New to DevRel? Here’s a quick start!
Overview
Before DevRel became a prominent tech stack, developers shared their knowledge with each other by attending tech conferences and sharing resources and articles virtually. This was the root of sharing information about new products, and the evolution of DevRel saw a massive change in this trajectory.
This article talks about how developer relations started, where it is now, and how to be an outstanding DevRel engineer.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Where was DevRel?
- Where is DevRel now?
- Why is DevRel Unique?
- Common misconceptions about DevRel
- How to set yourself up for success as a DevRel engineer
- DevRel, not DevSell
- DevRel as an introvert
- Conclusion
Where was DevRel?
The early days of DevRel, spanning five years back, saw a rise in the interest in sharing common knowledge about technology, web development, the building of new products, and the processes it took (failures and successes alike). Tech conferences existed before the concept of DevRel. These gatherings were organized by developers and attended by like-minded enthusiasts. The reason for these meetings was to showcase finished products and their building processes. Education was the major priority of these meetings.
Where is DevRel Now?
DevRel has evolved from small-sized meetups to a culture of its own. Companies employ quick-witted individuals who work single-handedly, or in teams to expand the reach of the company and their products, either by speaking at events or using social media to create awareness or sharing written and video content to establish the features and unique perks of their products.
Why is DevRel Unique?
DevRel is multi-modal. This means that you can create podcasts, speak at tech conferences, write, produce audio and visual content, and also organize workshops. It is essential to get some experience before doing the actual job to offer actual value to the recipients or the developer community.
It is also important to find your strengths and maximize your talents to suit the requirements of a DevRel engineer.
Common Misconceptions About DevRel
There are common misconceptions about DevRel. This is due to the different roles a DevRel engineer can take on due to the course of their job, and the objectives of their respective companies. These discussed below are the most common errors.
DevRel is not Marketing
Every company has a sales/marketing department, and the DevRel team and engineers are not part of it. Although the DevRel engineer speaks to people about the company and shares information about their products to its users and the developer community, this is not to increase sales and revenue.
DevRel is for Extroverts
The recent tide of tech events and conferences has seen DevRel advocates speak at in-person events and global conferences. This also means they have to talk to new people, answer questions and keep listeners hooked during these events.
All of these can be overwhelming for an introverted individual. This can be remedied by choosing a niche that is most comforting, and one you can offer the most value with, whether it be writing articles and blog posts, or speaking.
This way, you can feel fulfilled with your work rate, and offer optimal value to the developer community.
DevRel is Solely for Developers
As the name rightly suggests, DevRel, short for Developer Relations encompasses software development and related stacks. This is a controversial topic. One does not need to be a developer or have programming experience before venturing out to be a developer advocate. However, developers can transition to DevRel.
It is necessary, however, to have some basic programming knowledge, and fully understand the company's objectives and how its products work. The developer advocate is the company to the user, and vice versa.
To bridge the gap caused by no-coding experience, it is necessary to study and understand basic programming concepts.
DevRel is all about Speaking at Events
DevRel can take on many forms, so it does not revolve around speaking alone. Being active on social media and sharing written content also counts, as well as podcasts counts as developer advocacy.
How Can You Set Yourself Up For Success as a DevRel Engineer?
In order to be an outstanding developer advocate, there are necessary steps to be taken. These are discussed below, in no particular order.
Be Open-Minded
It is important to offer value without trying to create an impression on your audience. Do not treat people differently because of their social status, CEOs, senior developer advocates, and recruiters amongst many others. DevRel is about creating long-lasting relationships, not transactional partnerships. When this is done, it is easier to make conversations flow better and share knowledge.
Have Prior Experience
To be a successful DevRel engineer, one must have prior experience in the field before venturing in. This can be speaking, writing, creating content, or being excellent at videography.
Attending events you can when possible is a great way to acquire knowledge and get to know more about the company. It will also help clarify their needs, objectives, and how well you can fit in the situation.
Optimize Your Natural Talents
It is an added advantage to choose career paths that align with your natural gifts. This helps you flow naturally with your job, and scale the ranks easily.
People will see this, companies too, and hire you based on that. For example, if you have good speaking skills, and invest in yourself by improving your performance, they will naturally support your cause to see how best it can improve the company's worth.
Approaching People
The approachability of people says a lot about them, and the rate at which they would receive your product. This helps you plot your DevRel chart, and provides a way to map out better strategies to reach out to them better and get a positive response.
Networking
Instead of networking at tech events and conferences solely for the sake of building transactional relationships, try investing in them. This helps to build long-lasting relationships and makes it easier to talk about the products.
Communication
Good DevRel engineers have a knack for passing down knowledge to their prospective audience. Written text and articles in plain language is a good way to do this, as it makes the intention of the Devrel engineer clear and understandable. When speaking at events, it is also important to get rid of high-sounding language, and only use tech jargon when necessary.
Social Media Presence
Because DevRel is multi-modal, it is easy to dabble into all its available areas. Some social media platforms cater to these particular modes as well. Twitter for short texts, announcements, and article promotions, YouTube and TikTok for video content, podcasts, and the rest.
Navigating Between Engineering Roles and DevRel
Some engineers enjoy sharing their day-to-day lives. This is an amazing avenue to start a Devrel career, because consistently sharing valuable content garners the right audience.
Measure Your Growth
When you measure your growth, it helps identify the lapses, and how they can be fixed. This is an efficient way to boost productivity and check the effectiveness of the DevRel tactics in use.
DevRel, Not DevSell
The focus is developer relations, not sales, marketing, and advertisement.
DevRel is shaky these days because companies like to "measure" DevRel. DevRel should not be measured because it is similar to angel investing. It is very high-risk but very highly rewarding. Placing fixed expectations on DevRel with a fixed structure makes it be done incorrectly. DevRel should be done internally, by letting the builders and developers know the result of doing long-term DevRel, not just trying to sell your product at all times.
DevRel as an Introvert...
Developer Relations is all about meeting people, and it involves empathy. It will be draining, all of that talking and speaking. The key to success is to think of it as sowing seeds that you want to watch grow. You'd want to grow and water it properly so it grows into a healthy plant.
Conclusion
In order to be an excellent developer advocate, you must have the basics in mind. DevRel does not exist to market personal brands, they are to inform the developer community about the value of the said product, how best it can be used to solve problems, and how applicable it is in real-life situations.
Goodluck on your DevRel journey!
Top comments (1)
Insightful.