What Is Developer Marketing, and Why Should Dev Advocates Care?

A while ago, I joined a Developer Advocate mentorship program, one of the best decisions I’ve made in my tech career so far. Among the many golden nuggets I picked up, one topic really stuck with me: Developer Marketing. Yeah, that phrase might sound like it belongs in a corporate boardroom, but hear me out. If you’re a developer advocate (or planning to be one), this is something you absolutely need to pay attention to.

Let’s talk about what developer marketing really means, what I learned, and why us “Dev Avocados” need to start flexing our marketing muscles just a little.

First, What Is Developer Marketing?

At its core, developer marketing is the practice of connecting with developers in a way that feels genuine, useful, and non-salesy. It’s about creating awareness, interest, and advocacy for a product, tool, or platform by speaking developer.

It’s not flashy ads.
It’s not cold emails.
And it’s definitely not about hard selling.

Instead, developer marketing is about:
• Creating content that teaches and inspires
• Building tools or samples that show real use cases
• Engaging with developer communities where they already hang out (like GitHub, Stack Overflow, Discord, Twitter, etc.)
• Creating trust and value before asking for anything in return

What I Learned from the Mentorship Program

Here are a few of the most impactful lessons I picked up:

1. Marketing Isn’t the Enemy

A lot of developers hear “marketing” and immediately think that they have to go into serious marketing. I used to be one of them. But during the program, I realized that ethical, developer-focused marketing is just about storytelling and value sharing. If your product solves a real problem, it deserves to be seen, and that’s where marketing comes in.

1. Your Content IS Your Campaign

Every blog post, tweet, video tutorial, or GitHub repo you create? That’s part of your developer marketing strategy, whether you realize it or not. Being intentional with your content—having a theme, targeting a problem, offering a CTA (even if it’s just “Try the API”) makes a world of difference.

1. Feedback Is a Superpower

Dev Advocates have a unique advantage: we’re often the bridge between developers and product teams. The feedback we gather from content, events, or conversations can directly inform what gets built next and how it gets marketed.

1. Technical Storytelling Wins

The best developer marketing doesn’t just say “here’s a feature” it shows why it matters with real-world code, pain points, and stories. Think tutorials, open-source projects, behind-the-scenes blogs, or “how we built this” videos.

Why Dev Advocates Should Practice Developer Marketing

1. Amplify Your Impact

You can build the best tool or write the most elegant code, but if no one knows about it? Crickets. Practicing marketing helps amplify your impact, reach more devs, and make sure your work actually helps people.

1. Earn Developer Trust

Developers don’t trust brands—they trust other developers. When you show up authentically, create helpful content, and engage sincerely, you become a trusted voice. That trust? That’s the most powerful form of marketing there is.

1. Help Products Succeed

You’re the boots on the ground. You know what devs care about, what they struggle with, and what excites them. When you pair that knowledge with marketing skills, you can position products in ways that actually resonate.

1. Grow Your Career

The tech world is realizing the value of developer advocates who understand more than just code. If you can speak developer and strategy, and storytelling? You’re not just valuable, you’re unmissable.

Final Thoughts

You don’t have to become a full-time marketer. You don’t need to know SEO tricks or run paid ad campaigns. But you do need to understand how to tell stories, reach people where they are, and speak the language of value—not just features.

So yeah, Developer Marketing is not a dirty word. It’s a tool. One that every Dev Advocate should have in their toolbox.

If you’re stepping into DevRel, here’s your gentle reminder: Code is great. Community is gold. But the way of communication? That’s the whole game and you should learn to do it the right way that will attract your target audience.