc, I feed that into ChatGPT to lend me a concrete example with a hypothetical product. I then edit that profusely.

What I don’t use ChatGPT for:

• Write all my hook lines.

• Write my entire content for me.

• Train it on my voice and write passages.

It’s still hard work to take something AI-generated and package it into something audiences will resonate with.

13. Allegation: “Creators just want to make a quick buck. It’s a ponzi scheme.”

Creators like me spend hours creating consumable content for audiences. If that's adding tangible value to readers, asking for monetary support seems like a fairly reasonable ask.

Sometimes, people reduce creators to money-chasing maniacs:

I find most people who complain about creators being opportunists would charge money themselves in a heartbeat if the tables were reversed.

Also, if you truly smell a "ponzi scheme" where a creator’s trying to sell you something without proving value first, stop subscribing and look elsewhere. Such people exist everywhere, not just in content creation. It’s not that hard.

But expecting all creators to be apologetic about making money isn't helpful.

14. Allegation: “Creators behave like know-it-alls. A lot of advice hardly applies in practice.”

Again, that’s a sweeping generalization.

The same can be said about many book authors. They weave a story to support a specific narrative and many opt for a matter-of-factly tone.

There’s a spectrum of creators: some have strong, contrarian opinions due to their own experiences and perspectives. Others qualify their statements carefully. Some talk purely in theory while others demonstrate practical tips.

When I read content from the likes of Akash, Pawel, and Lenny, I learn a lot from it and feel like I can apply things straight away.

But if you feel a certain creator is just all about self-promotion, horribly dogmatic and, impractical, walk away. In this day and age, the onus is really on the reader to turn on their BS detector and take control of their feed. Also, painting all creators with the same brush is unnecessary.

3 Bonus Tips for Content Readers

1. In 2024, unfollow more than you follow.
   Every content creator isn’t for you. For example, I know my content resonates with a select audience. PMs who used to benefit from me may have moved on to different phases of their life. If I’ve become irrelevant, they unfollow me now.
   
   Advice: Sculpt your feeds to follow a smaller pool of creators that inspire you, rather than fall prey to FOMO.
   

2. Turn comments into content.
   It’s perfectly acceptable to disagree with a creator’s point of view and share your alternate thoughts with the reasoning in the comments.
   
   However, if you find yourself ping-ponging arguments for over a day, that's an indication that you feel strongly about a topic and have enough substance to back it. Stop arguing and write a well-crafted post on the matter, rather than attempting to prove someone wrong.
   

3. Don’t be a part of the hate bandwagon. It’s not worth it.

Hope that answers most of the questions you might have about content creation. If I’ve missed a question, let me know in the comments.