programming #career #marketing #softwareengineering #buildinpublic
A lot of developers believe one thing very deeply:
“If I build something good enough, people will eventually find it.”
It sounds reasonable.
It’s also usually wrong.
Because the internet is full of talented developers building genuinely useful things that almost nobody ever sees.
Not because the products are bad.
Because attention is now part of the job.
And whether developers like it or not, marketing has become one of the most valuable technical skills you can learn.
The Best Product Doesn’t Automatically Win
Developers love believing in merit.
Better code wins.
Better architecture wins.
Better products win.
But markets rarely work that cleanly.
Sometimes the technically inferior product dominates because:
people heard about it first
the messaging was clearer
the onboarding felt easier
the creator explained it better
Users don’t experience your codebase.
They experience:
your landing page
your documentation
your screenshots
your tutorials
your tweets
your positioning
A brilliant product nobody understands will usually lose to a decent product people immediately understand.
That’s the uncomfortable reality.
Marketing Isn’t Just Ads
A lot of developers hear “marketing” and immediately think:
annoying ads
clickbait
fake urgency
growth hacks
But good marketing is really communication.
It’s explaining:
what your product does
who it helps
why it matters
why someone should care
That’s it.
Some of the best marketing in tech is simply clarity.
Clear writing.
Clear demos.
Clear onboarding.
Clear explanations.
Developers often underestimate how rare that actually is.
Building Quietly Is Harder Now
Years ago, you could launch something quietly and still get attention organically.
Today?
The internet is crowded.
Thousands of products launch every day:
AI tools
SaaS products
developer utilities
browser extensions
productivity apps
Even exceptional work disappears quickly without distribution.
That’s why modern developers increasingly need to think beyond code.
Not because coding became less important.
Because discoverability became part of the product itself.
Distribution Is a Superpower
There are developers with average products and massive audiences.
There are developers with incredible products and no audience at all.
Guess which one usually grows faster.
An audience changes everything.
When people already trust your work:
launches spread faster
feedback arrives quicker
opportunities appear more often
Marketing creates leverage.
And in modern tech, leverage matters almost as much as technical skill.
Why Developers Avoid Marketing
A lot of developers resist marketing because it feels uncomfortable.
Coding has clear rules.
Marketing doesn’t.
With code:
something works or it doesn’t
With marketing:
results are emotional
human behavior is unpredictable
attention is difficult to earn
There’s also fear.
Fear of:
looking self-promotional
being ignored
posting publicly
sounding cringe
not being taken seriously
So many developers stay invisible even when they’re incredibly talented.
“Build in Public” Changed Everything
One of the biggest shifts in tech culture is the rise of building in public.
Developers now share:
progress updates
mistakes
design decisions
revenue milestones
technical breakdowns
Not because every update is revolutionary.
Because visibility compounds.
People support products they feel connected to.
And connection happens long before launch day.
Marketing today is often less about selling and more about documenting.
Technical Skill Alone Is No Longer Enough
This is the part many developers struggle with.
Being technically strong still matters immensely.
But careers increasingly reward people who can also:
communicate clearly
teach others
write well
explain ideas
share their work publicly
Two developers can have identical technical ability.
The one who communicates better often gets:
more opportunities
more clients
more job offers
more users
more influence
Not because they’re more talented.
Because people actually know they exist.
The Internet Rewards Visibility
The modern internet heavily rewards people who consistently share useful ideas.
A single post can:
bring customers
create partnerships
lead to interviews
attract investors
grow an audience
Meanwhile, incredible developers who never share their work often remain invisible.
That’s not fair.
But it’s reality.
Small Things Developers Can Start Doing
Marketing doesn’t require becoming an influencer.
It can start very small.
Write about what you’re learning.
Share mistakes you fixed.
Explain technical concepts simply.
Post progress updates.
Create useful tutorials.
Document your process.
You don’t need millions of followers.
You just need discoverability.
Marketing Is Part of Modern Engineering
The best developers today often combine:
technical skill
communication
distribution
community building
Not because marketing replaced engineering.
Because engineering alone rarely guarantees attention anymore.
The internet is too crowded for “build it and they will come” to work consistently.
Final Thoughts
A lot of developers secretly hope their work can speak for itself.
Sometimes it does.
Most of the time, it needs help.
Marketing isn’t about pretending your product is better than it is.
It’s about making sure the right people actually discover something valuable.
And in modern tech, that skill can completely change the trajectory of a developer’s career.
