How to advertise to developers

Want to catch a developer's eye? Forget flashy ads. Here's how to actually reach this tech-savvy audience:

Provide real value, not sales pitches
Create high-quality, technical content
Be honest about your product's capabilities
Engage authentically in developer communities
Offer free trials and hands-on experiences
Focus on problem-solving, not features
Get your tech details 100% right

Key platforms to reach developers:

GitHub
Stack Overflow
Reddit (r/programming, r/webdev)
Discord/Slack developer communities
daily.dev, Dev.to, Hashnode

Remember: Developers are skeptical of marketing. Build trust by empowering them with knowledge, not selling to them.

Measure success through:

Signups and trial conversions
Developer adoption (e.g. API usage)
Community engagement
Word-of-mouth recommendations

How Developers Think About Marketing

Developers aren't your typical marketing audience. They're sharp, skeptical, and can spot BS from a mile away. So, how do you market to them without setting off their BS detectors?

Let's dive in.

First off, developers aren't fans of flashy ads or catchy slogans. They want substance, not style. As Stephanie Morillo, a Content Strategist and Technical PM, puts it:

"Developers don't dislike marketing as a practice; they actually dislike gimmicks, irrelevant messaging, and things that don't actually address their problems or their needs."

And she's not alone. Most people aren't thrilled about marketing. A 2022 MarketingCharts study found only 5% of folks have a "very positive" view of advertising and PR. For developers? It's probably even lower.

So, what's going on in a developer's head when it comes to marketing?

They want value: Developers dig content that solves problems or teaches them something new.
They crave honesty: No fluff, please. Just tell them what your product can and can't do.
They trust their peers: Word-of-mouth from fellow developers carries a lot of weight.
They spot errors: Get your tech facts straight, or lose all credibility.

What Makes Developers Tick?

To market to developers, you need to know what drives their decisions. Here's the scoop:

Problem-solving: They want tools that make their lives easier.
Tech specs: Performance, scalability, security - these matter.
User-friendliness: Power is great, but it should be easy to use too.
Community: A strong user community can seal the deal.
Docs: Good documentation can make or break a developer's choice.

Teresa Garanhel from Developer Marketing Alliance nails it:

"Focus on adding value to your audience. Developers are resistant to traditional marketing strategies, so stay clear of obvious selling tactics and choose to empower devs instead."

The bottom line? To market to developers, you need to think like them. Create content that's accurate, transparent, and actually helpful. Engage with their communities genuinely. And above all, focus on empowering developers, not just selling to them.

Where to Find Developers

Developers hang out in specific online spaces. Let's look at where they gather, share knowledge, and keep up with tech trends.

daily.dev and Similar Sites

daily.dev

daily.dev is a popular platform for developers. It offers:

A personalized news feed with AI recommendations
Quick answers to technical questions
Community groups called Squads
DevCards to show off skills
Verified Company Badges

Other sites like Dev.to and Hashnode also attract developers.

Developer Forums and Code Sites

Developers spend a lot of time on these key platforms:

GitHub: It's huge, with over 100 million members. Developers use it to:

Work on code together
Share their projects
Learn from others

Stack Overflow: This Q&A site is a go-to for coding help. It gets over 100 million active users each month.

Reddit: The r/programming subreddit has over 6.2 million members. Other popular spots are r/webdev and r/learnprogramming.

Discord and Slack: These chat platforms host many developer communities. For example, the Google Developer Community on Discord has over 37,000 members.

When reaching out to developers on these platforms, remember this advice from Teresa Garanhel of Developer Marketing Alliance:

"Focus on adding value to your audience. Developers are resistant to traditional marketing strategies, so stay clear of obvious selling tactics and choose to empower devs instead."

Don't just promote. Instead:

Share your knowledge
Join in discussions
Build trust

Only then should you think about mentioning your product or service.

Making Content Developers Want

Developers don't just want any content - they want stuff that actually helps them. Let's look at how to make your content something developers can't resist.

Code Examples and How-To Guides

Developers are practical. They want to see how your product fixes their problems in real life. That's where code examples and how-to guides come in handy.

Show real solutions: Skip the "Hello World" stuff. Show how your product tackles actual issues. Take Stripe's docs, for example. They use a three-column layout with menus, explanations, and live code side by side. This lets devs see exactly how Stripe's payment processing works.

Keep it clean: Your code examples should be spotless. Why? Developers often learn by copying and pasting. Make your code easy to grab and use. As one developer advocate said:

"Your code examples should be the cleanest and cleverest code you ever write."

Give context: Don't just drop in code without explaining it. Tell developers why they're doing what they're doing. Canva's docs do this well. They start by explaining key terms, so readers get the big picture before diving into the code.

Make it easy to understand: Not all developers have the same experience. Write for beginners, but include stuff for the pros too. Use simple language for complex ideas. Tsavo Knott, who wrote "The Art of Writing Documentation and Other Technical Content", puts it this way:

"Providing essential context will empower the audience to take a more reasonable approach to solving the project the author is writing documentation about."

Use visuals: Don't just rely on words. Use pictures, diagrams, and short videos to explain tricky parts. GitHub's docs often include screenshots of their pull request feature, showing developers exactly what to expect.

Test it: Before you publish, try out your content. Get other developers to follow your guides or use your code examples. Their feedback can help you make your content even better.

Remember, you're not trying to impress developers with fancy writing. You're trying to help them use your product effectively. Teresa Garanhel from Developer Marketing Alliance says it best:

"Focus on adding value to your audience. Developers are resistant to traditional marketing strategies, so stay clear of obvious selling tactics and choose to empower devs instead."

Getting Developer Trust

Developers can smell fake marketing a mile away. To win them over, you need to offer real value and build genuine connections.

Supporting Developer Communities

Here's how to earn developer trust:

Contribute to Open Source

Show you care about the developer ecosystem by contributing to open source projects. Google's work on Kubernetes and TensorFlow has earned them major cred in the dev world.

Sponsor Dev Events

Put your money where your mouth is by sponsoring hackathons and conferences. GitHub's annual "GitHub Universe" event brings devs together from all over, strengthening their community ties.

Share Knowledge

Free, high-quality educational content goes a long way. DigitalOcean's extensive tutorial library has helped them build a loyal dev following.

Build a Dev Community

Create a space for devs to connect and collaborate. Stack Overflow's success shows how powerful this can be.

Keep It Real

Be upfront about what your product can and can't do. Barry Winata from Argon Labs puts it well:

"People appreciate honesty. Developers know that services can go down, and API can get broken."

When things go wrong, communicate clearly and quickly.

Let Them Test Drive

Devs want to kick the tires before they buy. Offer solid trial programs. As Stack Overflow notes:

"Developers love to try products before they buy."

This builds trust and gets you valuable feedback.

Listen and Respond

Set up channels for dev feedback and actually use it. Show them you're listening by making changes based on their input.

Focus on these strategies to build solid dev trust. It's a long game, but it pays off. The Beacamp Library sums it up:

"Building trust with developers and their community should be one of your top priorities as a developer marketer."

Stay consistent, be authentic, and truly support the dev ecosystem. Do it right, and you'll earn loyal users and strong word-of-mouth in the tight-knit dev community.

Tracking Ad Success

Measuring the impact of developer-focused ads goes beyond click counts. It's about understanding how your marketing efforts create real value for your business. Let's look at the metrics that matter and how to track them.

Key Success Metrics

For developer marketing, traditional metrics only tell part of the story. Here are the numbers you should watch:

1. Signups and Trials

This is your first interest indicator. Track how many developers sign up for your service or start a free trial. DigitalOcean saw a 300% increase in daily signups after a successful Product Hunt launch, jumping from 5,000 to 20,000 per day.

2. Engagement Depth

Don't just count visitors. Measure how deeply they engage with your content. Are they reading your docs? Downloading resources? Participating in forums? These actions show real interest.

3. Conversion Rates

This is where it gets real. How many signups or trials become paying customers? Google Ads data shows an average conversion rate of 3.16% for computers and electronics. But in developer marketing, expect a longer sales cycle.

4. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

This metric shows the long-term value of your marketing efforts. If 1% of signups become paying customers, and each customer pays $5,000 annually for two years, each signup is potentially worth $100 (1% x $5,000 x 2).

5. Developer Adoption

For developer tools, adoption is key. Track things like API keys generated, apps pushed to production, or active users. These show that developers are actually using your product, not just kicking the tires.

6. Community Growth

Keep an eye on your developer community's health. This could be forum activity, open-source contributions, or event attendance. GitHub's annual "GitHub Universe" event is a great example of measurable community building.

7. Word-of-Mouth and Advocacy

Developers trust their peers. Track mentions, shares, and recommendations across developer platforms. Stack Overflow's success is largely built on this kind of organic growth within the developer community.

Remember, these metrics work best when viewed together. As Teresa Garanhel, Editorial Lead for Developer Marketing Alliance, says:

"You have to measure both developer relations and developer marketing strategies, so that you can better understand what works for you and what doesn't."

It's not just about individual campaign goals, but understanding the entire developer journey.

Here's how to track success:

Set up a solid analytics system for both quantitative and qualitative data.
Focus on program-level ROI, not just individual activities.
Estimate the value of various marketing program outputs to calculate ROI.
Use leading indicators (like website visits) and lagging indicators (like qualified signups) to fine-tune your marketing.
Get your team on the same page about core metrics and qualification criteria for signups or demo requests.

Making Ads Work Better

Advertising to developers isn't your typical marketing gig. You need to speak their language - literally and figuratively. Let's look at how to make your ads hit home with this tech-savvy crowd.

Getting Technical Details Right

Developers can spot a technical error from a mile away. One slip-up, and you've lost them. Here's how to keep your tech game strong:

Know your audience inside out. Python devs and Java devs are different beasts. Don't mix them up in your ads.

Each ad platform has its own tricks. Use them. On LinkedIn? Target devs based on their listed skills.

Keep it consistent. If your ad says "free trial", your landing page better deliver. As Melanie Mitchell puts it:

"If you want your Google ad copy to generate the most clicks possible, you have to align it with your landing page."

Show, don't tell. Developers want to see real solutions to real problems. Take a page from Stripe's book. Their docs use a three-column layout: menus, explanations, and live code side by side. It's like a live demo of their payment processing.

Testing Ads and Managing Costs

Good advertising isn't "set it and forget it". It's a cycle of testing, learning, and tweaking. Here's the playbook:

A/B testing is your friend. Change one thing in your ad - maybe the headline or image. Run both versions. See what works better.

"Performing A/B tests on different elements of your marketing campaign can ensure that your ads perform as efficiently as possible and maximize their overall impact", says Agility PR Solutions.

Know what you're aiming for. More clicks? Higher conversion rates? Set clear, measurable goals that line up with your KPIs.

Use remarketing smartly. Developers often need time to mull things over. Keep your brand in their minds. Did they check out your docs but not sign up? Show them targeted ads.

Be smart with your budget. Start small, then scale up based on what works. Google Ads data shows businesses typically make $2 for every $1 they spend. But remember, your mileage may vary.

Keep an eye on quality scores. On platforms like Google Ads, it's a big deal. Higher scores can mean better ad spots and lower costs. Focus on relevance and a smooth landing page experience to boost your scores.

Conclusion

Advertising to developers isn't like selling soap. It's a whole different ball game that needs a smart, trust-first approach. Let's recap the key ways to connect with these tech-savvy folks.

Trust is king. DeveloperMedia nails it:

"Take care to cultivate trust with your developer audience, and do not engage in tactics which could be received as untrustworthy or predatory."

In other words, cut the BS. Developers can smell a sales pitch from a mile away. Instead, focus on being real and giving them something useful.

Think long-term. Developer marketing isn't about quick wins. It's about building relationships and creating a community around your product. James Christopher, who knows a thing or two about this, says:

"Developer marketing is about building relationships with developers."

Now, how do you know if your developer marketing is working? Forget about vanity metrics like clicks. They're easy to count, but they don't tell the whole story. Instead, keep an eye on:

How many people are actually using your product
SDK downloads and interactions
Traffic to your developer portal
Community buzz (forum chatter, open-source contributions)

These numbers give you a better picture of how developers are really engaging with your stuff.

Last but not least, always put value first. Create content that teaches something useful, support developer communities, and have real conversations. Teresa Garanhel from Developer Marketing Alliance puts it perfectly:

"Developers prefer to get hands-on, as they enjoy tinkering and exploring products rather than talking to a salesperson about them."

So, give them something to tinker with. That's how you'll win their hearts (and their code).

How to advertise to developers