Are You a Product Manager? Let’s Talk

Teresa Torres, a product coach and course creator, announces she is recruiting product managers and product leaders for customer interviews. She argues that after two years of teaching and coaching, she needs to practice the user-centered research she preaches and learn how the PM role has changed. The post is a model of a well-run research recruitment call: clear eligibility, stated time commitment, relevant incentives, and a screener survey. It matters to product people as both a reminder to keep close to customers and a concrete example of how to recruit research participants.

01Key takeaways

• Stay in constant contact with customers, even when you feel you already understand them.
• Make research requests clear by stating who is eligible and how much time is needed.
• Offer incentives your audience actually values, such as relevant coaching, discounts, or books.
• Use a short screener survey to recruit a diverse set of participants rather than whoever responds first.
• Frame research as learning about context and challenges, not as a sales pitch, to build trust.

02Key sections

Practicing what she preaches

Torres explains that having product managers as her customers means she must stay close to their experiences, just as she advises others to do. She notes that two years of change in the field make fresh learning necessary.

The research ask

She describes the goal of understanding PMs' daily work, thinking, resources, and aspirations, stressing that the conversation is about learning rather than selling.

Logistics and incentives

The post sets out eligibility, a 60–90 minute recorded Skype interview kept private, and incentives such as free coaching, course discounts, and books.

Recruitment mechanics

Interested readers complete a short screener survey, and readers are encouraged to share the post, which helps Torres reach a varied set of participants.

The meta conversation

Torres breaks down what makes the ask effective, including brevity, clear criteria, stated time, relevant incentives, and a screener, and promises to keep blogging about the research.

03From the post

“Long-time readers know that I value user-centered design. I advocate for constant contact with your customers. I encourage product managers to immerse themselves in their customer’s world until they feel like they are drowning in data. It’s only then that we can develop meaningful products. For”

04Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.