Six tips for building your content strategy

I am often asked by founders and DevRel leaders where they should focus their content efforts. I've done this work countless times at numerous companies, big and small. Take it from me. Here are six tips for building your content strategy:

Tip 1: Measure your work

First, it is very important to always measure everything you do and double down on what's working and kill what is not. Let's say you write a series of blog posts or record a series of YouTube videos. 2-3 posts into what you've planned as a 8 post series, you realize you are not getting views, conversion, or whatever your core metric happens to be. Don't be afraid to just stop and focus on something else. After all, if no one is reading, then no one is really expecting you to continue! As they say in the screenwriting world, "kill your darlings."

Conversely, if one of your posts really seems to resonate, then double down on it! Try turning it into a video, then cut up the video and use it on social media. Turn your full post into a series of posts on LinkedIn. Then start thinking about follow-on posts and use the traffic to your original post to guide people to your next set of posts.

We'll talk in a moment about how to be a little more intelligent when choosing topics, but the truth is, sometimes one of your posts does really well for no particular reason. Only through rapid experimentation can you land on something great.

Tip 2: Don't skimp on quality

If you seek to build your brand as a knowledgeable engineering organization capable of solving the most complex problems developers face, then your content needs to reflect the sober, serious nature of your work. Don't be afraid to be wonky, don't be afraid to show developers your reasoning. Developers will appreciate the opportunity to see how your team thinks and will often find it a sign of an organization that is thoughtful.

Even if you are building quick-hit listicles, make sure you put the effort into quality.

In many of my teams, writing a strong blog post often took 3-5 weeks, at minimum. Developers know quality and hard work when they see it. Don't cut corners.

Tip 3: Don't sleep on SEO

Every founder of a developer-focused company wants content that rockets to the top of Hacker News and stays there. But viral content is a massive sugar rush. You are reaching a lot of developers, the overwhelming majority of whom probably do not have a pressing need to try your product now. Thus, while this viral content is critical for driving brand recognition and conversation about your company, it likely won't lead to meaningful conversion towards paying users.

That's why I spend as much, if not more, time focused on long-lead SEO content. This content answers questions developers are searching for at their greatest point of need. It may not be content that drives a high number of page views, but it will be content that drives the most conversion in your portfolio.

Don't get addicted to candy. Eat your veggies too!

Tip 4: Remember your audience

We live in a very crowded media environment. Information is both free and copious. Cutting through the noise means providing value. Use your inherent domain expertise to teach others. Developers, in particular, are highly discerning content consumers.

Remember my mantra above all: Help First.

(after all, it's why I started writing this blog series!)

Tip 5: Form matters

Think about the shape of your posts. Some businesses call for long-form essays, while others tend to perform better with quick-hit pieces full of images, diagrams, and animated GIFs.

If you are recording videos, are you recording polished presentations, more verité style demos, or interviews? Are you aiming for brand perfection (beautiful, polished style) or grassroots appeal (person in basement with ring lights)?

Is your social media going to be direct and corporate or fun and lighthearted?

As you learn your audience and as you analyze the performance of your content, you will land on what is most appropriate for you. People you may speak with will tell you "what worked for them," but only through experimentation and analysis will you be able to identify what will work for you.

Tip 6: Use my framework for developer content strategy

It is tempting to dive into creating content, but before you do, take a moment to think about what you're trying to achieve. Every business will be different and only through experimentation will you find your sweet spot. That said, it's important to start with a well-informed hypothesis and evolve as the data tells you to evolve.

I think about content across two axes:

• Virality vs. Vitality. Do you want your post to drive an initial boom of traffic, or do you want your post to steadily bring in new traffic (in other words, SEO)?
• Credibility vs. Capability. Do you want your post to be about your expertise and therefore raise your credibility among developers? Or do you want your post to be about how you solved a particularly difficult problem in our industry using your product?

Over time, you will cover content cross all these dimensions, but it is helpful to start somewhere to guide your efforts.

There are some proven types of content within these axes:

Bonus Tip 7: Virality isn't automatic

You may think: "Hey, I wrote one of those posts, but it got no traction!" The thing is, you need to work on virality. Get friends with high existing social proof to post for you on Hacker News and Reddit, then share with their followers on Twitter. Rally people you know to read your article and upvote it (be careful about getting people to swarm all at once).

Unlike baseball, if you build it, it's not guaranteed they will come. You need to work on distribution to juice your initial viral burst.

Summary

You can very easily go down the rabbit hole and spend too much time and effort on content that will likely not work. It is important to be intentional in formulating your initial hypothesis: what do you want to achieve out of your content?

From there, rapid experimentation is critical. Don't be afraid to fail. But fail quickly, learn, and move on.

Remember my six tips for a content strategy for a developer-focused product:

1. Measure your work
2. Don't skimp on quality
3. Don't sleep on SEO
4. Remember your audience
5. Form matters
6. Use my framework for developer-focused content strategy

And if you need help, reach out!