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Developer advertising best practices

Whether you’re new to developer marketing or looking for ways to optimize an existing campaign, follow these best practices for a more effective developer advertising program.

How do I make sure my ad copy resonates with developers?

Ensure the copy you use on your ad creative is relevant to the topic tags and audience you are targeting.
Use plain language. Developers appreciate when messaging is clear and to the point.
Be precise. A developer should be able to understand exactly what problem you can help them solve and what value you can provide in a quick glance.

“A good ad is not going to try and convince me to pay money for this thing. It's going to pique my curiosity - make me research more.”

—

A wise developer

How do I improve the performance of my banner ads?

Create clear and concise ads. A user will only have a few seconds to view at your ad. Keep design simple to make this time count.
Make your landing page discoverable via search. We know developers research products on their own, often without clicking on an ad. Make sure they can find your landing page easily.

“I'll get to the landing page, I'll see a bunch of marketing terms, but nowhere is an explanation about what this thing actually is. So I think that's very important to have, in a very obvious place.”

—

Another wise developer

How can I make my landing page more effective?

Ensure the design and messaging used on your landing page matches your banner ad creative. This helps build developer trust that you are selling legitimate products.
Include a clear headline and description at the top of the landing page. Don’t make a user search for useful information - give it to them straight away.
Include an abundance of technical details, and pricing if possible. Make it easy for the developer to gather all the information that would be necessary for product adoption.
Include honest testimonials and reviews, even an evaluation of your product versus a competitor’s product. Developers love to research before they try, and will likely be seeking this information out on review sites, blogs, forums, and social media.
Offer an incentive such as a free trial or discount. Developers like to try out products before they commit to them or before they ask their manager to purchase.
Provide information on the security of your company and product. Developers tend to also conduct research on your company before they even download the trial. They are extremely security conscious.

Get our Developer Advertising Best Practices guide for helpful examples.

Download our media kit, look at our creative guidelines, and list of creative recommendations for more details.

Get the PDF

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