What is Developer Relations?
Developer Relations (DevRel) is a discipline focused on building relationships between a company and the developer community. DevRel practitioners create educational content, speak at conferences, engage on social media and forums, and advocate for developer needs internally. It sits at the intersection of marketing, product, and engineering.
Why Developer Relations Matters
Developers trust other developers more than they trust marketing. DevRel builds the authentic relationships and community presence that create lasting brand affinity. It's often the most effective way to reach technical audiences at scale.
How to Implement
- 1 Hire DevRel practitioners with genuine developer backgrounds
- 2 Focus on being helpful, not promotional
- 3 Build community before trying to extract value
- 4 Create feedback loops between community and product
- 5 Measure impact beyond vanity metrics
Common Mistakes
X Treating DevRel as 'marketing for developers'
X Not giving DevRel input into product decisions
X Measuring only leads generated (missing the point)
X Hiring evangelists without technical depth
Related Terms
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