15 Must-Read Product Marketing Books to Level Up Your Skills in 2023
As a product marketer, it‘s crucial to stay on top of the latest trends, strategies, and best practices to effectively bring new products to market and drive growth. One of the best ways to expand your knowledge is by learning from the experts and immersing yourself in educational resources – like these essential books every product marketer should read in 2023.
Whether you‘re new to the field or a seasoned pro, the insights and advice in these books will help you refine your go-to-market strategy, better understand your customers, position your products for success, and accelerate your career. Let‘s dive in!
Books for Launching Successful Products
1. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
If you want to build products that keep users coming back for more, Hooked is a must-read. Eyal outlines the 4-step "Hook Model" that successful companies use to subtly encourage customer behavior and drive engagement through repeated cycles. You‘ll learn the psychology behind what gets people "hooked" on certain products and how to ethically apply these principles in your own offerings.
2. Escaping the Build Trap by Melissa Perri
Too often, companies fall into the "build trap" of cranking out features to meet deadlines rather than focusing on actual customer needs. In Escaping the Build Trap, Melissa Perri explains that to stay competitive in today‘s market, product teams must embrace a culture of customer-centricity and focus on outcomes over mere outputs. This book will reshape how you approach product development and measure success.
3. Obviously Awesome by April Dunford
Effective product positioning can make or break your launch. Obviously Awesome gives you a step-by-step framework for uncovering your product‘s unique value and crafting messaging that resonates with buyers. April Dunford explains the 5 key components of positioning and how to execute the process, so customers "get it, buy it, and love it."
Books for Growing Your Product Marketing Career
4. Product Marketing Debunked by Yasmeen Turayhi
For a practical, action-oriented introduction to product marketing, pick up a copy of Product Marketing Debunked. It provides a clear roadmap to take unformed concepts through a proper go-to-market strategy, with advice you can easily apply to your own launches. Consider this your essential field guide to releasing products into the wild.
5. Product Marketing Misunderstood by Richard King & Bryony Pearce
As a relatively new role, product marketing is often misunderstood within organizations. Product Marketing Misunderstood helps you establish authority, prove your value, and gain influence to propel your products and career forward. The authors draw on their extensive experience to provide guidance for driving strategic impact across your company.
Books for Customer-Centric Product Marketing
6. Obviously Awesome by April Dunford
To successfully market and sell products, you have to put yourself in your customer‘s shoes. Product Marketing, Simplified outlines a customer-centric approach to bringing new offerings to market. Srini Sekaran shares best practices from defining positioning and messaging to shaping the product roadmap, so you can build authentic connections with your audience.
7. INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love by Marty Cagan
While not strictly a "product marketing" book, every product marketer should read INSPIRED to understand what it takes to create truly customer-obsessed products. Silicon Valley product guru Marty Cagan reveals the strategies top companies use to consistently deliver technology that solves real user needs – not just what‘s on their roadmap. You‘ll learn how to build the right team, embrace customer-driven processes, and foster an innovative product culture focused on delivering value.
Books for Persuasive Messaging & Communication
8. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Product marketers are master storytellers, packaging up information in a way that "sticks" with audiences. In their bestseller Made to Stick, the Heath brothers unpack the anatomy of sticky ideas and share principles for making your own messages more memorable and impactful. You‘ll learn about the "human scale principle," the "Velcro Theory of Memory," techniques for sparking curiosity, and other useful frameworks to level up your campaigns and content.
9. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
As a product marketer, your job is ultimately to influence people to buy and adopt your offering. Influence is the classic primer on the science of persuasion. Cialdini outlines the 6 key principles of influence – reciprocity, commitment, social proof, authority, likability, and scarcity – and how to ethically apply them in a business context. Understanding these human behavior triggers will make you a more effective communicator and allow you to create more compelling marketing.
Forging Your 2023 Product Marketing Reading List
No matter your experience level or the type of products you work on, continuing to expand your knowledge of product marketing is essential for success. By diving into these must-read books, you‘ll gain fresh perspectives and a wealth of battle-tested strategies to inform smarter launches, enable stronger storytelling, and accelerate your career growth.
Of course, these titles are just the tip of the iceberg – there are many more fantastic product marketing books out there! Be sure to ask around in your network for other suggestions. The key is to always be learning, experimenting, and honing your craft to become the best product marketer you can be.
Happy reading!
