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ProductMarketing5 min read
Public roadmap risks and rewards
A public roadmap can be a powerful marketing surface or a credibility-destroying mistake. The companies that get it right share a specific approach.
Publishing a roadmap publicly is one of those high-variance moves. Done well, it builds trust with customers and prospects. Done badly, every slip becomes public, every reprioritization is an event, and the roadmap becomes a hostage situation.
What works
- Specific commitments only for things shipping within 90 days.
- Themes for further-out work — direction, not promises.
- Honest updates when something slips, not silent removal.
- Engagement with feedback — but not commitment to act on every comment.
What doesn't
Annual roadmaps published publicly. "Coming soon" labels with no dates. Features that slip indefinitely without acknowledgment. Each of these costs you credibility — and customers remember which vendors deliver what they say versus which announce things that never arrive.
A public roadmap is a credibility contract. Don't ship one you can't honor.