[!note] Key takeaway: clarity wins — make the value obvious in one scan.
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Beyond Features uses a small, boring stack for developer marketing on purpose. The goal is not to collect tools. The goal is to publish useful technical content, distribute it in places developers already trust, and measure whether the work helps the right buyers move.
After years of marketing to developers, I've tested countless tools. Most don't stick. Here's what actually works and where each tool earns its place.
What belongs in the core developer marketing stack?
Every developer marketing operation needs these fundamentals:
1. What should I use for content creation?
Writing: Notion or Obsidian for drafting, plus a good markdown editor. I prefer VS Code with markdown extensions — it feels natural for technical content.
Code examples: Always use a real IDE. Screenshots of code from VS Code look better than code blocks in slides. Use Carbon for beautiful code images when needed.
Diagrams: Excalidraw for quick sketches, Figma for polished diagrams. Developers appreciate hand-drawn style — it feels more authentic.
2. What should I use for distribution?
Newsletter: Beehiiv or ConvertKit. Both have good deliverability and are developer-friendly. Beehiiv's analytics are particularly good for understanding engagement.
Social: Twitter/X is still where developers hang out. LinkedIn works for B2B enterprise dev tools. Avoid Facebook.
Community: Discord for real-time, GitHub Discussions for async. Pick one and commit to it.
3. What should I use for analytics?
Website: Vercel Analytics or Plausible. Privacy-focused analytics resonate better with developer audiences.
Newsletter: Built-in analytics from your ESP, plus UTM tracking for website clicks.
Attribution: This is hard. Start simple with UTM parameters and form tracking before investing in complex attribution tools.
What belongs in the extended stack once the basics work?
Once you have the basics, consider:
Which documentation tools are worth considering?
- Mintlify: Beautiful docs, easy to maintain
- Docusaurus: Open source, highly customizable
- ReadMe: Good for API documentation
If your docs are part of how buyers evaluate you, they are part of GTM, not just support. I go deeper on that in Your Docs Are Your Sales Deck.
Which demo and sandbox tools are worth considering?
- Vercel: Deploy previews for every PR
- StackBlitz: Browser-based dev environments
- Replit: Great for interactive tutorials
Which video tools are worth considering?
- Loom: Quick async videos
- Screen Studio: Polished screen recordings
- OBS: Live streaming and webinars
Which workflows make this stack hold up over time?
Tools don't matter without good processes. Here's what works:
How should the content pipeline work?
- Ideation: Monthly brainstorm based on community questions and search data
- Outline: Create structure before writing
- Draft: Write ugly first drafts fast
- Edit: Let it sit 24 hours, then revise
- Distribute: Newsletter first, then repurpose
Example: one Beyond Features post usually starts as a rough markdown draft, gets tightened into one opinionated blog post, then becomes a newsletter section and a smaller social thread. That keeps the workflow compact without turning the content into generic repurposing sludge.
How should community engagement work?
- Check Discord/community daily (set a timer — 30 min max)
- Answer questions publicly (creates reusable content)
- Highlight community wins in your newsletter
How should measurement work?
Weekly: Newsletter opens, website traffic, community activity Monthly: Signups, activated users, content performance Quarterly: Attribution analysis, strategy review
Which popular tools would I skip?
Some popular tools that don't work well for developer marketing:
- Canva: Templates look too generic
- Buffer/Hootsuite: Scheduling social posts rarely works for authentic engagement
- HubSpot: Overkill for most early-stage companies
- Intercom-style chat: Developers prefer docs and email
How should I start if I am building the stack from scratch?
The best tool is the one you'll actually use. Start with:
- A writing tool (Notion)
- A newsletter platform (Beehiiv)
- Analytics (Vercel Analytics)
Add more only when you feel the pain of not having them.
If you want the PMM-side version of this same decision process, PMM Mindset is where I keep the frameworks for positioning, messaging, and measurement.
What tools are in your stack? Reply to the newsletter or email hello@beyondfeatures.xyz.