Many developer marketers and dev rel pros I meet are trying to get out of what I call the tutorial rut.
This is when you know developers DON’T like traditional content and know they DO like tutorials but don’t know what else to create.
First: It’s a good problem to have! Many companies marketing to developers still produce fluffy content that drives developers away. Tutorials are a great way to build “developer love” (as Carly Brantz, CMO at Digital Ocean puts it) and often a very good way to capture organic traffic from SEO.
But second: Content can do more. The limit, really, is your imagination.
If you Google “types of content marketing,” you’ll find posts that describe over a dozen types, including blog posts, eBooks, case studies, and podcasts.
This is annoying, for sure, but it also indicates an opportunity: With no settled definition, you don’t have to limit yourself to the expectations you’re used to.
Step outside of “content marketing” and think about “content.”
Developers are a unique audience, after all, and we know traditional marketing doesn’t work on them, so maybe we should stop relying on traditional marketing types and definitions.
Instead, be creative and curious.
Creativity might lead you in novel directions, toward content that surprises you and surprises your skeptical audience. You could create something totally new or something new enough to skip past the “it’s just marketing” radar.
Curiosity might lead you in divergent directions, toward incorporating techniques and ideas from tech journalists or independent bloggers. You could report on a trend instead of merely speculating. You could write a thoughtful essay that challenges expectations instead of repeating what’s known.
Return to your goals and your problems and use that creativity and curiosity to figure out ways to meet and solve them — ways that satisfy YOUR needs and not the expectations of traditional marketers.
Do you want more developers signing up for demos? Maybe you need product-led content. But not the stuff that shoves the product in your face — your version, a transparent guide to what the product can and can’t do.
Do you want to rank on HackerNews? Maybe you need thought leadership. But not the cheesy trend predictions — your version, a thoughtful essay based on reflections from the founding team.
Do you have lots of developers signing up but few converting? Maybe you need case studies. But not the empty, hollow, manicured case studies — your version, a technical post about what a customer experienced, gained, and struggled with using your product.
Don’t underestimate the tutorial. But don’t limit yourself to tutorials either.
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