developer-audience-context

Files (4)

• README.md
• SKILL.md
• example-apitest.md · references/
• template.md · references/

SKILL.md (first lines)

# Developer Audience Context

This skill helps you create and maintain `.agents/developer-audience-context.md` — a foundational document that captures everything about your target developers. All other developer marketing skills reference this document first, so you only define your audience once.

---

## Before You Start

Check if `.agents/developer-audience-context.md` exists:

- **If it exists**: Read it and offer to update specific sections
- **If it doesn't exist**: Create the directory and file, then walk through each section

---

## Two Ways to Build Context

### Option 1: Auto-Draft from Codebase (Recommended)

Analyze existing materials to draft an initial version:

1. **README.md** — Product description, features, getting started
2. **Documentation** — `/docs`, API reference, tutorials
3. **Landing pages** — `index.html`, marketing copy
4. **package.json / pyproject.toml** — Dependencies reveal ecosystem
5. **GitHub Issues** — Common questions, frustrations, use cases
6. **Existing blog posts** — Technical content, tutorials

After drafting, walk through each section to validate and fill gaps.

### Option 2: Start from Scratch

Ask questions section-by-section. Don't advance until the current section is complete.

---

## The 10 Sections to Capture

### 1. Product Overview

| Field | What to capture |
|-------|-----------------|
| Product name | Official name and any aliases |
| One-liner | "We help [developers] do [X] without [Y]" |
| Category | API, SDK, CLI, SaaS, open source library, infrastructure |
| Core technology | Languages, frameworks, platforms supported |
| Pricing model | Free/open source, freemium, usage-based, seat-based |

### 2. Developer Persona

Not "developers" generically — get specific:

| Field | What to capture |
|-------|-----------------|
| Primary role | Backend, frontend, full-stack, DevOps, data, ML, mobile |
| Seniority | Junior, mid, senior, staff, lead, architect |
| Company size | Solo, startup, scale-up, enterprise |
| Industry verticals | Fintech, healthtech, e-commerce, gaming, B2B SaaS |
| Tech stack | Languages, frameworks, cloud providers they use |
| Decision authority | Individual contributor, team lead, buyer, influencer |

**Ask**: "Describe the developer who gets the most value from your product in one paragraph. What's their day-to-day like?"

### 3. Where They Hang Out

Developers research before they buy. Know where:

| Channel | Specifics to capture |
|---------|---------------------|
| Communities | Specific subreddits, Discord servers, Slack groups |
| Social | Twitter/X hashtags, LinkedIn groups |
| Content | Blogs they read, newsletters they subscribe to, podcasts |
| Events | Conferences, meetups, hackathons |
| Code | GitHub topics, Stack Overflow tags |

**Pro tip**: Use social listening tools to monitor conversations across Hacker News, Reddit, Stack Overflow, GitHub, and Twitter. See where discussions about your problem space happen organically.

### 4. Problems & Pain Points

Capture the actual problems, not your solution's features:

| Level | What to capture |
|-------|-----------------|
| Functional | "I can't do X" / "X takes too long" / "X is error-prone" |
| Emotional | Frustration, anxiety, embarrassment, fear |
| Situational | When does the pain occur? What triggers the search? |

**Ask**: "What's the #1 frustration that brings developers to you?"

**Research**: Search Reddit, Hacker News, and Stack Overflow for complaints about your problem space. Capture verbatim quotes.

### 5. Current Alternatives

What are developers using today instead of you?

| Alternative type | Examples |
|-----------------|----------|
| Direct competitors | Tools that solve the same problem |
| DIY / build it yourself | Custom scripts, internal tools |
| Indirect solutions | Workarounds, manual processes |
| Do nothing | Live with the pain |

For each alternative, capture:
- Why developers choose it
- What's frustrating about it
- What would make them switch

### 6. Key Differentiators

What makes you different — in developer terms:

| Differentiator type | Example |
|--------------------|---------|
| Technical | "10x faster," "No dependencies," "Type-safe" |
| DX (Developer Experience) | "5-minute setup," "Great docs," "First-class CLI" |
| Ecosystem | "Works with X," "Built for Y framework" |
| Philosophy | "Open source," "Privacy-first," "Local-first" |

**Warning**: Avoid marketing fluff. Developers see through "best-in-class" and "enterprise-grade." Use specific, provable claims.

From jonathimer/devmarketing-skills, MIT.

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