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  • ๐Ÿ #76: How to do developer journey, signal based sales at Apollog GraphQL, and Polypane website teardown

๐Ÿ #76: How to do developer journey, signal based sales at Apollog GraphQL, and Polypane website teardown

Hey,

Ok, this is not a pear thing but my latest dad joke invention:
Twelve got really tired. It one two go home ;)

This week on the agenda:

  • How to create and audit your core developer journey

  • Subscribed requested teardown: Polypane website

  • Dev Tool signal-based sales at Apollo GraphQL

  • + a few bonus links at the end

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Developer marketing insights

1. How to create and audit your core developer journey

When I work with dev tool startups, one of the first things I want to understand is the core developer journey for their product. 

I am not talking about creating some 79-page pdf explaining every touchpoint, for every persona involved in the buying process, throughout the 24-month product lifecycle.

I am talking about knowing what the experience a typical dev would have as they go through a typical developer path:

  • they heard about you on Reddit,

  • went to your site,

  • signed up/downloaded,

  • got something running,

  • understood the value you give,

  • and said: โ€œok, Iโ€™m trying this at workโ€. 

I wrote an article, where I describe the core developer journey I like to use (simplified Discover-Start-Activate-Convert-Scale) and share a Google Doc Template (and other resources) you can use to create/audit your developer journey.

After reading this and going through the audit/template you should have a solid understanding of what needs to be adjusted/created/changed/fixed. If not you can always reach out and we can go through it together. 

2. Subscriber requested teardown: Polypane website

A few weeks back, I shared my first video teardown (Deepgram website). Most of you liked it and wanted to see more of them. Cool!

I also asked subscribers to propose their own websites/ads/and other dev marketing programs. Many of you requested them, thank you so much!

So, this is the first, subscriber-requested, teardown. Thanks, Kilian, for submitting Polypane!

Also, Kilian, apologies for butchering the company name multiple timesโ€ฆ I know it is Polypane and it makes complete sense. Poplyplane just kept coming out. Sorry ;(

3. Dev Tool signal-based sales at Apollo GraphQL

One of the first great articles I read, about open-source sales motion was on Decibel VC blog and it was this: How Apollo fuels its GTM engine with OSS usage and a champions community

It talks about home-grown tooling, which is now heavily discussed in the space as signal-based selling. The ideas in there were as great then as they are now IMHO. The difference is that the tooling is there now.

Anyhow, in this episode of โ€œThe Modern GTM Brewโ€, Achintya Gupta talks to one of the people behind setting up that GTM motion, Peggy Rayzis.

Notes I took when listening:

  • Get free dev users, aggregate account level, approach: PLG/Open-source to get free end-users โ†’ Sales/marketing get usage signals from those free users to understand at the account level and approach the correct person for that account

  • Intent signals: usage is the most important. CLI commands, Helm charts created, the activity of multiple developers from the same account on the learning platform, and other signals that suggest a production POC or switching platform/stack

  • Conferences are great at pipeline acceleration: devrels can drive that engagement with various devs at target and engaged accounts. GraphQL summit and lifts in pipeline closed for those who went to conference and Apollo events.

  • Connect devrel program to the business: Measure ROI. Show impact. Good devrel org drives insights from community to product/marketing/sales.

  • Frontload aha moment: When creating educational content, frontload the aha moment. Make it hands-on early on. Most devs want to get their hands dirty right away.

Need more developer marketing insights?

1. Work with me ๐Ÿ

Every week I have a few slots for Workshops (60-minute session on whatever you want), Teardowns (audit+suggestions for your homepage/messaging/ads etc), and longer-term Advising.

"Jakub immediately got to the heart of our concerns.

Especially the unique challenges of crafting a marketing and content strategy for a developer audience."

David Burton, Head of Content, Apify

2. Bonus links to check out

3. Join our Slack community

1700+ dev tool CMOs, heads of growth, product marketers, and other practitioners talking shop.

"Been here 20 min and already folks are sharing great advice."

Charles Cook, VP Marketing & Ops @Posthog

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