§ Developer Tool GTM · Essays

Operator-voice essays for devtools founders.

Positioning, content, launches, pricing, distribution. The seven parts of a working devtools GTM — written for the founders running it themselves, not the ones who hired someone else to.

01 · CORNERSTONE

Developer Tool GTM: The 2026 Playbook for Devtools Founders

Why generic SaaS go-to-market fails for devtools — and the seven-part operating system that works instead. The big-picture frame everything else hangs from.

02 · POSITIONING

The Six-Box Canvas That Works for Devtools Positioning

April Dunford's framework is great. It was built for buyers who don't read code. Here's the canvas designed specifically for devtools — with three ICP archetypes.

03 · CONTENT

How to Write Technical Blog Posts That Actually Convert

Three formats compound for devtools. The rest are noise. Plus the structural rules that hold attention past paragraph three, and the non-CTA CTA that does more work than any button.

04 · LAUNCH

The Show HN Playbook for 2026

The 48 hours before you submit matter more than the submission. Pre-launch prep, the first-comment template, what to do in the first 90 minutes, how to turn the spike into a list.

05 · OUTREACH

Cold Email Templates That Get Devtools Founders to Reply

Specificity beats volume. Three hundred personalized emails outperform three thousand generic ones, every time. The five-touch sequence and the three templates I use.

06 · HOMEPAGE

The Six Mistakes I See on Every Devtools Homepage

From category claims to demo-call CTAs, the six homepage patterns that quietly kill devtools conversion — with concrete rewrites and the acid test for whether yours works.

07 · DISTRIBUTION

Reddit for Devtools: Which Subs Work, Which Get You Banned

The subreddits where devtools founders actually find customers. The 9:1 rule, the three things mods ban for, and the content patterns that compound for years.

08 · DEVREL

Why Most Developer Relations Doesn't Produce Pipeline

DevRel as theater vs DevRel as growth engine. The structural difference is where the function reports, not who you hire. With the metrics that actually matter.

09 · PRICING

Devtools Pricing Strategy in 2026

Free tier design, usage vs seat-based, and the pricing page mechanics that convert. The single most-leveraged decision a devtools founder makes, with the trade-offs explicit.

10 · LAUNCH

The First 100 Paying Users Playbook

Week-by-week from zero through month three. The 90-day red line that tells you whether you have product-market fit or just had a good launch.

§ The toolkit

Everything on this blog, plus the things I left out — in one operating manual.

The 40-point audit, the positioning canvas with three ICP archetypes, 30 content starters, 10 outreach templates, the distribution map, the launch checklist, and two Loom walkthroughs. Bundled.

Get the toolkit — $97 →
First 50 buyers · $97 · After that $197 · 14-day refund