My daughter got her ears pierced

Back in my day, you went to the mall and got earrings shot with a tiny gun into your flesh.

Things are a little hipper in Portland. Perhaps hipsterer, even.

When my daughter got her ears pierced, she went to a specialty shop. They did not use a gun-shaped mechanical device. A very sharp needle was expertly poked into each lobe by someone with a mononym (like Madonna or Cher, but not so 70s/80s).

You’d think all of this would distract me from thinking about developers and content.

Yet, I couldn’t help it when I saw the upsell at the register.

I forget their name, maybe “Seven” or “Peace.” Anyway, the piercer was done and described how to take care of the piercings:

You’ll want to use a saline solution on both sides of your ears twice a day. All you need to do is get some distilled water. Mix a cup of it with a very small amount of salt in a clean container. Heat it up in the microwave just enough to dissolve the salt. Then let it cool to room temperature before you apply it to your ears. Or, just get this bottle of saline solution for $10.

We’ll do that last part, thanks. Sold.

It’s the developer content mind trick in action.

I bet everybody buys the saline solution, but there’s a reason this method works so well on developers: they’re more likely to go DIY.

The default option for engineers is to build something. You get to solve the problem your way. Your solution is customized to your company’s needs.

Don’t fight the instinct. Embrace it, like the mononymous piercer who told us how to make salt water.

Once developers trust you know how to solve the problem, they’re more likely to consider the solution you already built.

(btw, this is one of several content types to consider in a robust technical content strategy)