How Product Marketers Can Break into DevOps
A product marketer reached out to me on Slack a few days ago. She works in the semiconductor industry and wants to move into IT (cloud/security/ML). However, most of the IT jobs in her area require experience in DevOps.
DevOps is a way of making and releasing software/applications to the end users. It’s a culture with a set of practices and tools. I’ve been working as a PMM in DevOps for a year now, so the product marketer messaged me for advice on breaking into the field. I gave her a detailed response, which she appreciated.
Then I thought — why not share this advice in a blog post so it’s helpful to anyone interested in PMM roles in DevOps?
So… here we are.
I have a genuine curiosity about IT and technology but don’t have a bachelor's in computer science. Below you’ll find the exact steps I’d take to understand the domain and target audience, if I had to start all over again as a PMM in DevOps.
Set realistic expectations
Before we begin, let’s look at what you’ll be signing up for by venturing into DevOps.
The risk: steep and continuous learning curve
DevOps is a field with a significant learning curve. There’s no way around it. If you are not a tad bit curious about software and technology, it’s going to be a rough ride.
For example, you often see DevOps tools built on top of open-source technology. And the tools have integrations with other tools in the software delivery process.
As a product marketing manager, you’ll need a solid grip on the underlying technology of the product so that you can share a compelling narrative. A good understanding of the integrating tools and technology can also be helpful, depending on how valuable they are in the entire software delivery process.
To make the point simple, if product W is built on X and integrates with Y and Z, PMMs should know X and W to the core, and also moderately understand Y and Z. Otherwise, it will be hard to effectively communicate the value proposition to the target audience, especially if competitors sell products built on top of the same technology.
Note that X (the underlying open-source technology) keeps evolving depending on the community support it has, and so does W (your product). The evolution can be radical or minimal. However, some amount of learning curve will always be there.
Now, you might think that product marketers in other domains also have learning curves when it comes to the product. That’s true.
But, while other PMMs mostly confine themselves to learning the product and the target audience, a PMM in DevOps must also understand a wide range of processes, tools, and technologies. It’s even more challenging because of the rapid pace at which some open-source technologies and DevOps tools evolve.
I still learn a thing or two most days about the technology I’m dealing with, although it’s been almost a year. The learning curve is especially steep when I’m writing a technical blog after a session with one of our engineers.
It all boils down to how curious you are about technology and software development in general. Without curiosity, you might fail to dig deep enough to learn more about the technology or product, which can hinder the effect of your product marketing magic.
The reward: less competition and better salary
Take a group of ten B2B SaaS PMMs. Ask if they’d be up for marketing a project management software for project managers in budding startups. Most of them would agree instantly.
Now ask the same group if they’d market a CI/CD pipeline security software for DevOps engineers. Many of the PMMs might not understand what a CI/CD pipeline is. They may never have had DevOps engineers as a target audience. Chances are, you’ll end up with fewer yeses.
One benefit of venturing into PMM’ing in the DevOps domain is this differentiation. You’ll have less competition because DevOps has a higher barrier of entry, given the learning curve.
DevOps is a booming market. More tools that solve granular problems are entering the market, creating a demand for people with DevOps knowledge and product marketing acumen.
However, there are not enough PMMs in DevOps. Maybe this is the reason I've seen hiring managers willing to hire engineers with a flair for writing who can later be trained in product marketing.
As a product marketer with a sound knowledge of DevOps, you can provide immense value for companies selling DevOps tools and, at the same time, negotiate better salary terms depending on the size of the company.
The steps: understanding the DevOps domain and target audience
Product marketers usually start with learning who the target audience is and their process, before exploring the product.
In DevOps, you can’t start with the audience because you may know nothing about them. What they do in their day-to-day lives might sound like gibberish, as it did for me in the beginning.
I recommend starting with the DevOps domain first — with one exception. If you’re completely new to software development, then understanding that process should be first on your list. DevOps is more of a framework or approach to software development. At the end of the day, it’s all about building software and releasing it to the end users.
Before you begin, know that the idea is to gain a general understanding of the DevOps process and some required tools. You’ll dig deeper into a specific part of DevOps and its respective technology when you work in the domain as a PMM.
As always, pay attention to the “why.” No need to study code or tutorials.
(If you have some understanding of the software development process, skip #1 below and go to step #2.)
1. Understanding software development
All software starts with a thought or an idea. Someone sees a problem or a challenge that software or an application can solve. From there, it’s a series of steps until an actual, usable piece of software is in the hands of the end users.
What is software development?
The series of steps — from having a vision of an application, to planning, writing code, testing, making it accessible to the target audience, and maintaining the application — is called the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
Each step in SDLC is performed by dedicated teams or individuals with specific expertise.
For example, those who are writing code are not the ones maintaining the application, ensuring it’s working and available for end users. And those maintaining the application are not testing the software for bugs.
(Note: a team or an individual may perform multiple roles in SDLC due to resource constraints, much like a PMM in pre-seed or early-stage startups.)
Learning the software development process
To understand different steps and processes in the SDLC, pay attention to what is happening at each stage and the roles of the respective teams handling them.
This video is a good start. Watch similar videos on YouTube or read articles on the topic to build a general understanding.
2. Understanding DevOps
The steps in software development used to be done sequentially and in silo. Developers wrote code and passed it to testers, who then passed it to operations, and so on. This meant a huge lead time for software, be it bug fixes or new feature updates, to hit the market.
What is DevOps?
DevOps (Dev+Ops) is a set of practices and tools that combine software development (Dev — building the software) and operations (Ops — releasing the software).
DevOps acts as a bridge and breaks silos between dev and ops. The result: new software changes are coded, tested, and released for end users, safely, quickly, and continuously.
Think of DevOps as SDLC on steroids. It streamlines software development with a focus on frequent software releases powered by collaboration and automation.
With DevOps, software releases that used to take months or even years can be done in a few days or weeks.
Learning about the DevOps domain
DevOps is a vast domain with tons of tools at each stage of the process. It is easy to get lost and burned out. So your goal should be to understand the basic principles, processes, and some indispensable tools.
I recommend going through each item in the below list in order:
(Chances are, you will review multiple resources to grasp a concept, which is expected and perfectly fine. Just make sure you understand what’s happening at each stage. No need to look into the code or tutorial. Learn the concepts.)
Cloud and containers
Build Automation (CI/CD) (read a few blogs from here, especially this one)
These topics cover most of the DevOps processes and some tools that DevOps engineers use daily.
After reviewing them, you’ll have a solid understanding of DevOps and the confidence to learn additional concepts and technology, which you’ll certainly have to do once you land a job in the domain.
3. Understanding the target audience
Once you are done with the above steps, the behavior of your target audience and the challenges they face will start to make sense. This is the perfect time to get to know them better.
As a PMM, you may already have routine ways to research and understand your target audience. Below are two of my favorites:
A day in the life of your target audience
On YouTube, search “A day in the life of a DevOps engineer.” You’ll discover numerous videos of DevOps engineers explaining their daily work activities.
Your target audience can change depending on what product you’re marketing. For example, the target audience can be cloud engineers, SRE (site reliability engineers), DevSecOps engineers, infrastructure engineers, platform engineers, and so on.
Frequent Subreddits and Slack channels
Spend time on Subreddits, such as r/devops and r/kubernetes. Review popular posts, and you’ll have an idea about your target audience’s mindsets, challenges, and what they are ultimately trying to achieve.
On Reddit, you’ll also find interesting rants you can use to develop messaging that resonates. It has helped me create memes for webinars that landed a couple of leads.
Similarly, if your product or service is built on top of open-source technology, join its official Slack channel. You’ll gain valuable insights into your target audience by monitoring the discussions.
4. Understanding the market and competitive landscape
Two simple but effective sources to stay updated on the market and glean competitive intel are LinkedIn and Google Alerts.
Leverage LinkedIn
Conferences and talks happen frequently in the DevOps world. Following the hashtag of the relevant field of open-source technology or DevOps will keep you apprised of those events, both big and small.
Also, spend time reading posts under the DevOps hashtag now and then. This is a handy way to catch any recent developments in the field. Sometimes, you’ll even discover cool blog ideas.
Turn on Google Alerts
Turn on Google Alerts for specific keywords. The service will fetch related articles and deliver them to your email inbox. Add the name of the underlying technology of your product, for example. I’ve found it particularly useful in following PR news about product launches from competitors.
Making your first move: write bylined articles on DevOps topics
I recommend writing articles on DevOps topics for two reasons:
Show hiring managers that you understand DevOps
Get the hang of writing for a technical audience
Pick any topic from those I mentioned in step #2 and write about it. Your piece doesn’t need to be highly technical or provide an in-depth analysis. For example, you can highlight the differences between monolithic and microservices architecture, offer an introduction to Kubernetes, or discuss different stages in a CI/CD pipeline.
Writing the article might be hard at first. Your pace might be slower than usual. But don’t worry. You'll only need a few of these pieces to showcase your understanding of DevOps.
When you’re done writing, head over to Dzone, create an account, and submit the article. Dzone is a community and knowledge resource for people working in software development. Anyone can submit blogs or articles. After a review, your piece will be published under your name.
Get ready for continuous learning
Until now, you’ve cast a wide net on DevOps, trying to get a better understanding. After landing the product marketing role in DevOps, you will mostly be focusing on a particular section in the process.
For example, your product might be a security tool. You’ll then be focusing on security and adjacent aspects in DevOps where your product operates.
Obviously, you will need to do a bit more learning to understand your product and the target market. The foundation you now have in DevOps will make it easier to grasp new concepts. You will be able to explore the target audience and the product quickly so that you can craft an effective 30-60-90 day plan.
For a Product Marketer in DevOps, the learning never stops. As long as you stay curious, you’ll enjoy the journey.
