Building a developer community isn't just about creating a space—it's about creating the right space. Before diving in, you need to ask yourself some fundamental questions that will shape your entire community strategy. Whether you are an establish developer brand or looking to get the word out about your brand-new devtool, consider these critical questions before building a new community program.
- Do You Want to Grow Your Community by Attracting New Developers or by Engaging with Your Existing Developers?
- Do You Have Non-Developers in Your Community, and If So, Will They Be Included?
- Do You Know What Your Developers Need from a Community?
- What Are the Business Motivations for Investing in Community?
- What Expertise Is Needed to Do the Best First Thing?
Do You Want to Grow Your Community by Attracting New Developers or by Engaging with Your Existing Developers?
First, clarify your primary goal. Are you looking to expand your developer base by attracting new users, or are you focusing on deepening relationships with your existing developers? Each approach requires a different strategy and set of tactics.
For example, programs designed to bring in new developers may include hackathons and coding challenges that introduce developers to your platform, OSS contribution programs, beginner-level onboarding resources, or partnering with existing meetups and events.
Meanwhile, programs for an existing community may focus on user groups, peer mentorship networks, dedicated community support channels, or recognition programs for developer achievements.
Do You Have Non-Developers in Your Community, and If So, Will They Be Included?
Developers rarely work in isolation. Consider your broader community ecosystem. Do you have non-developers who interact with your platform? If so, determine whether they'll be integrated into your community program or require a separate approach.
When I was Community Lead at Replay, our bug recorder was used by developers, but also customer support teams, QA/testing teams, and product managers.
Inclusivity can be a powerful community enabler. The goal isn't just to tolerate non-developers but to actively create value for them. This approach transforms your community from a narrow technical forum into a broad ecosystem where different types of tech professionals can learn, collaborate, and grow together.
Do You Know What Your Developers Need from a Community?
This is crucial: Truly understanding your developers' needs requires deep investigation. Don't rely on assumptions—dig deeper. Your roadmap should emerge from genuine developer insights based on a combination of different research methods.
First and foremost, talk to your developers! If for some reason your developers aren’t accessible, connect with your Customer Success and Support team for their insights. It’s also important to identify needs that developers aren’t able to communicate. Analyzing support tickets, user sentiment, and product usage data can offer insights here.
- Identify key needs like:
- Product improvements
- Educational resources
- Technical support
- Professional networking opportunities
- Recognition for their contributions
Understanding what your developers need will dictate which community programs to prioritize.
What Are the Business Motivations for Investing in Community?
Every community investment needs a clear purpose. While it may feel good as a company to grow a thriving community, ultimately it’s important that community programs tie back to business goals. The last thing you want is to disappoint your community by starting a program only to discontinue it due to lack of leadership sponsorship.
Different community programs may align with business goals across the developer journey. Attracting new developers for may support user growth goals, while recognition programs for super users typically align with goals around referrals and expansion. Your business goals may be more product-oriented, focused on gaining critical insights from early users as you establish product-market fit. Or, you may need to alleviate workload from overwhelmed support teams by establishing community forums.
The most successful communities align their structure, content, and engagement directly with core business objectives. This will ensure the long-term success of your community programs and establish community trust. If you aren’t familiar with business goals at your organization, check out this blog post about Business Jargon for Dev-Rel.
What Expertise Is Needed to Do the Best First Thing?
Launching a developer community isn't just about good intentions—it requires specialized skills and strategic thinking. Consider the expertise needed:
- Community management professionals who understand developer workflows and though processes
- Technical experts who can create meaningful content and facilitate discussions
- Data analysts who can measure community impact and engagement
- Cross-functional team members who can bridge technical and business perspectives
Sometimes this means hiring dedicated community leads, sometimes it means training existing team members, and sometimes it involves bringing in external consultants who deeply understand developer relations.
Community building is both an art and a science, but it’s important to pause and thoughtfully consider these five questions to turn vague aspirations into and effective strategy. The most powerful developer communities aren't accidents—they're carefully crafted to provide genuine value, foster meaningful connections, and create mutual growth opportunities for both the platform and its developers. Start with curiosity, listen intently, and remain committed to creating a space where developers don't just interact, but truly belong.
SOCIAL SHARE CARD GENERATOR