Don’t do this to developers.

Released at the height of Beatle-mania, Best of the Beatles was a must-have for the not-so-discerning fan.

It sure seemed like a compilation album. And with six #1 albums between 1963-1965, there were surely enough Beatles hits to fill the tracks.

John, Paul, and George were even on the cover:

But that guy on the far left holding drumsticks… the guy whose head is circled on that actual LP cover…

That guy is Pete Best. He was the drummer for the Beatles before Ringo Starr. Best of the Beatles was his new band’s debut album referencing his last name and former band association. The album contained not a single Beatles song.

Best of the Beatles matched all the “keywords” a music fan might want, long before search engine optimization and clickbait. But it didn’t fulfill the expectations of the person who picked up the record at the store.

A tiny percentage of listeners might have become Pete Best fans.

Most fans likely felt duped. If the back button had been invented in 1966, the majority would have smashed it with prejudice.

Too often developers get similar treatment: tricked by keywords, overpromises, or irrelevance.

Do developers really “hate marketing,” or do most of it simply not match their expectations?

A lot of technical content aims at shiny, high-volume keywords without connecting to the intent of the developer behind the search.

A tiny percentage might explore the technical product further. Most readers likely bounce, because it doesn’t resonate.

Whether you realize it or not, this type of content is setting up your audience for a Best of the Beatles moment.

P.S. I’m working on a project to help you more consistently hit the mark with devs. Just tap reply to hear about it when it’s ready.