The blog
Practical writing on GTM for devtools and AI startups. The same kind of content I ship for clients: written to rank, written to be cited, written for engineers.
How to measure a product-led, self-serve funnel
The metrics that matter for a devtool with self-serve signup are signup, activation, and paid conversion. Here is how to define activation for a technical product, why attribution models break for PLG buyers, and how to report the funnel to a founder without vanity numbers.
COMMUNITYConferences, events, and CFPs: an events strategy for devtools
Events eat budget faster than almost anything else in devtools marketing, and most teams cannot say what they got back. Here is when events are worth it, how to choose between sponsoring, speaking, and a booth, and how to actually win a CFP.
PRODUCT MARKETINGOpen source and free tools as a go-to-market motion
Open source and free standalone tools can be the best top-of-funnel a devtools company has, or an expensive vanity project. Here is how to tell the difference, what it costs to run, and when to skip it entirely.
PRODUCT MARKETINGCategory design for AI tools: create one or join one?
Coining a new category means you own it, but you pay to teach the market it exists. Joining a known one buys instant comprehension at the cost of feature-by-feature comparison. Here is how to decide, by stage and budget.
CONTENTCustomer stories that convince engineers
The logo-plus-vague-quote case study does nothing for an engineer evaluating your tool. Here is how to build customer proof with the architecture, the numbers, and the real problem baked in.
PRODUCT MARKETINGPricing and packaging a devtool for product-led growth
Pricing a devtool for PLG is a positioning decision, not a finance exercise. Here is how to choose free tier vs trial vs open core, usage vs seats, and where to put the paywall.
CONTENTThe developer newsletter engineers actually open
Engineers unsubscribe from marketing emails on reflex, then read three newsletters religiously. Here is how to run one they keep, from what to send to how to measure it.
LAUNCHESHow to launch on Hacker News without getting flamed
Show HN rewards a working thing and an honest founder, and punishes marketing speak and upvote-begging. Here is the etiquette and the mechanics: what belongs on HN, how to write the title and first comment, how to hold the thread, and where it fits in a real launch.
CONTENTDocs-led growth: why your documentation is your best marketing channel
For a devtool, documentation is the rare page that ranks in Google, gets cited by AI answer engines, and converts a curious engineer into an active user. Here is how to treat docs as a growth surface instead of a support cost.
AIMarketing to AI engineers: how GTM changes when your buyer builds with LLMs
Your buyer runs their own evals before they believe a word you say. Here is how go-to-market changes when the person you sell to builds with LLMs, agents, and traces every day.
FOUNDER STORIESBuilding is the easy part now
Raihan Khan shipped ColdVisit alone for under fifty dollars, in a day. Getting anyone to try it is the part nobody warned him about. The first in a series on founders working out distribution in public.
GHOSTWRITINGHow to ghostwrite for a technical founder so it still sounds like them
A technical founder's readers catch borrowed fluency in a sentence. Here is the process I use to ghostwrite for one so the post still reads like they wrote it: voice capture, real opinions, and a review loop that respects their time.
FRACTIONALWhen a devtools startup should hire its first marketer, and what they should own
The right first marketing hire is not the resume with the most channels listed. It is a technical generalist who can own positioning, content, and launches so the founder gets back to building.
FRACTIONALFractional, full-time, or agency: how to staff devtools marketing at each stage
The right way to resource devtools marketing changes as you grow. Here is an honest guide to fractional, full-time, and agency, with real costs and a recommendation by stage.
PRODUCT MARKETINGHow to position a technical product without dumbing it down
Engineers can spot vague positioning in one sentence, and they are the ones who decide. Here is how to position a technical product with precision, name the real alternative, and still make an economic buyer care.
LAUNCHESThe devtools launch playbook: turning a release into pipeline
Most devtools launches produce a changelog entry and a spike that fades by Friday. Here is how to run one that produces signups and pipeline instead, sequenced from the pre-launch runway to how you actually measure it.
GEO & ANALYTICSHow to measure whether ChatGPT and Perplexity are citing your product
You cannot improve what you cannot see. Here is how to check whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews actually name your product, measure your share of voice against competitors, and tie any of it to pipeline.
CONTENTHow to write developer content that senior engineers respect
Senior engineers spot borrowed fluency in one sentence, then close the tab. Here is how to write developer content they actually read, trust, and pass to the rest of the team.
SEO & GEOSEO for devtools: how to rank for the technical queries your buyers actually search
Developer buyers search error messages, how-to questions, and X vs Y comparisons, not your category name. Here is how to find those queries, decide when docs or a blog post should rank, and measure the whole thing against pipeline.
SEO & GEOHow to get your product cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overview
Your buyers ask ChatGPT before they Google, and the answer usually does not name you. Here is the structure I use to get devtools content cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overview, with the numbers from a real engagement.