Sometimes greatness is not as calculated as you think it is.

Sometimes it’s even created out of ridicule.

While this story can’t be fully verified (and has a whiff of urban legend to it), one of the most accepted versions goes like this…

In 1968, guitarist Jimmy Page formed a band after the breakup of the Yardbirds.

Page was hanging out one night in a New York Club called Salvation with The Who’s Keith Moon, John Entwistle, and some other musicians.

“What will you call this band?” Page was asked.

“The New Yardbirds,” he said.

“Oh, that should go over like a lead balloon,” Moon is said to have replied sarcastically.

Page took note and decided to replace the word “balloon” with “zeppelin,” a word which, according to one music journalist, brought “the perfect combination of heavy and light, combustibility and grace” to Page’s mind…

… and thus the name Led Zeppelin was born.

The group dropped the ‘a’ in lead at the suggestion of their manager, Peter Grant, so that those unfamiliar with the term would not pronounce it “leed.”

So, how can you buy this Stairway to better developer content?

When you’re struggling to create something original—a headline, an event name, or similar—let yourself joke around a bit.

Find somebody else to trade barbs. Let yourselves even go to sarcasm. Because sometimes there’s wisdom in it.

At Zapier, we received considerable attention from the “de-location package” that paid people to move out of the Bay Area to join our remote team (before that was common).

My memory of that program was that it started as a joke. But it was the kind of joke that was almost immediately followed by, “that’s actually a pretty good idea…”

You wouldn’t think sarcasm would make for great marketing. But sometimes it’s your pathway to a truth you might not find otherwise.

It’s why the title of my book, Developer Marketing Does Not Exist… exists. While I was clearly feeling hyperbolic when I sent it to print a year ago, the title born of sarcasm garnered quite a bit of attention:

I started reading and couldn’t put it down! The principles and main concepts of the book are carried by memorable and relatable metaphors. Between the metaphors and the well timed jokes the book is engaging and informative. 10/10 would recommend.

– Kristen Womack, Microsoft

Be different, tap into an actual viewpoint, and get the book to help you redirect your sarcastic chops to reach more developers.