How to produce developer content

If you've been reading my blog posts thus far, you know that a big component of my go-to-market plan is producing massive amounts of great content. This content can take the form of blog posts, white papers, tutorials, sample code, Starter Kits, videos, webinars, and more. Usually, this content will be generated by your Developer Advocacy team, with maybe your Product Marketing or Product/Engineering teams contributing as well. Even the most prolific and self-sufficient Developer Advocate will require help to finish the content in a timely and high-quality manner.

Enter the Content Program Manager or Content Producer role. This is a role I created for my Developer Relations team at Microsoft, and done well, it can be an invaluable member of your team. The Content PM is responsible for identifying the best content to create, working closely with the creator on planning and editing, ensuring brand consistency and tone, and publishing and amplifying content.

Identifying great content

The Content PM has to be plugged into many aspects of the marketing team and company:

The Growth Manager will have a good idea of which keywords to target for SEO content. They’ll also know the historical performance of content and can guide decisions about format, goals, metrics, and so on.
The Product Marketing Manager will have a good idea of which topics will be useful for future product launches or for the sales team to use as part of its engagement model.
Developer Advocates are closely monitoring industry trends and developments, as well as engaging with the developer community to learn about their pain points and interests. This is done through regular interactions on forums, social media, and other online platforms, as well as through attending industry events and conferences.
Your exec team will have a good idea of the kinds of strategic content that will help progress towards companywide goals.

Additionally, conducting surveys and gathering feedback from developers can also provide valuable insights into the types of content that will be most relevant and valuable to them. By staying closely attuned to the needs and interests of the developer community, you can create content that resonates with your audience and help to solve real problems and address common challenges.

Think of it as a Rashomon exercise, where everyone has a different viewpoint on the problem. The right answer lies somewhere at the nexus of it all.

Periodically (every two weeks or once a month), the Content PM should gather all stakeholders for a content brainstorming session. During this session, everyone should bring their input and propose content. I liken this to a television show's writer's room, where all the writers get together and pitch story or character ideas. Once the session ends, you will have a good first stab at topics and ideas for content.

The next step is to work with leadership to prioritize which content will make the cut.

Prioritizing content and setting goals

Working closely with stakeholders, the Content PM will also identify the content pieces of greatest value and highest potential impact. I describe this prioritization process in more detail in my blog post about choosing which content to build.

The Content PM will also work with Growth Marketing to set realistic short term and long term expectations for the performance of the content.

Planning and editing content

The Content PM works very closely with the Developer Advocate (or other content author) on the materials:

Determine the best format for the content.
Get a commitment on a timeline for completion of the content and ensure that everyone is sticking to it.
Start workshopping titles and key phrases to include, working closely with the Growth Manager.
Throughout the process, get a good understanding of the kinds of charts, graphs, and other design needs for the content piece. Make sure these requests are teed up to your design team or contractor so that they can be completed on time.
Work closely with the author to ensure proper grammar, whether it's a written piece or a video piece.
Look for opportunities to punctuate the content with social proof: customer evidence, usage statistics, industry trends, and so on.
As the content takes shape, think about ways it can be amplified. For example, is there an influencer or podcaster who would really love this piece? Maybe reach out to them and get their thoughts on the topic, and perhaps even ask them if you can quote them and include them in the final piece.
Identify the UTM parameters and short links to be used during content amplification.

By staying involved in the process, the Content PM can anticipate needs and ensure that the content really sings when it is published. Nearly all of these tasks are much more difficult to complete at the tail-end of the project.

Brand and messaging consistency and tone

Marketing managers can ensure brand consistency and tone in content by implementing several strategies.

First, they can create a brand guide that outlines the brand's tone, voice, and messaging. This guide should be shared with all team members and regularly updated to reflect any changes to the brand.

Second, marketing managers can establish a content approval process that involves reviewing all content before it is published. This process allows for any inconsistencies or deviations from the brand tone to be identified and addressed.

Third, marketing managers can provide regular training and support to team members to ensure they have a strong understanding of the brand and its tone. This can include workshops, webinars, and one-on-one mentoring sessions.

Finally, marketing managers can establish a consistent branding strategy across all channels and platforms. This includes ensuring all content, visuals, and messaging align with the brand and its tone.

By implementing these strategies, marketing managers can effectively maintain brand consistency and tone in content, ensuring a consistent and cohesive brand experience for customers.

Repurposing content

While the main piece of content is being developed, the Content Program Manager should be marshaling a parallel set of resources and content to supplement the main piece. For example, a given piece of content could yield:

An infographic
A series of quick tips and tricks
A Twitter thread
Short and long videos for social media
If the content is sufficiently high-value, maybe you want to work with your Growth Manager to build an ad campaign to support the content

These parallel pieces of content take time to develop, but you want them ready to go at the same time as your main piece of content. You will use them when it comes time to amplify the content (see below).

Publishing content

This is more of a mechanical step, and while it may seem like "admin work", having one person on your team in charge of loading content and hitting "publish" ensures that you will do so without missing key steps, like tagging categories, having a consistent YouTube video description, ensuring proper use of UTM parameters and short links, and so on.

Hyping your content

If a piece of content drops on the Web and nobody hears about it, did you really write it? You need to think about the marketing plan for your content. Pre-load your community with information about your content:

What topic are you exploring? Pose some general questions to the community and ask for their feedback.
As your content takes shape, tease its delivery to your community. Ask if anyone wants to review and take them up on the offer (they'll be invaluable pillars of support when it comes time to amplify the content, which we will discuss in a moment.)
As your publication date nears, let your community know to watch out for it and let them know all channels are open for their feedback. This invites them to provide their input, and in the process increase the buzz around your piece.

Amplifying content

Marketing managers can amplify content by utilizing a combination of tactics and strategies to reach a wider audience and drive awareness and conversions among software developers.

The most effective route to amplifying content is to use existing online sites and relevant newsletters with high reach. Working closely with the Growth Marketing team, buying placement in key newsletters and submitting your content for inclusion in their publication is a great way to drive awareness among your target audience. In addition, build a strong relationship with the author(s) of the newsletters you've chosen. They are often looking for both organic (non-paid) content as well as paid content.

Another effective way to amplify content is to leverage social media platforms, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Use the parallel pieces of content you developed as key elements of your amplification strategy. Post an infographic along with commentary excerpted from the main content piece. Post the videos and encourage people to check out the main content piece. And, so on.

By sharing relevant and engaging content on these platforms, marketing managers can reach a large audience of software developers and generate interest in their products or services. It's also important to engage with the audience on social media, by responding to comments and questions and encouraging them to share the content with their own followers.

Next, my favorite way to amplify content is to leverage the power of influencer marketing. By building relationships and partnering with influential software developers who have a large following on social media or within the software development community, marketing managers can reach a wider audience and generate more awareness and conversions. Influencers can help to promote the content to their followers and give it credibility, which can help to drive conversions.

Lastly, don't forget to keep re-sharing. We live in a short attention span economy. The reason someone never read your piece is that maybe they didn't see it. Maintain an always-on amplification strategy so that your content is constantly in the public eye.

Reporting progress

The Content PM will also monitor the performance of content and keep all stakeholders apprised of views, conversions, and other key metrics.

I usually ask Content PMs to post monthly reports about content performance and key learnings so that they’re always top of mind for people as they’re thinking about what’s next.

Summary

The Content Program Manager (or Content Producer) role can be pure magic for a high-functioning Developer Relations team. A great Content PM can bring together all the disparate functions on the team to make truly great content that drives awareness and conversion.