Author: Draft.dev

Developer ecosystems, the networks of developers and resources around a product, are a key factor for business growth in an increasingly technical world. But what exactly does a healthy ecosystem look like, and how can businesses build one? 

In this blog post, I’ll recap our recent webinar where we explored these questions with experts Gary Gonzalez, Managing Partner at Catchy and Ryan Paul Gibson, Founder of Content Lift. 

We’ll dive into the benefits of developer ecosystems, the types of content that resonate with technical audiences, and strategies for driving engagement and measuring ROI. Whether you’re working on implementing a developer ecosystem in your organization or looking to optimize an existing program, this recap will give you some insight on key areas to focus on.

Why Developer Ecosystems Matter

Gary kicked off the webinar by explaining why these ecosystems have become essential in the tech world. It all started, he noted, with the “cloud wars” of the mid-2000s, where major players like AWS, Azure, and Google recognized the power of a developer-first approach. These companies opened up their technology ecosystems, allowing developers to work with their platforms directly.

This approach was then refined by startups in the 2010s, like Twilio and Stripe, who built their entire business models around developer-centric, open ecosystems. These companies made it easy for technologists to build with their services and products, resulting in rapid growth and market dominance.

As Gary pointed out, building a strong developer ecosystem is now almost a necessity. It’s about acknowledging that technology is no longer just a product; it’s an experience, and developers need to be empowered within that experience.

Open developer ecosystems are a necessity for any organization that wants to engage technical services and build technical products. –Gary Gonzalez, Managing Partner at Catchy

Ryan highlighted the business value of these ecosystems. He emphasized that a strong developer ecosystem provides a competitive advantage, making products “stickier” and more integral to the workflows of technical users. When you give technical buyers more control and more access, they take ownership of your product and rely on it more heavily, embedding it into their critical business flows.

Fueling the Ecosystem With the Right Content

Having established the importance of developer ecosystems, let’s consider the content that actually fuels them. What kind of information are developers looking for?

Both Ryan and Gary emphasized that technical audiences have different needs and expectations than other types of buyers. They’re not looking for marketing fluff; they’re looking for practical, actionable information that helps them solve specific technical problems.

Ryan noted that developers want to know how they can use your product to achieve their desired outcomes. They need clear, concise instructions, code examples, and comprehensive documentation that allows them to get hands-on quickly. He stressed that marketers often miss the mark by not understanding how technical buyers process information and build credibility. 

You have to give them (developers) all the tools they need to make things easy and simple to do, otherwise they’re gonna spend a lot of time trying to figure it out. That’s a wasted time. –Ryan Paul Gibson, Founder of Content Lift

Gary agreed, highlighting the importance of mapping content to the developer journey. He explained that while developer marketing focuses on awareness and consideration, technical content is vital for the “learn, build, and scale” phases. Technical content is not just about documentation, he explained. It is about giving developers the resources they need to get into the ecosystem and get things done. It’s about providing a frictionless entry into using your products and services. This approach can ultimately lead to creating happy, life-long customers.

Understanding the Build vs. Buy Decision for Developers

The “build vs. buy” question is a common one for technical professionals. They are constantly evaluating whether they can execute a project internally, using their own time and resources, or if they need to bring in an external solution. This is why, as Gary and Ryan discussed, it’s important to be upfront about what your product does and, equally importantly, what it doesn’t do.

Gary stressed the importance of enabling developers to quickly evaluate your product, build proofs of concept, and get hands-on experience. He mentioned the importance of a “speed to hello world” approach. Developers need to quickly understand if they can build a solution themselves, or if they should buy an existing one, and be able to make that decision quickly.

How quickly can I evaluate if I can build this? Or should I buy it? –Gary Gonzalez, Managing Partner at Catchy

Beyond the technical evaluation, Gary also highlighted the need for content that speaks to all stakeholders involved in the decision-making process, from the developers themselves to technical decision-makers and non-technical business leaders. This includes use cases, success stories, and other content that demonstrates the value proposition of your product at different levels.

Ryan added that transparency is key. He emphasized that companies should be upfront about their products’ capabilities, and what they do not have. He advised against making overblown claims, as developers will often find out the truth, and share their opinions with others online.

You want to be really transparent about what your product does and what it cannot do… because people will find it out, and they will share that online. –Ryan Paul Gibson, Founder of Content Lift

How to Drive Engagement and Keep Your Ecosystem Alive

Once a developer ecosystem has been built you also need to drive engagement and keep your community active. Ryan and Gary discussed several strategies:

Leverage Multiple Channels

Ryan emphasized the need to go beyond your website and instead, use various channels to reach your audience. These include:

• Social media platforms can be valuable for engaging with developers and sharing content.
• Use community platforms like Stack Overflow and other relevant forums for engaging in discussions. 
• Events (both in-person and virtual) provide opportunities for interaction.

He also noted the importance of joining existing community conversations. Instead of just pushing content, engage with conversations, and find out how people are using your tool or what are their current challenges.

Focus on the Six Pillars of a Developer Program

Gary pointed out that developer programs should be built around six pillars, including the technical content and resources, as well as a media mix to get this content to your users. These pillars include:

• Developer Portal: A central hub for all things related to your developer ecosystem.
• Marketing Content: Content focused on building awareness and driving consideration.
• Technical Content: Educational resources and documentation to help developers learn and build.
• Media Mix: Utilizing various channels to distribute your content and reach your target audience.
• Community: Creating a space for developers to connect, collaborate, and share their experiences.
• Events: Hosting or participating in both online and in-person events to foster engagement.

Empower Your Power Users

One of the often-missed opportunity is empowering power users. These developers can serve as “free” advocates for your product, contributing to content creation, product growth, and community engagement. They are valuable because they speak with an authentic voice, building trust and credibility within the community.

Prioritize Your Resources

Ryan added the importance of being realistic about resourcing, noting that starting a community or utilizing specific channels takes time and effort. He advised prioritizing channels that are most likely to resonate with your target audience, rather than trying to do everything at once.

Maintain Momentum

Gary stressed the idea of developer marketing as a practice. He explained that the tech world is always changing, with products, use cases, and technologies. This means that content, documentation, and tools require constant upkeep. He noted that, once you create a piece of content, you’re not “done”. It’s a living and breathing thing. 

Ryan agreed, explaining the importance of continually understanding how things are shifting in the markets. He suggested looking outside your organization to identify new trends, problems, and use cases for your product. He also noted that it’s important to listen to your user base and reshare new ideas and content that resonates with them.

Measuring the Value of Developer Ecosystems Can Be Tricky

Proving the return on investment (ROI) for developer-focused initiatives can be challenging, as the impact isn’t always immediate or easily quantifiable. 

Ryan noted that in B2B marketing, it could take years for a free user to become a paying customer. He suggested focusing on whether you have influenced more people than in previous years. Some of the key metrics to show this are:

• Organic site traffic: Measure how many people are visiting your site and engaging with your content.
• Share of voice: Determine how many people in your market know about your product.
• Conversion rates: Analyze the success of your content in moving people through the sales funnel.

He also noted that your goal should be to create the conditions for a sale to happen, and not just focusing on closing deals immediately.

Gary added that while there are many touchpoints to track in the developer journey, it’s important to focus on the core metrics. He recommended that enterprise companies focus on how they are:

• Driving more revenue: Tying developer initiatives to product acquisition and sales growth.
• Building longer-lasting customer relationships: Measuring customer satisfaction and retention.
• Supporting product growth and innovation: Tracking product usage metrics like daily active users and monthly active users.

He also recommended using a developer marketing flywheel as a way to see the entire developer marketing process and the key metrics to analyze for each area.

Advice for Building Your First Developer Program

The webinar ended with Gary and Ryan offering some advice to those companies that are just starting to take their first steps of implementing a developer program.

Gary emphasized the importance of long-term planning and consistency. He noted that building a developer program is a long-term play, and that you should make a plan and stick to it. Focus on building strong foundational blocks sequentially, have a 2-3 year plan, and stick to it while also being open to adjustments as needed.

Ryan stressed the importance of understanding your target audience. He explained that you should conduct thorough research to understand your customers, what they need, and how you can build trust and credibility with them. 

Both speakers advised against being reactionary, or trying to do everything at once. They explained that it’s very easy to get distracted by what your competitors are doing, or what you are hearing in the market.

Conclusion

My takeaway from this discussion is that building a strong developer ecosystem is a necessity for both startups and established enterprises dealing with technical products. A thriving developer ecosystem around your product can help technical buyers embed it into their critical business flows, eventually resulting in increased business growth.

At Draft.dev, we see this firsthand, working with many enterprise companies that are investing heavily in technical content to help their developer ecosystems flourish, which shows that nourishing and maintaining your developer ecosystem and audience is key to driving both product adoption and long-term business success.

If you found this post helpful and want to dive deeper into the conversation, you can watch the full webinar here:

Draft.dev’s monthly webinars are a great way to learn more about similar DevRel and technical marketing topics. You can sign up for our next session with live Q&A here.

As one of the largest cloud computing conferences globally, AWS re:Invent 2024 draws tens of thousands of professionals eager to explore the latest innovations or showcase their companies. This time, Clayton Kast, Draft.dev‘s Account Director and I had a chance to experience the event in person and interview our clients and friends in the DevRel and technical marketing space.

Note: If you’d like to dive deeper into the conversations we had at re:Invent, you can watch the full interview series here, but if you prefer reading our summary, you can do so below the video:

In this post, I’ll share the takeaways from our conversations, focusing on the key themes that came up in our conversations.

Content Marketing Remains Essential

Content marketing continues to be the foundation of successful DevRel and technical marketing strategies for most companies that we interviewed. Creating valuable, educational content that addresses developers’ pain points and helps them solve technical problems is essential for building trust and driving organic growth. Although product-centric marketing campaigns have their place, a consistent flow of helpful content is the best way to drive product adoption.

Blogs, in particular, were highlighted as the main channel for delivering this valuable content and driving traffic to company websites.

If you really want to do a good job of getting developers to adopt your services, the main thing is just helping them do their jobs better. –Randall Degges, Head of Developer Relations and Community, Snyk

Community Engagement Drives Organic Growth

Engaging and nurturing your developer community was another recurring theme at re:Invent. Open-source initiatives, in particular, can be a powerful way to connect with developers and demonstrate a commitment to the broader ecosystem you operate in.

For example, Spacelift’s sponsorship of OpenTofu, an open-source infrastructure project, showcases their support for the community.

Another example is ConsoleConnect, which found success by fostering a community around their open-source API mapping project, Kraken. They’ve nurtured a community around the project, and it has become a core part of their developer relations strategy.

Human Connection Drives DevRel Success

Developers value genuine, sincere communication and are often turned off by overly transactional or marketing-heavy tactics. Taking a human approach, understanding their struggles, and offering practical advice goes a lot further. Sharing relatable stories and real-world experiences is a great way to build that connection.

Sincerity is the key. When you are telling a story about a problem and the person has a visceral reaction of ‘oh my God that was me last week how did you know,’ that’s really what matters. –Leon Adato, Principal Technical Evangelist, Kentik

Developer Enablement Drives Adoption

Providing developers with the resources they need to be successful–things like enablement programs, workshops, and educational materials–is a key driver of product adoption. This demonstrates a commitment to developer success and helps them to effectively use your products and services. This is particularly valuable for enterprise companies, where developer readiness is essential for a smooth integration. Slack, for example, recognizes this and makes enablement a core component of their developer relations strategy. 

We’re really pushing a lot into enablement, things that are taking people from idea to value. –Kurtis Kemple, Sr. Director of Developer Relations, Slack

Direct Feedback Is Invaluable

In-person events like AWS re:Invent provide a great opportunity to gather direct feedback from developers. These interactions allow companies to gain a deeper understanding of user needs, identify pain points, and validate product direction. This real-time feedback loop can significantly inform product development and improve the overall developer experience.

We’re getting a lot of people coming up saying that I’ve been using Retool for years and here are the two or three things that I feel like you guys can improve. It’s great for us to be able to get that feedback in person. –Keanan Koppenhaver, Technical Product Marketing Manager, Retool

Developers Find Practical Uses for AI

While the hype around AI remains strong, the focus is shifting towards practical applications and tangible use cases. Developers are interested in how AI can be integrated into existing workflows and tools to enhance productivity and solve real-world problems. The emphasis is on leveraging AI as a tool within existing products and services, rather than building entirely new AI-centric solutions.

Cost Optimization Is a Priority

Cost optimization continues to be a top priority for developers and businesses. Managing cloud infrastructure expenses, reducing egress fees, and finding efficient ways to utilize resources are key concerns. Solutions that address these cost challenges are highly sought after.

Egress fees are often a real problem for a lot of companies…we’ve been able to help a lot of people lower their egress fees. –Trent Blakely, AVP Product Marketing, ConsoleConnect

In-Person Events Matter

While the majority of our communication today is done online, in-person events offer unique benefits in the technical marketing space. Face-to-face interaction helps to get real-time feedback and build relationships, which are important for long-term product success. For example, Retool leverages re:Invent to gather direct user feedback, gaining insights that are difficult to capture online. Slack, while embracing online engagement, also recognizes the importance of in-person events for hands-on experiences and connection. The networking opportunities at these events help build genuine relationships with technical leaders in your space, and fostering trust within that community is essential for long-term success.

Final Thoughts

Overall, AWS re:Invent 2024 was a great opportunity to learn more about what’s happening in the cloud computing world and it was inspiring to see so many talented people building impressive solutions. One of the biggest takeaways for me was the importance of genuine human connection in technical marketing. Whether it’s getting feedback or building a community, those relationships and the trust you build are essential.

I also noticed how much the way technical professionals consume content is changing. From blog posts and webinars to podcasts and videos, they use different formats for different purposes. Understanding these preferences–whether it is for learning, troubleshooting, or entertainment–and adapting your content for that purpose is key.

For more DevRel and developer marketing insights, check out a similar post with key takeaways from KubeCon North America 2024.

KubeCon North America 2024 recently wrapped up, and our CEO, Karl Hughes, and Account Director, Clayton Kast, were on the ground connecting with leaders in DevRel and developer marketing. 

The insights and connections made at KubeCon are always a great indicator of the future of technical marketing in the Kubernetes space, so in this post, I’ll share the key takeaways from their conversations with DevRel and Marketing leaders.

The Kubernetes Ecosystem Is Maturing

One of the main takeaways from KubeCon was the clear sense that the Kubernetes ecosystem is maturing. Karl observed that the Kubernetes space has become quite robust, with a wide array of tools and providers now available. This abundance of options, while beneficial for developers, also presents a challenge for companies trying to differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded market.

This maturity also means that companies are now shifting their focus from simply getting started with Kubernetes to using it effectively.

“Previously, you saw a bunch of new faces popping up, but they were focused on new iterations and how to use the existing Kubernetes ecosystem.”–Clayton Kast, Account Director at Draft.dev

Now, we’re seeing a lot of similar iterations that are competing against each other, highlighting the need for companies to clearly define their unique value proposition.

AI Is Shifting to Practical Applications

While there was a lot of talk about artificial intelligence (AI) at KubeCon, the conversations were notably different from previous years. Instead of focusing on the hype and potential of AI, the discussions centered on its practical applications and how it can be used to solve real-world problems for developers. Essentially, the focus has shifted from “what could AI do?” to “how can AI help us right now?”.

As Karl mentioned, the primary focus of AI integration seems to be on workflow improvement and enhancing user interfaces. The main tasks companies are actively exploring AI for include:

• Analyzing Observability and Other Data: Processing large volumes of observability data and other types of data to help developers identify patterns, anomalies, and potential issues more quickly and efficiently.
• Automating Routine Developer Tasks: Automating tasks that junior developers often handle, such as creating manifest files and other Kubernetes configuration files.
• Data Processing and Pipelining: Providing tools for managing high volumes of data, including data pipelining and other data-related activities.

These examples show that AI is rapidly becoming a practical tool for developers, rather than just a buzzword. The focus is now on how AI can be used to make developers’ lives easier and more productive.

Community Engagement Remains a Key Focus

Community engagement remains a key focus for companies in the developer space. There’s a growing desire to build strong communities around products within platforms like Slack and Discord, and to understand the “secrets” of successful communities.

This suggests that companies are increasingly recognizing the importance of building strong relationships with their developer communities, rather than just focusing on marketing and sales, and I couldn’t agree more on this point.

At Draft.dev, we’ve seen firsthand, through our work with over 100 devtool companies, that focusing on building long-term engagement within a community is the most effective way to build trust around a product. It’s a time-consuming process, but in the developer space, where traditional sales and marketing tactics often fall flat, building trust is the only way to truly encourage developers to adopt your product.

Marketing Tactics Are Evolving

On the sales and marketing front, companies seem to be increasingly exploring different tactics to differentiate themselves. One notable trend is the rise of paid advertising in the developer space. This could be driven by the increasing difficulty of reaching developers organically, as well as the growing sophistication of paid advertising platforms.

“I’ve also heard more talk of paid ads in the developer space in the last year or two.” – Karl Hughes, CEO of Draft.dev

In addition to paid advertising, another trend that’s gaining momentum is the growing popularity of podcasts. Podcasts offer an opportunity to engage with developers on a deeper level, providing a platform for in-depth discussions, technical insights, and personal stories. 

“Companies are focusing on podcasts a lot more than they usually do.”–Clayton Kast, Account Director at Draft.dev

This shows that companies are exploring and trying out different content formats to reach their target audience.

Multicloud Accessibility Gains Momentum

Multicloud accessibility is becoming easier, even for smaller companies. This is driven by the desire to take advantage of the best features of each platform and achieve cost savings. 

“In the last few years it’s become easier and easier for smaller companies to have redundancy multicloud setups.”– Karl Hughes, CEO at Draft.dev

This indicates that companies are becoming more strategic about their cloud infrastructure, choosing the best platform for each specific task.

Kubernetes Specialization Is Becoming a Clear Trend

As the Kubernetes ecosystem matures, companies are not only starting to “pick a lane” and specialize in a particular area, but they’re also strategically considering acquisitions to fill functional gaps in their offerings. This trend shows that being a generalist in the Kubernetes space is becoming increasingly challenging and that companies are looking to either specialize or acquire the expertise they lack.

Seeing more and more acquisitions in the Kubernetes space, it seems like a clear indicator that companies are recognizing the need to focus on their core competencies, specialize in a particular area of the Kubernetes ecosystem, and strategically acquire companies to fill any functional gaps.

Final Thoughts

As we look ahead, it will be fascinating to see which AI implementations gain traction and become widely adopted, and which ones fade away over time. The Kubernetes ecosystem is still evolving, and the practical applications of AI are just beginning to emerge. It will also be interesting to see how companies leverage their multicloud setups to optimize their configurations and cost savings for greater efficiency. 

I hope this blog post has given you some valuable insights and ideas from the event. If you want to hear more about DevRel and Developer Marketing, join our upcoming live webinars with Q&A sessions, where we explore similar topics and feature insights from industry leaders.

Optimizing your developer content is a powerful way to drive organic traffic and generate leads for your product. If you’re creating content to serve specific keywords, organic search can become a fantastic distribution channel over time. But you’ll want to take steps to optimize your content for its best chances of ranking. 

In this blog post, I’ll recap our recent webinar, “Optimizing Developer Content for Success,” where product marketing expert Ashley McClelland and Draft.dev CEO Karl Hughes shared their insights on how to optimize developer content creation efforts, and how to effectively distribute and promote that content to reach a wider audience.

Understanding The Developer Audience

Developers aren’t typical consumers. They’re highly technical, solution-oriented, and often averse to traditional marketing tactics. They use ad blockers, are tech-savvy, and can spot marketing ploys a mile away. So, it’s not surprising that content aimed at developers needs to be different. It must focus on providing practical solutions to their problems rather than simply promoting a product. Ashley explained this well:

I try to think of developers as very solution-focused. They’re problem solvers. They’re looking for solutions. –Ashley McClelland, Partner at ércule

Karl agreed, adding that developers frequently use search engines to find answers to their coding questions:

As a software developer, my day-to-day involved constantly using Google to find solutions. Whether it was a high-level question or a complex, long-tail query, it was always about solving the problem in front of me. –Karl Hughes, CEO at Draft.dev

This solution-focused mindset has significant implications for your content strategy. Instead of pushing product features, your content should address the specific challenges developers face and demonstrate how your product can help them overcome those challenges.

Challenges in Developer Content Optimization

When you begin optimizing your developer content, you’ll likely encounter some specific challenges. Knowing these in advance will help you overcome them.

Product Differentiation

One common hurdle is differentiating your product from the competition. As Karl pointed out, developers already have solutions to their problems, even if they are outdated or less efficient. Your content needs to clearly demonstrate why your product is the better choice.

You’re almost always in today’s environment of development marketing…trying to offset an existing solution. –Karl Hughes, CEO at Draft.dev

Keyword Research

Another challenge can be keyword research. Traditional keyword tools often fall short when it comes to emerging technologies. Ashley highlighted this difficulty:

Keyword research for emerging technologies, especially in the developer, DevOps, and AI spaces, often lags behind and isn’t well-represented in standard keyword tools. –Ashley McClelland, Partner at ércule

This makes it essential to supplement keyword research with direct communication with your target audience. Engage with developers in relevant communities and forums to understand their language and the specific terms they use when searching for solutions.

Stakeholder Buy-in

Lastly, getting buy-in from technical stakeholders like CTOs is another potential obstacle. Technical stakeholders may not fully understand marketing strategies, leading to disagreements about content direction. Karl emphasized the importance of involving technical stakeholders early in the planning and strategy process to avoid conflicts later on.

Effective Strategies for Content Optimization

If you already have a body of developer content, optimizing it can yield significant returns. Here are some key areas to focus on:

Unique and Compelling Metadata

Ensure that every page has unique and descriptive title tags and meta descriptions. These are important for attracting clicks in search results. Think of them as your content’s headline and subheading in search engine results pages (SERPs). Ashley emphasized this often-overlooked aspect of optimization:

Remind yourself that when you search you get a list of articles, and it does matter what those things are titled in terms of how compelling it is to actually click through. –Ashley McClelland, Partner at ércule

Content Freshness and Relevance

Regularly review and update your existing content. Outdated information can damage your credibility and negatively impact your search rankings. Prioritize updating content that covers rapidly changing technologies or content that was once high-performing but has seen a decline in traffic.

Do you have pages that haven’t been updated since 2021? And, do you have content that used to get a lot of clicks and impressions, and now it’s slowly declining? –Ashley McClelland, Partner at ércule

Another smart strategy for content refreshes is to look at your older competitors. Find their blog posts that are outdated but cover topics relevant to your audience. These older articles may have attracted significant search traffic in the past. By creating a fresh, updated version of that content, you can capitalize on existing search demand and potentially outrank your competitors. As Karl suggested:

Look at your competitors, who have been around for 10 years or more, and see their list of articles that are 5 years old and figure out if there is a way you could do a better or more up to date version. –Karl Hughes, CEO at Draft.dev

Appropriate CTAs

Aligning your CTAs with the reader’s stage in the buyer’s journey is another great way of optimizing your blog content. A top-of-funnel blog post explaining a basic concept shouldn’t have the same CTA as a bottom-of-funnel case study. Karl recommended offering valuable resources, such as downloadable assets or webinars, rather than simply pushing product trials:

A better CTA would be having some kind of asset that either is a downloadable–a webinar, a newsletter–that actually tells people how to get better. There’s a million things you could do there that are better than just ‘try our product.’ –Karl Hughes, CEO at Draft.dev

Ashley added that CTAs should guide the reader to the next logical step in their learning process:

The blog post CTA, as you’re done finishing that piece of content, should be the next most logical step. –Ashley McClelland, Partner at ércule

Sales Enablement

Lastly, don’t overlook the power of sales enablement content. Sometimes companies forget that  marketing isn’t just about TOFU. Creating bottom-funnel content that directly supports your sales team is often times the easiest win. Address common sales objections, provide in-depth product information, and showcase specific use cases. This type of content can be invaluable for closing deals.

What content would help your sales team actually close deals in the next 3 months? –Karl Hughes, CEO at Draft.dev

Content Promotion and Distribution

Once you’ve put in all the effort to create valuable content, you also need to actively promote and distribute it to reach and grow your target audience. And this ties back to getting to know your target audience. 

Targeted Distribution

Identify the online communities and platforms where your target developers hang out. This might include specialized forums, subreddits, Slack channels, or social media groups. Don’t just drop links but engage authentically in these communities and share your content when it’s relevant to the conversation.

You want to kind of merge your distribution strategy with your engagement strategy. You’re not just dropping links in communities but authentically engaging in those spaces. – Ashley McClelland, Partner at ércule

Leverage Existing Platforms

Promote your content through various channels, including:

• Newsletters: Share your latest articles in your own newsletter and consider sponsoring relevant industry newsletters.
• Social Media: Promote your content on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and relevant developer communities.
• Content Syndication: Republish your content on platforms like Dev.to, Medium, and Hacker News to reach a wider audience. 
• Guest Posting: Contribute high-quality articles to other relevant blogs and publications.

Karl suggested a hybrid approach for newsletters:

Sponsor a newsletter every 6 months, and then send them just organic content every month or two, and see if they accept and push it out for free for you. –Karl Hughes, CEO at Draft.dev

Re-promotion

Don’t just promote your content once and forget about it. Evergreen content can and should be re-promoted regularly. Share it on different platforms, update the messaging, and find new angles to keep the conversation going. Both speakers stressed the value of re-promotion and getting your word out there.

Measuring and Auditing Content Performance

To optimize your content effectively, you need to understand what’s working and what’s not. That means, regularly measuring and auditing your content performance to identify areas for improvement.

Key Metrics

Start by focusing on organic search data: clicks, impressions, and engagement (time on page, bounce rate). These metrics provide insights into how your content is performing in search and how users are interacting with it.

Replicating Success

Secondly, identify your top-performing content and analyze what makes it successful. Are there common themes, formats, or topics? Can you replicate those elements in other pieces of content? Karl suggested looking for these patterns:

When we’re coming into a new relationship with a client we look for articles that have either spiked or are still the top 5% and think how we can replicate what those articles do well. –Karl Hughes, CEO at Draft.dev

Organic Search Data

Thirdly, use organic search data to inform your content strategy. Analyze the keywords that are driving traffic to your site and identify opportunities to create new content around those topics. For example, long-tail keywords and specific questions that users are searching for are a great source for that. 

How you can unravel some of those really long tail keywords and things that people are searching for, that are bringing them to your content. –Ashley McClelland, Partner at ércule

Karl added that you should also consider what content did well on a specific platform and use that for a whole series of similar topics, assuming it’s the audience type you want to attract.

Did certain article or type of article do well on the Reddit? Why not do a whole series like that? –Karl Hughes, CEO at Draft.dev

Technical Performance and Site Optimization

Although technical performance of a blog is becoming less of an issue with modern CMSs catchnig up to the latest requirements and best practices, it’s still an important aspect of your website that can significantly impact both user experience and search engine rankings. Here are some best practices to keep in mind for technical optimization:

• Site Speed: Developers are particularly sensitive to slow loading times, so ptimize your site for speed. An interesting point Ashley McClelland brought up regarding site speed was the impact of video embeds. She suggested using a placeholder or thumbnail image that loads first instead of the full YouTube player, which can significantly slow down page load times.

We often tell people to load a facade instead of loading the YouTube videos just straight out when you load a page. –Ashley McClelland, Partner at ércule

• Site Navigation: Ensure your site is easy to navigate. Developers should be able to quickly find the information they need, including guides, docs, and quick start guides. A well-organized site structure and clear navigation menu are essential.
• Formatting and Readability: Make sure your content is well-formatted and easy to read. Use clear headings, subheadings, bullet points, and code snippets to break up large blocks of text. 

Ultimately, prioritize user experience. Optimize for humans, and you’ll naturally optimize for search engines. As Karl put it: 

Make your site fast. Make it easy to read. If it’s readable and navigable for humans, then likely Google knows how to crawl it. –Karl Hughes, CEO at Draft.dev

Content Strategy for New Organizations

If you’re just starting out with developer content, prioritize the essentials.

• Step 1: Begin with documentation and easy-to-follow quick-start guides. Developers need to quickly understand how to use your product or integrate it into their workflows.
• Step 2: Focus on clear product marketing. Explain what your product does, who it’s for, and why it’s valuable. 
• Step 3: Once your documentation and product marketing are in place, you can start creating and scaling technical content that addresses specific developer needs and challenges. 

Another important consideration that many companies struggle with is figuring out you target audience and product-market fit before scaling your content efforts.

Defining and figuring out who your target market is and how to reach them is a big problem. Make sure you feel pretty confident about the direction you’re facing before you go spend $100,000 on marketing hires and content. – Karl Hughes, CEO at Draft.dev

Final Thoughts

While the core principles of creating high-quality, relevant content remain constant, the methods developers use to discover and consume that content are in constant flux. The rise of AI-generated content and search tools like PerplexityAI is transforming the research landscape, creating an interesting challenge: how to distinguish high-quality content from the flood of low-quality, AI-generated material. As Karl Hughes pointed out:

We’re in this really interesting point in time where search engines are gonna have to figure out how to index the best quality content. And at the end of the day, the super low quality, high volume content, is just going to get devalued. –Karl Hughes, CEO at Draft.dev

Both speakers agreed on the growing popularity of video content, particularly among younger developers. Similarly, incorporating visual elements like diagrams, screenshots, and interactive components can significantly enhance the learning experience.

Ultimately, regardless of platform, format, or medium, successful developer content boils down to helping developers solve their problems. Focus on optimizing your web and content with that in mind, and you’ll build trust and establish a strong foundation for your developer audience.

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I hope this blog post has given you some insights into optimizing your developer content. If you want to learn more about DevRel and Developer Marketing, join our upcoming live webinars with Q&A sessions, where we explore similar topics and feature insights from industry leaders.

Video is no longer a “nice-to-have” in developer marketing. In fact, 62% of developers prefer long-form video as their primary learning method, surpassing blogs, documentation, and even short-form videos.

So, how do you create video content that resonates with your technical audience?

In our recent webinar, we spoke with Jake Ward, Co-founder of Data Protocol, and Kevin Blanco, Senior DevRel Advocate at Appsmith, to explore the unique challenges and best practices of creating developer-focused videos.

From audience insights to production tips and distribution strategies, this post will cover the main insights from the webinar to help you or your DevRel teams create video content that drives results, from increased engagement to higher conversion rates.

What Makes Developer-Focused Video Content Different?

Both Kevin and Jake emphasized that developers are a unique audience, and similarly to written content, video content needs to be tailored to their specific needs and preferences.

More specifically, they’re smart, skeptical, and have very little patience for marketing fluff. They’re not going to be impressed by flashy visuals or empty phrases.

So, what does resonate with developers?

• Accuracy and Technical Depth: Developers want to learn from experts who know their stuff. They’re looking for videos that provide accurate information and dig into technical details.
• Practicality: Don’t just tell developers about a concept—show them how to apply it. Provide practical examples, code snippets, and clear explanations that they can use in their own work.
• Problem-Solving, Not Product Promotion: Developers are looking for solutions to their problems, not sales pitches. Focus on educating them and helping them overcome challenges, not pushing your product.
• Concise Delivery: Developers have a short attention span. Keep your videos concise, and get to the point quickly.

The bottom line is that your video content needs to provide real value, or they’ll quickly move on.

How to Categorize Developer Audiences for Video Content?

Creating effective video content starts with understanding your audience. Developers have different needs, interests, and levels of experience.

Use The Developer Journey as a Guide

One way to categorize your target audience is by using the developer journey, i.e the stage your audience is currently at.

The most important thing is to tailor your videos to the developer journey. For me, the developer journey is like my Bible, and it’s always the reference when I have to do a video. – Kevin Blanco, Senior DevRel Advocate at Appsmith

To use the developer journey, consider where your target audience falls within their journey with your product or technology:

• Discovery: Are they just becoming aware of your product and need a high-level overview?
• Evaluation: Are they actively comparing your product to competitors and need detailed feature comparisons or demos?
• Learning: Are they ready to start using your product and need tutorials and how-to guides?
• Building: Are they actively building applications with your product and need advanced guides and advice?
• Scaling: Are they using your product in production and need help with scaling, optimization, or enterprise-level features?

Experience Level

Beyond the developer journey, consider your audience’s experience level. Beginners will appreciate clear explanations and foundational concepts, while seasoned experts will be more engaged by advanced topics and complex use cases.

Technical Focus

It’s also essential to consider your audience’s technical focus. Are they primarily frontend or backend developers? Do they specialize in DevOps, data science, or a specific programming language? Tailoring your content to their area of expertise will make it more relevant and engaging.

Consumption Style

Understanding how developers engage with your community and consume content can also inform your video strategy. For example, Kevin mentioned that some developers are continuous learners who prefer content broken down into multiple parts, while others are more task-oriented and want quick, straightforward solutions.

How to Identify the Right Topics?

Once you’ve decided to invest in video content for developers, how do you choose the right topics and formats to ensure the videos resonate with your audience?

While Data Protocol’s approach is driven by the specific needs of their clients who refer developers to their platform, Appsmith and other developer-focused companies can benefit from a data-driven approach, relying on a combination of analytics, community feedback, and business goals to guide their video content strategy.

• Analyze User Behavior and Engagement: Track key metrics like video views, watch time, and completion rates to understand what types of content are performing well. Use this data to inform future video topics and formats.
• Listen to Your Community: Engage with developers on forums, social media, and at events to understand their challenges and what content they’re craving.
• Align with Business Goals: Ensure your video content supports your overall business objectives, whether it’s increasing product adoption, driving leads, or building brand awareness.

What Types of Developer-Focused Videos Are There?

Jake outlined three main categories of developer-focused videos: product, skill-based, and engagement. Each category can target different stages of the marketing funnel, helping you reach developers at every step of their journey.

• Product Videos: Primarily marketing-focused, designed to showcase your product’s features, benefits, and use cases. Think product demos, feature explainers, and customer testimonials.
• Skill-Based Videos: Focused on education and empowerment, helping developers learn new skills or improve existing ones. Tutorials, code walkthroughs, and best practice guides fall into this category.
• Engagement Videos: Aim to build community and foster relationships with developers. Live streams, community spotlights, and event recaps are all great examples.

The Video Production Process

Once your research and planning phase is done, it’s time for production. Both Jake and Kevin shared their approaches to video production, highlighting the strategies that have led to their success.

Jake shared how Data Protocol has achieved an impressive 78% completion rate on their enterprise videos, significantly higher than the industry average of 6%. He attributes this success to their distinct approach, which prioritizes engagement:

• Concise, Graphic-Heavy Videos: They keep their videos short and to the point, relying heavily on visuals to convey information and maintain viewer interest.
• Interactive Elements: They incorporate interactive elements like knowledge checks, fly-ins, and notes to keep viewers actively involved and prevent passive viewing.
• Instructional Design Principles: Their Head of Content is an instructional designer, ensuring that scripts are carefully crafted to facilitate learning and comprehension.
• A User-Friendly Platform: Their platform itself is designed to enhance engagement, providing prompts, cues, and a clear structure to guide viewers through the content.

Kevin is a firm believer in strong pre-production planning. He emphasized that the more time and effort you invest upfront, the smoother and more efficient your production process will be.

His typical production process involves:

• Meticulous Pre-Production: This includes defining goals, identifying the target audience, crafting a compelling narrative, and creating a detailed shot list. This pre-production work informs every subsequent step of the process.
• Scripting: Kevin uses the script to determine the types of shots he needs, the steps to demonstrate, and the overall flow of the video.
• Filming: He sets up his lighting, equipment, and different camera angles based on his script and shot list, then records all the necessary footage.
• Editing: Kevin edits his videos himself, but he acknowledges that others might have a dedicated editor on their team. He emphasizes that the pre-production work is crucial for the editor to understand the intended message, tone, target audience, and appropriate pacing for the video.

Entertainment vs. Education in Developer Videos

Entertainment can be one of the most powerful ways of reaching new audiences or increasing engagement. 

Kevin acknowledged the need to use entertainment for awareness purposes. He shared how Appsmith uses entertainment elements to attract new users who might have negative preconceptions about low-code platforms. By incorporating humor and relatable scenarios into their videos, they aim to break down those barriers and spark curiosity about Appsmith’s capabilities.

However, both Kevin and Jake emphasized that entertainment should never come at the expense of educational value. Entertainment should never feel distracting but engaging.

You need to NOT make it distracting, and you’re good to go. – Jake Ward, Co-founder of Data Protocol

Distributing & Repurposing Video Content

Distribution and promotion can make a huge difference in the success of your videos, and it all comes back to understanding your audience and knowing where they spend their time.

While distribution channels are less relevant for Data Protocol, as they primarily work with clients who refer developers to their platform, Kevin emphasized the importance of a multi-channel approach for developer-focused companies. He suggested considering distribution during the planning phase, and exploring options beyond just YouTube.Think social media platforms, online communities, and even physical events. 

It might be the best case scenario to showcase a specific portion of a video or a demo at a physical event…Not everything is just YouTube. – Kevin Blanco, Senior DevRel Advocate at Appsmith

Kevin also recommended repurposing video content to maximize engagement and drive views. 

For example:

• Create shorter, vertical videos for social media: These are more likely to grab attention in a fast-scrolling feed and can be used to drive traffic to your longer-form content.
• Add subtitles to all videos: Given that 80% of videos are watched on mute, subtitles are important for accessibility and engagement.
• Use eye-catching visuals and fast transitions: Incorporate B-roll footage, animations, and other visual elements to keep viewers engaged.

The most important factor when deciding on your distribution channels is knowing where your audience spends their time.

If your user persona is a CTO, I don’t think it’s gonna be on TikTok. It’s probably going to be more on LinkedIn, looking for use cases that reduce costs or align with their goals. – Kevin Blanco, Senior DevRel Advocate at Appsmith

Final Thoughts

As someone who works with developer-focused companies every day, I’m constantly reminded of the differences between creating content for technical and non-technical audiences. The only way to achieve success with video and other content types is to make it useful, educational, and help developers solve real-world problems.

One thing to keep in mind about video content is that it’s more challenging to refresh in the future. That’s why I wholeheartedly agree with the speakers’ emphasis on investing ample time in the pre-production phase, conducting thorough research, and deeply understanding your audience and their needs.

Another interesting piece of advice from our speakers was to give your video audience a sneak peek or a “tease” of what they’ll get right at the beginning of the video, especially for long-form content. This can significantly increase the likelihood that viewers will stick around for the entire tutorial.

Finally, in a world where advanced video editing has become more and more accessible to users, it’s important not to forget that the most successful developer videos are those that provide genuine value.

Nobody’s watching our videos for entertainment value. They’re trying to get the information they need. – Jake Ward, Co-founder of Data Protocol

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I hope this blog post has given you some insights into creating effective video content for technical audiences. If you want to learn more about DevRel and Developer Marketing with Draft.dev, join our upcoming live webinars with Q&A sessions, where we explore similar topics and feature insights from industry leaders.