2024 in Review: My First Year as a Content Creator
Special weekly roundup edition: A 2024 year in review of the Product Trench. (Weekly Roundup 25 - December 22, 2024).
👋 Hey, Sam here! Welcome back to the 🔁 Weekly Roundup edition 🔁 of The Product Trench. Each week, I curate deep dives, trends and resources related to product management and leadership.
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Happy Sunday everyone!
This is the last Weekly Roundup for this year before taking some time during the holidays. I will be back in your inbox in January.
I picked up writing on my pat leave last year to keep my mind engaged in something other than diaper changes. It started with LinkedIn posts, but then, in April, The Product Trench was born. I had no idea what to write about or any plans for this newsletter. Around that time, I had replaced my zombie scrolling on social media with consuming tons of content related to product and leadership.
Over time, I found it overwhelming to read all of the content in my inbox. For someone with OCD who can't go to sleep unless my inbox is zero, it was not fun 😂. That's when I published the first Weekly Roundup (or what was known as the Weekly Recap) edition, and boy, has it evolved since then! Some people now look forward to that Sunday morning email!
Writing The Product Trench has helped me articulate my thoughts better, both at home and at work. I've met (virtually) some awesome people who share similar passions and are either far advanced and ahead on their content creation path or just starting up like me. I would like to take the opportunity to thank some of them today: Aakash Gupta , Amy Mitchell , Wayne Chen , Elena Calvillo , Alex Debecker , Rohan Dehal , and Frederico Ferreira (couldn’t find you on substack dude).
The Product Trench is not a side hustle, nor is it my aspiration to become a full-time content creator. My goal is to create value with the hope that sharing my thoughts will help other product managers in the community as my way to pay it forward. So, thank you for tuning in this year. Please pass it along to other folks who could also see this value.
With that said, let's dive into some of The Product Trench highlights in 2024.
Some proud moments this year:
My goal was to reach 100 subscribers by the end of the year. At the time of writing this post, I am a handful of subscribers away from hitting 300. What I am most proud of is that I maintained an open rate of 39-51%.
I was an early guest on Aakash's Product Growth podcast. We covered how PMs can leverage AI for their work. Will AI eliminate Product Management as a role in the future? And our take on Product Management in the Era of AI. Make sure to check out the episode and other ones here.
I wrote a guest post for Amy Mitchell's Product Management IRL about the unique challenges of FinTech product management. I discussed why building in FinTech is a different game, from regulatory hurdles to trust-building metrics.
I had a few LinkedIn posts that inadvertently went "viral."
Most Popular Posts in 2024
Navigating the Product Hiring Landscape: Heidi Ram joined me for a written interview to unpack the PM hiring landscape. We discussed trends, challenges, and strategies for product leaders and job seekers in a shifting market.
Why Shipping Features Isn't Enough: In the age of major debates about whether people are doing real product management or, as others would call it, BS management, I dive into how to stop building for the sake of it and start solving what really matters by getting out of the feature factory trap.
Product Owner Is Not a Job Title: In this spicy hot take, I discuss why a PO is not a job title, how to stop adding layers to a process that's already complex enough, and how to focus on what really matters—delivering value to customers.
Why You Probably Shouldn't Become a Product Manager: In my last hot take for 2024, I discussed how product management is often glorified as the ultimate career for those who want to break into tech or change careers. But after years in the trenches, I've come to realize that PM isn't for everyone—and honestly, it might be a nightmare for most.
Customer Feature Requests Are Not Your To-Do List: In my last post for 2024, I discussed customer feedback and feature requests. While they may seem like gold, they can turn your roadmap into a cluttered mess. I explained how you decide which ideas are game-changers and which are just noise. Learn how to balance customer demands with your product vision, focusing on the features that truly matter.
Thank You 🙏
Again, I want to thank each of you for your support in 2024. It has been a great experience so far. My inbox is always open to hearing your feedback or any requests you have for 2025.
Happy holidays, and I wish you a happy new year. 🥳🎄
See you in January.
👋 That's it for this week's edition. Thank you for reading, and enjoy your week.
If you enjoyed reading today's newsletter, feel free to forward it to someone! Or you can always hit the like button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack.
The Product Trench is a free newsletter. I may consider some type of paid tier down the line. Until then, if you find my work valuable, you can buy me a coffee.
See you next time.
— Sam ✌️
Congrats Sam! It’s been an amazing year and I look forward to more of your weekly posts.
Thank you for the mention Sam, appreciate it! Congratulations on this first year!