What Does a Digital Product Manager Do?

In the digital world, you would need a Digital Product Manager to take care of digital product development. But, in truth, a Digital PM is no different from a regular PM. The core function of the role is still the same, it’s just that the Digital PM caters more to online products like eBooks, apps, web applications, online courses and so on.

You might be asking yourself, “What other differences are there between the two roles?” and “Career-wise, which role would fit me best?” Let’s answer these questions and more.

What is a Digital Product Manager?

A Digital Product Manager is responsible for overseeing the development and delivery of digital products. They work with cross-functional teams to ensure that products are designed and built to meet the needs of customers and business stakeholders. 

To be successful, a Digital PM must have a deep understanding of digital technologies and trends, as well as the ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical team members. The right person for the role must also be able to manage difficult situations and make decisions quickly to keep projects on track.

Why is a Digital Product Manager needed?

In today’s digital age, having a Digital Product Manager is more critical than ever. A Digital PM is responsible for developing and managing digital products like websites, apps, software, ebooks, and the like.

These kinds of products need to be dynamic and versatile. By employing a Digital PM, an organization can ensure that the digital goods it’s offering are progressive and that the consumers may have a better user experience.

What are the Duties of a Digital Product Manager?

A Digital Product Manager’s responsibilities are diverse. Customarily, the role is responsible for overseeing the product life cycle, from defining the scope to overseeing the development of the technology, delivering an excellent user experience, and attracting consumers. 

However, these precise tasks may differ from one organization to the next. But, to give you a good idea of a Digital PM’s key responsibilities, here are some examples:

Responsible for Understanding the Needs of the End-User

A Digital Product Manager balances business needs with user goals to create a better user experience.

Works Closely with Engineers and IT

A Digital PM will work closely with engineers and IT to help manage and oversee all digital product development processes and ensure that all products are delivered on time and within budget. Additionally, the Digital PM ensures that all products meet customer requirements and expectations.

Helps Improve Operational Efficiency

Digital PMs work on improving operational efficiency, creating new business models, and delivering superior customer experience with their products – taking them through each phase of the development lifecycle, from initial idea to launch.

Involved in Creating and Implementing the Product Roadmap

The Digital PM is involved in creating and implementing the product roadmap. The role ensures the teams and stakeholders are on the same page at every step of the process.

What do Great Digital Product Managers do?

In the digital age, this type of PM must be up-to-date on the latest internet trends and strategies to be effective. It means using marketing, design, development, and project management skills to create successful digital products. 

If you want to become a good Digital PM, you must:

Use Data to Make Informed Decisions

There’s no excuse for not making data-driven decisions with so much online data available to you as a Digital PM. This type of PM should use data to inform everything from the features included in a product to the prices charged for it.

Lean on User Feedback

Another vital method Digital Product Managers use is relying on user feedback. It’s gathered through surveys, focus groups, or talking to users directly. User feedback is essential for understanding how people use the product and what changes could improve it.

Stay Agile

In the digital world, things change quickly, and this type of Product Manager needs to be able to adapt accordingly. So it means being flexible and willing to change course based on new information or feedback. It also means being comfortable with iteration and constant improvement.

Digital Product Manager VS Product Manager: What’s the difference?

It’s not surprising that the responsibilities of a Digital Product Manager are similar to those of a regular Product Manager. 

Back then, the Product Manager role catered towards developing physical products like laptops, cars, books, etc. Later on, “Product Manager” became more of an umbrella term, describing a person within a company that’s responsible for the overall success of a product. 

As we moved into the age where people preferred to use digital products, the Digital Product Manager role was born. Although this role also has traditional PM responsibilities, it’s more specific and specialized in working on non-tangible products.

Because of the types of products a Digital PM is working on, the role’s more distinct functions include:

• Have the strong knowledge and understanding of digital user interfaces
• Make strategies focused on results (because products have a shorter lifetime value)
• Have a good understanding of the overall user journey, including user onboarding (since the awareness and initial engagement impacts the users that are being targeted, the problem / solution fit, activation rates, etc.)
• Participates in user interviews or collaborates closely with customer support teams to understand user needs better.
• Works on and is the owner of product backlogs

Just like the key responsibilities of a regular Product Manager, these functions can change depending on the size of the company and the type of digital product the company is carrying. For example, in a smaller company, a Digital Product Manager may be expected to do all of the above plus a bit of sales. Additionally, if this kind of PM is working on an ebook rather than an app, the functions of the role will be different.

Skills a Great Digital Product Manager Possesses

Success in the role of Digital Product Manager requires the same abilities as those needed in traditional Product Management roles such as strong communications skills, business knowledge, problem-solving skills, leadership skills, and the like.

However, Digital Product Managers need several specialized competencies in addition to the usual qualifications for Product Managers. For instance:

• Ability to do rapid deployment and iteration of products. A Digital PM works on products that have a shorter lifetime value so it’s necessary to have the skill to constantly deliver useful products to users.
• Strong design skills (design thinking) are necessary when you are this type of PM. The focus of the role would be to deliver a better user experience. A Digital PM won’t be able to do this if he or she doesn’t have strong design skills to create an intuitive digital product.
• Digital PMs need to be analysts who can interpret and dissect comprehensive data available to them.

How to Become a Digital Product Manager?

Now that we know most of the basic information about a Digital Product Manager, it’s essential to know how to become one. To become a Digital Product Manager, you should consider the necessary training and experience as one of your first considerations. As your career grows, you may find yourself in a position of responsibility. To get to this point, you have to:

1. Develop skills specific to being a Digital PM

Before stepping into the role, you have to gain experience or master the following skills that will enable you to do a great job as a Digital PM:

• Experience in UI/UX
• Design thinking
• Product Management Experience
• Business Process Skills
• Market Research Abilities
• Analyzing and Interpreting Data
• Problem-solving skills

2. Make sure your Digital Product Manager resume is in order

After researching the necessary qualifications and duties for this position, you can begin working on your Digital Product Manager Resume. If you would like to know more tips about how to make resumes for Product Managers, you can check out our article: Product Manager Resume: A Complete Guide Plus 2022 Examples.

3. Build a Portfolio that’s specific to Digital Product Management

If you don’t have experience in this field yet, it’s ideal to gain experience by working on a digital product. It can be done by doing a side project or by offering your services to a team that’s building a digital product.

It’s through this that you can build a portfolio that you can present to the interviewer. To most, this may be an extra step but it shows potential employers that you have the initiative.

4. Expand Your Professional Network

Establishing professional connections is a good next step toward landing a job in Digital Product Management. It’s beneficial to meet people in the field since investors, advisers, or even other Digital Product Managers may wish to interview you. If you want to know more about how to build a network as a PM, you can check: How to Build a Network: A Guide for Product Managers.

5. Prepare for Your PM Interview

After your resume is complete, it’s time to start preparing for your Digital PM interview.

The interviewer will be interested in learning about your product management background and other relevant abilities. Make sure you’re ready to talk about your experience in product development, team management, and digital product usage.

Given that you have worked on a side project and are equipped with the right experience, hone the skills you’ll need to succeed as a Digital Product Manager and know the potential problems you’ll face. Then, you can begin reviewing helpful resources for your PM interview:

Go Through a Self-Paced PM Interview Course

The Product Manager Exercise Interview Prep course prepares you for the PM interviews. It contains over 100 video hours and more than 100 online lessons that will equip candidates with knowledge on how they can master their interview skills.

Note: You would need an upgraded account to access the entire course.

Understand and Practice Answering PM Interview Questions

With over 2,000 Product Manager interview questions and responses from members of our community who have been through it, you can review all of the questions and sample answers on the database. This way you can gain more confidence by seeing the response of others and maybe even trying to provide answers for others to review as well.

Do Mock Interviews

One way to prepare for a PM interview is by doing a mock interview. You can be both interviewer and interviewee, which gives you an opportunity of getting feedback from your partner on how they would react in certain situations during real-life interviews or when interviewed themselves.

You should exercise your language abilities as well as your ability to structure your responses. During mock interviews, your motions will be visible, allowing you to observe how confident you appear when responding to questions. On the PM Exercises website, you may look for community members eager to do mock interviews. 

Repeat the Process per Category

The Digital PM interview is composed of different question categories. We recommend that you go through the process of preparing for the PM interview per category. Once you’re comfortable with one category, repeat the process until you have gone through all the possible categories.

The Bottom Line

A Digital Product Manager is a career that may best suit you if you have a natural affinity for analyzing and interpreting comprehensive data. It’s a role that gives you a chance to work on products of the future – digital products – which could impact plenty of users.

If this is the role that you’re most interested in, make sure that you prepare for the PM interview by going through a course, reviewing PM interview questions, doing a mock interview, and repeating the process until you feel comfortable.

FAQ

What does a Digital Product Manager do?

A Digital Product Manager is responsible for developing and managing products throughout the product life cycle. So this includes conducting market research, gathering customer feedback, designing and launching new products, and overseeing digital product development.

What basic qualifications are necessary to be a Digital Product Manager?

In most cases, companies would be looking for candidates with Bachelor’s Degree in computer science, business, or other related fields. Bigger companies might look for candidates with MBAs but there are still a lot of opportunities even if you don’t have one.

Depending on the size of the company you’re applying to, you may or may not need to have prior Digital PM experience. For example, if you’re applying to a startup, experience is less of a requirement. However, if you are applying to a big tech company, you must have at least two to three years of Digital PM experience.

How much do digital product managers earn?

Digital product managers typically earn a salary of $127,698 to $158,229 per year in the USA. However, salaries can vary depending on experience, location, and other factors.

Can I become a Digital Product Manager without experience?

Yes, it’s possible. You may be able to land a job as a Digital PM without experience but it is very rare. Since the role requires you to be comfortable with data, you need to have experience reading and interpreting it. Then, translate what you have learned into practical improvements for the digital product being offered by the company. 
If you would like to learn more about this topic, you can read: How to Become a Product Manager Without a Technical Background.