1. Technical Product Manager (Technical PM)

These PMs have a strong technical background—often engineers themselves—and focus heavily on the technology behind the product. They work closely with development teams to define detailed requirements, APIs, integrations, and complex technical challenges.

When you’d find them: In tech-heavy companies, SaaS products, platforms, or developer tools.

2. Growth Product Manager

Growth PMs specialize in user acquisition, activation, retention, and monetization. They focus on metrics like conversion rates, churn, and lifetime value. Their work involves running experiments, A/B testing, and data analysis to optimize the product for growth.

When you’d find them: Consumer apps, marketplaces, subscription services, or any product needing rapid user base expansion.

3. Product Marketing Manager (PMM)

Though technically part of marketing, PMMs sit at the intersection of product and marketing. They focus on positioning, messaging, go-to-market strategies, and customer insights to drive demand and adoption.

When you’d find them: In companies with mature products looking to scale or reposition, or launching new features.

4. Platform Product Manager

Platform PMs manage foundational products or services used by other products or teams inside a company. They focus on building APIs, SDKs, developer tools, or internal platforms.

When you’d find them: Large tech companies with multiple products or services, cloud providers, or infrastructure teams.

5. Data Product Manager

Data PMs manage products or features related to data collection, analytics, and insights. They often work closely with data scientists and engineers to build dashboards, reporting tools, or machine learning models.

When you’d find them: Companies focused on big data, AI, or products driven by user analytics.

6. Consumer Product Manager

These PMs focus on consumer-facing products—apps, websites, or devices aimed at general users. Their focus is on user experience, engagement, and features that appeal to broad audiences.

When you’d find them: Social media apps, e-commerce, mobile apps, or consumer electronics.

7. Enterprise Product Manager

Enterprise PMs build products for businesses rather than consumers. Their work involves understanding complex workflows, compliance needs, integration with existing enterprise software, and longer sales cycles.

When you’d find them: SaaS platforms for businesses, B2B software, or specialized industry tools.

8. Innovation or New Product Development (NPD) Manager

Focused on creating new products or exploring emerging markets, these PMs work on innovation, prototypes, and experimental features. They often lead cross-functional teams to validate ideas quickly.

When you’d find them: Startups, R&D departments, or companies launching new ventures.

9. Hardware Product Manager

PMs who specialize in physical products, working on everything from design, manufacturing, supply chain, and firmware integration.

When you’d find them: IoT devices, consumer electronics, automotive, or any company building physical products.

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| Type of Product Manager                                | Focus Area                                                                             | Typical Industries / Products                                                    |

+----------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| Technical Product Manager (Technical PM)    | Technical specs, APIs, integrations, close with engineers      | Tech companies, SaaS, developer tools                                 |

+----------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| Growth Product Manager                                | User acquisition, retention, A/B testing, data-driven growth| Consumer apps, marketplaces, subscription services                |

+----------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| Product Marketing Manager (PMM)                | Positioning, messaging, go-to-market strategy       | Mature product companies, marketing-driven launches                          |

+----------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| Platform Product Manager                              | APIs, SDKs, internal platforms, infrastructure    | Large tech firms, cloud providers, multi-product companies                         |

+----------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| Data Product Manager                                     | Data analytics, dashboards, ML-driven features            | Big data, AI products, analytics tools                                           |

+----------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| Consumer Product Manager                      | User experience, engagement, consumer-facing features     | Social media, e-commerce, mobile apps, consumer electronics   |

+----------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| Enterprise Product Manager                    | Business workflows, compliance, integrations, complex sales| B2B SaaS, enterprise software, industry-specific tools                  |

+----------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| Innovation / New Product Development Manager | New product ideas, prototyping, market validation          | Startups, R&D, innovation labs                                                 |

+----------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| Hardware Product Manager                      | Physical product design, manufacturing, supply chain       | IoT devices, automotive, consumer electronics                                  |

+----------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Summary

Product management isn’t one-size-fits-all. Different types of PMs bring different skills and focus areas depending on the product, industry, and company stage. As a PM or aspiring PM, understanding these types helps you identify where you might fit best or which skills to develop next.