The Five Product Marketing Books that Never Get Old

Product Marking is a mess of a job. A lovely mess, but still a mess. With the job description being somewhere in between a product developer and a full-stack marketer, boiling down to filling in a hodge-podge of different functions and having to grow skills on a daily basis.

To gain the skills need one must go deep into the both spheres of a product and a marketing person. So here are the top five of the books that helped me get the skills:

Writing that works by Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson

Write to make a point, write to be clear, write to get things done! The most ‘to the point’ book, I’ve ever seen (read). Kenneth and Joel poured all of their collective knowledge into about 100 pages to help us communicate more effectively in business.

User Stroy Mapping by Jeff Patton

Reading it at the moment, so why in my top five. Fifty pages in and this book is one of my favorites, and I can’t stop thinking why I have not read it earlier. It’s a marble; Jeff has a highly specific technique he is preaching here, quite graphic and super user-centric. Full with real life examples and ideas how to develop a better product.

Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore

If you’re trying to disrupt an industry or trying to be innovative in any sense – and you are for sure – than this book is meant for you. No more, no less.

Insanely Simple by Ken Segall

Cupertino mode on! More of a novel, then a business book. The title, ‘Insanely Simple,’ explains perfectly the core of the book. How to keep your marketing and your product as simple as it’s humanly possible. Ken worked for Apple almost from the start and was involved in Next as an external marketer. A fun and inspiring read.

Principles of Marketing by Philip Kotler

The go-to book for marketing in general. I’ve read it a few times while in Uni and a few times since. It’s a sort of a marketing bible, Kotler defined much of the marketing as we know it today and you’ll find all the basics and ground principles of good marketing. Read it once, and it’s the same as having a Bachelor degree in marketing, not kidding.