In this episode, Anita Raj, Vice President of Product Marketing at ThroughPut, discusses the role of product marketing in roadmap, the why and how of influencing product roadmap. She also shares her thoughts on how to communicate your product roadmap internally and externally.
Listen to the full interview above or read on for the highlights from the conversation.
I think influencing the product roadmap is one of the most ambitious things product marketers want to do, but there is a subtle art to doing it effectively.
Episode Highlights
What is a road map to you as a product marketer?
I think a road map is certainly one of the most important ingredients in outlining your strategy.
It is one of those first starting points that gets different teams together, and it helps all of us to understand where are we heading, what are some of our ways in which we are planning to do this, how we can collaboratively share feedback and help the entire company get aligned on how we are going to bring the entire strategy to life. So in my experience, generally, I feel that when done well in a cross-functional and collaborative approach, it definitely drives great alignment to prioritize and make decisions. When all stakeholders are involved in early stages of planning, I think everyone gets aligned, focused and energized.
A road map is also critical as it helps other teams plan and see what’s upcoming so that everyone in the company can strategically help product marketing and product management teams to make the launches truly impactful.
What do you see as the product marketing’s role in the product roadmap?
I certainly think that product marketing plays a very critical role in the product roadmap.
I think most product marketeers are usually familiar with how the product management teams drive the roadmap, primarily with the engineering teams and then with the sales teams and the customer success teams.
But I think it is critical for product marketing to have a seat at the table and be able to recommend both strategic and tactical aspects for bringing the voice of the customer and the voice of the market together for three main things.
First, how can we effectively identify and prioritize across segments? By segments primarily, I mean for prospects and for existing customers. What are we building? What is the prioritization matrix that we should have so that we are able to understand what’s the impact assessment if those enhancements or those features or improvements are delivered to these two segments?
Two, I think it’s very critical for product marketers to build a launch framework based on the typical product release cycles that every company has that enables all the stakeholders involved in the process, besides, of course, the product management teams, but also the sales and the entire go-to-market motion, I would say, to understand and get full visibility into the communication and enablement plans.
Last but not the least, I would say, it’s very, very important for product marketing to be able to understand how can we effectively measure and quantify the launch impact, conduct post-launch assessments, and also have some feedback loops to continuously optimize.
At what stage of product roadmap planning should you step in as a product marketer?
I think definitely inception stage is when it makes most sense, because I think when any item gets into the roadmap stage, ideally, there are resources that are going to get committed.
So before we kind of really build items in terms of features or new capabilities that need to be added, it's extremely important to be able to understand, is this really the item that we should be really looking at releasing, if it's a quarterly release roadmap that companies are doing, or if you have biweekly sprints that you're typically operating and doing your releases, because a lot of the times, product teams are also operating in a very agile fashion.
So I think Inception, in my experience, typically makes a lot more sense because the benefits are a lot more, I would say, in terms of how well you're able to understand what the feature can truly do. It also helps you with the entire process of the branding, because end of the day, when you're launching something, you don't want to launch something in silos. You want to be able to be able to package it really well.
And that's where the entire branding, pricing, how do we introduce it to existing customers or let's say power users, or maybe how do we market it to prospects. All the thoughts need to be planned before anything truly makes into the roadmap item, I would say.
How can product marketing effectively influence the product roadmap? Any helpful tips?
I think influencing the product roadmap is one of the most ambitious things product marketers want to do, but there is a subtle art to doing it effectively.
First, product marketers need to integrate both internal and external sources of insight. Internally, that means unifying customer feedback across sales, customer success, support, product, and other teams to build clear understanding of the customer voice. Rather than relying on disconnected spreadsheets, the goal should be to centralize insights and identify meaningful patterns across customer interactions.
Externally, product marketers should conduct competitive analysis to understand where market gaps exist, which opportunities are worth pursuing, and where the company can build market-leading capabilities. Together, customer insights and competitive intelligence create a stronger foundation for roadmap recommendations.
Second, product marketers need to build a compelling business case for their recommendations. Rather than acting as roadmap intermediaries who simply pass feedback to product teams, they should evolve into strategic influencers. This means translating customer and market insights into clear recommendations, supported by expected business impact and prioritization frameworks such as effort-versus-impact analysis.
Influencing the roadmap also requires strong cross-functional alignment. Product launches are not owned by product marketing alone, and neither is product success. Establishing shared metrics and common goals across teams helps ensure everyone is working toward the same outcomes and understands the value of delivering a great customer experience.
Regular conversations with customers remain essential, especially with power users who engage with the product frequently. These users often provide valuable insights into pain points, opportunities, and enhancement ideas that can inform future roadmap decisions.
Finally, product marketers should look beyond launch. While launches generate excitement, momentum often fades afterward. Sustaining adoption, driving ongoing engagement, and measuring outcomes are critical to ensuring new capabilities deliver long-term value for both customers and the business.
So what are the common mistakes you think product marketers could potentially make when they're trying to influence the roadmap?
One of the most common mistakes is failing to maintain balance. Product marketers, especially those who sit within the go-to-market organization, can fall into the trap of simply gathering feedback from sales and passing it to product teams. Instead, they should balance internal pain points with external market forces, ensuring roadmap discussions are informed by both customer needs and broader positioning and messaging opportunities.
Another frequent mistake is underestimating internal enablement. Many launch plans focus heavily on external marketing while overlooking the importance of preparing internal teams. Sales, customer success, and other go-to-market functions need time to understand new capabilities, absorb key messages, and learn how to communicate value effectively to prospects and customers.
Finally, product marketers should strive to be more data-driven. Modern tools make it easier than ever to measure the effectiveness of product launches, feature adoption, and customer engagement. Establishing checkpoints throughout the launch process helps teams understand how customers discover, adopt, and realize value from new capabilities. The goal isn't just to launch features, but to continuously improve the customer experience around them.
How would you approach communicating the product roadmap with customers?
I think roadmap communication is extremely important, and product marketing plays a critical role in creating a framework that drives alignment and trust, both internally and externally.
Before communicating roadmap updates to customers, internal teams need to be enabled and prepared. Sales, customer success, and other customer-facing teams should understand what's coming, how to position it, and how to guide customers through the journey. A roadmap shouldn't be communicated as a one-time announcement. Customers need to hear updates through multiple channels, formats, and touchpoints before the message truly sticks.
At the same time, customers are overloaded with information. They're not just receiving updates from your company, but from dozens ofvendors every quarter. That's why it's important to create a centralized source of truth where customers can easily stay informed about what's changing and what's coming next.
There is no single roadmap communication strategy that works for every company. Some organizations rely heavily on customer success teams to communicate updates during regular business reviews or strategic conversations. Others use product newsletters, release summaries, in-app messaging, or change logs. The right approach depends on your customers, your product, and how they prefer to consume information.
Understanding your audience is critical. Some customers, particularly power users, want deep visibility into feature updates and release details. Others may only care about the most significant enhancements and how those changes impact their business. Roadmap communication should be tailored to different customer segments and delivered through the channels that work best for them.
The communication medium matters just as much as the message itself. What works for a SaaS company serving digital-native buyers may not work for a business selling to supply chain managers or industrial organizations. Product marketers need to understand their users and create a communication strategy that fits the realities of their audience.
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