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3 proven plays to accelerate AI tool adoption
How to drive adoption through hackathons across your developer communities, employees, and customers.
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Learn how to boost your developer marketing, drive product adoption, get product feedback, and build stronger developer relationships with hackathons.
Hackathons convert developers into active users at rates traditional developer marketing can't match: 5-33% of hackathon participants actually submit a project, compared to under 1% action rates from channels like conference sponsorships, billboards, and display ads. That gap exists because developers don’t respond to overt marketing or a sales pitch. Instead, hackathons give them the chance to learn and actually build with the tools.
Devpost has run thousands of hackathons over 15+ years with results that show hackathons are an effective tactic in a successful developer marketing strategy.
Hackathons vs. traditional developer marketing
Conferences, billboards, and sponsored content typically convert under 1% of the developers who see them. Hackathons convert 5-33% of participants into people actively building with your product.
Developers want to learn and build new things. Hackathons are the perfect equation of deadline, structured technical support, and incentive for hands-on exploration of your APIs, frameworks, or development tools.
Don't just tell developers about your product—create structured opportunities for them to build with it. Here's how:
This hands-on model is what drives the 5-33% build rate above, well beyond the under-1% conversion typical of conferences or tutorials.
Related: See how you can use private customer hackathons to measure enterprise AI adoption
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Hackathons offer a unique window into how developers actually use your products. This is especially crucial for product marketers today to help understand how developers are using AI.
“As AI is making its way into our developer platform, we want to understand what extension points developers are asking for and what are the access points in our APIs that developers want to have,” said Karen White, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Developer Platform at Atlassian.
As participants push the boundaries of what's possible with your technology, you'll uncover:
On Devpost, you can collect specific participant feedback through project submissions or custom surveys distributed after the hackathon. Ask questions like: "What did you learn? What did you think of the documentation? What challenges did you encounter? Do you have any feedback about the hackathon or the tools you used within your project?”
Many developers are skeptical of marketing tactics that feel pushy or, frankly, that feel like marketing. Hackathons offer genuine value that builds trust with your audience.
Param Birje, Devpost user and first-place winner of the AWS PartyRock Generative AI Hackathon, shared why he participates in hackathons.
“Hackathons are a great way to explore and learn about the latest tech,” said Param, Devpost user.
“They also give you the opportunity to connect with a like-minded community, which is definitely a great asset to have,” he said. “The speed at which you enhance your skills by participating in hackathons and working with cutting-edge tech is crazy fast.”
Creating a positive developer experience is key to establishing long-term brand loyalty.
Hackathons provide developers with:
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With over 6 million active developers in our community, we've seen how hackathons create lasting connections between companies and developers. Organizers highlight how hackathons are a valuable way to engage with and understand their developer communities.
“I love to run hackathons because it’s a really fun way to engage with developers and see what the community can build by giving them the tools within [our product],” said Ricky Diep, Product Marketing Manager for Azure Data and AI at Microsoft.
Hackathons facilitate:
Pro tip: Follow up with hackathon winners after the event—it’s a great way to continue to get their feedback and build a stronger relationship!
The key is providing an environment where genuine community building can flourish.
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Now that we’ve covered how to use hackathons, let’s briefly look at the common types used in developer marketing programs. Hackathons come in many formats, and the best one for you depends on your goals.
Virtual hackathons are held entirely online using a platform like Devpost. These are great for reaching a wide audience because almost anyone can join from anywhere. They’re often simpler to organize since you don’t have to worry about venue-related logistics. Plus, people tend to submit more polished projects since they have more time to work on them—many virtual hackathons last six to eight weeks.
In-person hackathons bring participants together in the same location. These events tend to work well for smaller, community-based public hackathons or college events.
Private hackathons are exclusive, invite-only events that companies run as part of their developer programs for select customers, partners, community members, or employees. They’re excellent for increasing product adoption, as they allow participants to build solutions for their specific challenges, which they might not be able to address in public-facing hackathons.
No matter what hackathon type you choose, the journey to building strong developer relationships and driving product adoption starts with creating opportunities for people to build.
Devpost is here to support you on that journey. Let’s discuss how our platform can power your next successful hackathon and help connect you to our developer community. Connect with our team here.
