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The differences between digital product managers and product leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a digital product manager and a product lead. Additionally, a product lead has an average salary of $118,828, which is higher than the $98,127 average annual salary of a digital product manager.
The top three skills for a digital product manager include product management, digital marketing and user experience. The most important skills for a product lead are product management, project management, and architecture.
| Digital Product Manager | Product Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $98,127 | $118,828 |
| Hourly rate | $47.18 | $57.13 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 129,203 | 95,557 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
It is the key role of digital product managers to develop new online products or services. They handle the company's existing products and determine strategies to improve the products through market data. It is their duty to articulate their business value to better understand the creation of the new product. A background and knowledge in digital technology is a requirement. They should develop skills in communication, marketing, delegation, analytics, business management, and market research.
A product lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands. They coordinate with the clients on their specifications and requirements, including the budget limit and timely deliverables. A product lead manages the brand promotion on media platforms, creating content that adheres to the target audience.
Digital product managers and product leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Digital Product Manager | Product Lead | |
| Average salary | $98,127 | $118,828 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $136,000 | Between $86,000 And $163,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a digital product manager and a product lead in terms of educational background:
| Digital Product Manager | Product Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between digital product managers' and product leads' demographics:
| Digital Product Manager | Product Lead | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |