What is DevRel?
Tessa Kriesel
Posted on June 22, 2022
DevRel is an abbreviation for Developer Relations.
Developer Relations is enabling a developer to be successful with your product, while aligning with your corporate goals.
- Quoted in Developer Relations: How to Build & Grow a Successful Developer Program
What is DevRel? Slide Deck
Download a Google Presentation with this content outlined in a beautiful format to present to your team or stakeholders.
Business Impact of Developer Relations Programs
- Drive awareness & strengthen reputation
- Increase developer adoption & retention
- Capture feedback & drive product innovation
- Enhanced support & developer satisfaction
- Increase sales & revenue
- Increase code & open-source contributions
- Strengthen technical recruiting pipeline
To the community, I represent the company. To the company, I represent the community. I must have both of their interests in mind at all times.
- Ewan Dennis, quoted in The Business Value of Developer Relations
Developer Relations is an Information Valve
Page 14 in Developer Relations: How to Build & Grow a Successful Developer Program
Developer Relations Framework
Around the core of “Developer Experience” there are three main areas of practice:
- Developer Marketing
- Developer Education
- Developer Success
Community plays a role in all of it
https://github.com/Apress/Developer-Relations/blob/main/devrelframework.png
Developer Experience
Also known as DX, is the equivalent of User Experience for developers. DX includes interactions with product, developer hub, and documentation. DX works closely with Product.
Programs & Activity Involvement
- Documentation
- Documentation Landing Pages
- Getting Started Guides
- Code Samples
- Tutorials
- Learning Resources
- Experience with Product & Signup
- Reference Guides
- Changelog
- Product Roadmap
Key Roles
- DX Engineer
- Technical Writer
- DX—Manager, Director, etc.
Developer Marketing
Developer Marketing is outreach activities & engagement intended to drive awareness for developers to discover & evaluate your product & programs.
Programs & Activity Involvement
- Content Marketing
- Blogs, Code, Presentations, Audio, Video, the list goes on.
- Developer Hub
- Community Engagement
- DevRel Partner Program
- Thought Leadership
- Conferences & Events
- GitHub Maintenance
- Engagement with developers
- Driving DevRel Qualified Leads
Key Roles
- Developer Advocates
- Developer Outreach Manager
- DevRel—Manager, Director, etc
Developer Education
Also known as DevEd. Developer Education is critical for developer adoption & retention. It includes the activities across DX & Marketing that provide content & learning resources in various formats. It’s mostly a crossover between these two functions.
Programs & Activity Involvement
- Content Strategy — every content piece written should be education over promotion
- Workshops
- Tutorials
- Learning Resources
- Training
- Certification Programs
Key Roles
- Developer Advocates
- DX Engineers
- Technical Writers
- Curriculum Engineers
Developer Success
Developer Success provides support to developers as they go from initial registration to building & adopting your product. This isn’t a separate team, but more of an overlapping function & developer stage.
Programs & Activity Involvement
- External Community Engagement
- Internal Developer Engagement
- Office Hours
- Use Cases
- Developer Support
- Feedback Programs
- Any resources they need to adopt your product
Key Roles
- Developer Advocates
- DX Engineers
- Technical Writers
- Curriculum Engineers
- Support Staff
Community
DevRel programs require a vibrant community to succeed. The point of a DevRel program is to engage, serve, & nurture the developer community, internally & externally. Community doesn’t just mean a forum, it’s a methodology, a way to operate.
Programs & Activity Involvement
- Community Forum or Platform
- Company-hosted Events
- Meetups & User Groups
- Hackathons
- Community Engagement (Externally)
- Syndication & Listening
- Community Member Contributions
- Beta Groups & Feedback Programs
- Superfan or Ambassador Programs
- Project or Code Showcases
Key Roles
- Developer Advocates
- (Technical) Community Builder
- Community Engineer
How We Cultivate a Community
Community is a group of people that share a common interest. Members then share a sense of identity with you.
- Learn their Language
- Create the Space
- Provide Quick Wins
- Continually Listen
- Solve their Problems
- Engage with Everything
- Pass them the Mic
- Turn them into Decision-Makers
- Share Your Secrets
- Bring them Together
- Welcome them to your Family
What is DevRel? Slide Deck
Download a Google Presentation with this content outlined in a beautiful format to present to your team or stakeholders.
Credits
Research, Graphs, & Quotes captured from:
Posted on June 22, 2022
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