You may have learned that I get into little fixations from time to time.

Usually, I absorb a bunch of the ideas, then start making connections to technical content.

I learned the Rubik’s Cube a while back… then I got bored of that and began to practice magic tricks on my children.

Recently, it was chess.

One of the most important lessons to survive in chess is to avoid “hanging pieces.”

A hanging piece refers to a chess piece that is not defended by any other piece or pawn and can be captured by the opponent without immediate consequences.

In the image above, white’s queen is a hanging piece because she is undefended. If it’s black’s turn, that queen will be captured. If it’s white’s turn, it can defend her with its pawn.

To prevent losing valuable pieces in chess, players need to be careful and think before making a move. They should always make sure their pieces are protected so the opponent can’t easily take them.

Technical content strategy isn’t as combative as chess.

Yet this core lesson still applies, because you have valuable pieces of content, as well.

Random, reactive topics sit alone and unprotected. Non-strategic content won’t help you fulfill your larger goals.

Dev rel teams often make the mistake of fulfilling the top-of-mind content of the moment.

Instead, they could collaborate with marketing or create their own content strategy.

To avoid hanging pieces in your content, you can create a network of interconnected pieces that support each other and build upon one another.

Think in concepts, not topics…

At the same time, you’ll provide your technical audience with a more comprehensive and engaging experience.

​Check out my “Dev Rel Content Strategy Tips & Tricks” presentation, where I show some actionable ways to create a content strategy with your developer relations team. Then, execute the strategy to attract and engage more of the right technical audience.