How to DevRel for Startups: A Complete Guide for Newbies

How to DevRel for Startups: A Complete Guide for 2025

What Will You Read in This Blog?

What DevRel Is (and Isn’t): A simple take on Developer Relations and why it’s not just sales or memes.

Why Startups Need It: How DevRel boosts your product and community.

When to Hire: Signs it’s time for a DevRel hire.

Building a Community: Steps to rally devs around your product.

Nailing Documentation & Education: Tips to make devs love your docs and content.

Launching Like a Pro: How to crush it on Product Hunt.

Measuring Success: Metrics that actually count.

DevRel 101: What’s the Deal?

Imagine DevRel as the cool camp counselor who helps developers play nice with your startup’s toys (aka your product). It’s a mix of engineering, marketing, and community vibes—think advocacy, education, and support, with a sprinkle of Twitter addiction. Officially, it’s about keeping devs from rage-quitting your APIs. Unofficially? It’s the glue that turns “meh” into “heck yes.” Curious for more? Check out Part 1 (insert-link-to-part-1) for the full breakdown.

Here’s the gist of what a DevRel pro does:

Hypes your product without sounding sleazy.
Writes docs that don’t make devs cry.
Answers “why isn’t this working?” at 2 AM.
Builds a community so devs don’t feel lost.
Turns gripes into goldmine feedback.

Done right, devs will love your tool. Done wrong? They’ll ditch it faster than you can say “blockchain hype.”

Why Startups Need DevRel

Startups are wild—fast, messy, and full of hope. DevRel is your multitasking superhero, helping with:

Explaining your product so devs stick around.
Gathering feedback before your launch tanks.
Running meetups, Twitter Spaces, and hackathons that don’t flop.
Building hype without spamming “just tweet it.”

Big note: DevRel isn’t sales. Want cold calls? Hire someone else. DevRel is about relationships, not quotas.

When to Hire a DevRel Pro

Before you post that job somewhere, ask:

Is your product dev-focused?
Are devs ignoring it?
Do you want a buzzing dev community?

If you’re nodding “yes” to three or more, it’s go-time. Startups often kick off with one DevRel champ—budget for swag, events, and a real plan. Dive deeper into this in Part 1 – How to DevRel for Startups: Part 1.

Building a Dev Community from Scratch

A killer community isn’t a bonus—it’s a growth machine. It spreads buzz, scales support, and keeps users hooked. Here’s how to start:

Set a Vision: Why should devs care?
Find Your Tribe: Hunt early adopters who’ll rave, not just grab swag.
Pick a Hangout: Discord, Twitter—give them a spot.
Make It Fun: Badges, leaderboards—gamify it!
Track Engagement: 100 active fans beat 10,000 lurkers.

Don’t mimic someone else’s community. Build yours. Want the full blueprint? See Part 2 How to DevRel for Startups: Part 2.

Docs & Education: Don’t Bore Devs

Good docs are like a treasure map—simple, clear, no friction. Know your audience (newbies or pros?), cut the fluff, and let devs test without a PhD in setup. Pair it with a content strategy—blogs, tutorials, maybe Udemy courses—that educates and inspires. Devs move from “What’s this?” to “I’m hooked” in five stages: discovery, evaluation, learning, building, scaling. Keep them going! More tips in Part 2 How to DevRel for Startups: Part 2.

Product Hunt: Launch Like a Boss

Product Hunt isn’t dead—it’s a launchpad if you nail it. Build a killer product, tease it early, and rally your community to hype it. Timing’s key—don’t drop it on a random Tuesday. High-quality GIFs and a waitlist help too. Engage after launch—don’t post and ghost. Full launch guide? It’s in Part 2 How to DevRel for Startups: Part 2.

Metrics That Matter

DevRel isn’t about vanity stats. Track:

Community growth (active users, not just signups).
Docs usage (are they helping?).
Trial-to-paid conversions.
Feedback loops (what’s working?).

Start Day 1—no guessing. Metrics deep-dive in Part 2 How to DevRel for Startups: Part 2.

DevRel isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s about experimenting, adapting, and adding value—through community, docs, or a Product It’s Hunt win. Don’t overthink it. Start small, tweak often, grow big. For more, revisit Part 1 How to DevRel for Startups: Part 1 and Part 2 How to DevRel for Startups: Part 2—keep building (and tweeting)!

Attribution

This blog post is inspired by the book How to DevRel for Startups by Haimantika, whose insights on Developer Relations have been invaluable in shaping this series. I’ve adapted her ideas into my own experiences and perspective as a writer, but full credit goes to her for the foundational concepts.

Author – https://hashnode.com/@iishap