10 reasons developers hate marketing

Avoid these marketing mistakes if you want developers to listen.

Marketing to developers is not like traditional B2B or B2C marketing. Developers are skeptical of hype, allergic to buzzwords, and value practicality over promotional messaging. If you approach them with generic marketing fluff, they’ll tune out immediately (hey, me too). Over the years, I’ve learned that what works for developers is different—it’s about real value, technical accuracy, and meeting them where they are.

10 lessons in developer marketing

Here are 10 key lessons that have shaped my approach to developer-oriented marketing:

1. Developers hate buzzwords and marketing speak

Terms like “synergy,” “game-changer,” and “next-gen” don’t resonate. Developers want clear, technical, and practical explanations of what a product does and how it fits into their workflow.

2. Content must be technical (or at least respectfully informed)

Even if you’re not an engineer, your content should be technically accurate and demonstrate a real understanding of how developers work. Collaborating with engineers to validate messaging is crucial. (I love this part).

3. The best marketing is documentation

Developers often discover tools through docs, not traditional marketing. Investing in well-structured, easy-to-follow documentation is a more effective “marketing” strategy than ads or email campaigns.

4. Show, don’t just tell

Developers don’t just want to read about features—they want to see a demo, try an interactive tutorial, or browse example code. Hands-on experience builds trust.

5. Community is more powerful than campaigns

Instead of traditional lead-gen funnels, developer adoption grows through word of mouth, GitHub stars, Stack Overflow discussions, and community forums. Engaging authentically in these spaces is key.

6. Avoid “Sign-up first” barriers

Developers want to test before they invest. Gated content, forced sign-ups, and limited trials drive them away. The best approach? Offer a free tier, sandbox, or open source version.

7. Meet developers where they are

They don’t hang out on LinkedIn and don’t want cold emails. Instead, they’re on Reddit, Hacker News, Discord, GitHub, and Twitter (X). Participate in their spaces, don’t expect them to come to you.

8. Transparency wins

Be honest about strengths & weaknesses. Developers respect companies that admit limitations. Instead of claiming “we’re the best,” acknowledge trade-offs and let engineers decide what’s best for them.

9. SEO is different for developer audiences

Traditional SEO focuses on generic keywords. Developer-focused SEO means optimizing for specific error messages, API use cases, and “how-to” queries (e.g., “How to integrate X with Kubernetes”).

10. Content should educate, not just sell

Developers want blog posts, tutorials, and case studies that solve real problems. A product pitch disguised as a blog post won’t work—genuine, in-depth educational content does.

Final thoughts

Developer marketing isn’t about slick campaigns—it’s about earning trust through real value. The best way to connect with developers is by helping them solve problems, providing useful content, and respecting their intelligence. If you can do that, they’ll listen—not because you marketed to them, but because you provided something worthwhile.

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This article is adapted from “10 Things I’ve Learned About Developer-Oriented Marketing (Where Traditional Tactics Fail)” by Jen Wike Huger, and is republished with permission from the author.