🏋️‍♂️ Work out your core

One of the first things I do each day (post-caffeine, of course) is check my to-do list.

I’m not a piece of paper with checkboxes kind of guy. Instead, I log in to Todoist on my phone or laptop. The app holds my task list, helps me set priorities, and tracks my productivity.

There’s also a Todoist API, which I’ve used for a few automations that make me even more productive.

Importantly, it wasn’t the developer features that attracted me to Todoist in the first place. Even though I’m a developer, the API is a nice-to-have but not part of my daily experience.

The same goes for the other tools I use throughout my day: email software, the collaboration tools the EveryDeveloper team uses, and just about everything else have APIs. That means there’s a way for developers to build with each app’s data, but that doesn’t make developers a core audience.

Yes, ecosystems and platforms need developers to build integrations. For example, Apple’s HealthKit can store and share all sorts of activity data. Fitness apps need developers to connect the dots… but their core audience is the people doing the core workout.

The simple presence of a developer tool (like an API) does not mean you need to reach developers in the same way as a dev-focused company like Twilio or Stripe.

You’ll want to know where you fall on the Developer Marketing Continuum:

If you have any sort of developer product, you’ll obviously need some developer content (including great documentation). The more developer-focused, the more you’ll need to attract a technical audience directly. The more developer-enabled, you’ll rely on other audiences to connect you to developers.

​Not Every Developer Tool Needs the Same Developer Marketing further breaks down the different levels of the continuum. There’s even a handy table of marketing activities.

Where do you think your product belongs?