The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source

The developer's guide to content creation (Interview)

Feb 21, 2020

Stephanie Morillo, a seasoned content strategist and former editor-in-chief at DigitalOcean and GitHub, shares insights from her book, 'The Developer’s Guide to Content Creation.' She discusses the importance of writing for developers and offers a four-step recipe for generating content ideas. Stephanie emphasizes the role of personal branding in career development and provides strategies for effective content promotion. Listeners will learn how to engage their audience and navigate the challenges of content creation in the tech landscape.

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INSIGHT

Developer's Distrust of Marketing

Developers are often suspicious of marketing, associating it with inauthenticity.
However, many developers already perform marketing activities, like sharing blog posts and engaging in word-of-mouth promotion.

ADVICE

Defining Target Audience

Define your target audience to focus your content.
Consider primary, secondary, and tertiary audiences to understand their needs and tailor your content accordingly.

ADVICE

Crafting a Mission Statement

Craft a mission statement defining your blog's goals and purpose.
This provides a North Star, guiding content creation and helping you stay focused.

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Stephanie Morillo (content strategist and previously editor-in-chief of DigitalOcean and GitHub’s company blogs) wrote a book titled The Developer’s Guide to Content Creation — it’s a book for developers who want to consistently and confidently generate new ideas and publish high-quality technical content.

We talked with Stephanie about why developers should be writing and sharing their ideas, crafting a mission statement for your blog and thoughts on personal brand, her 4 step recipe for generating content ideas, as well as promotional and syndication strategies to consider for your developer blog.

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Featuring:

Stephanie Morillo – GitHub, X
Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
Jerod Santo – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X

Show Notes:

The Developer’s Guide to Content Creation
The book did well on Product Hunt with 356 upvotes
Writing a dev blog and need help? Schedule a 30 minute content session with Stephanie.
What Admiral Grace Hopper really meant when she said, “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission”

Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!