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Learn how to boost your developer marketing, drive product adoption, get product feedback, and build stronger developer relationships with hackathons.
Developers are a unique audience. More than most other buyer groups, they’re skeptical of anything that feels like a sales pitch and likely only engage if they find real value in what’s being offered. They particularly appreciate hands-on and educational experiences—that's where hackathons come in.
Traditional developer marketing faces a 1% action rate, whereas hackathons can drive 5-33% of developers to actually build with your tools.
At Devpost, we've powered thousands of these events for over 15 years, and trust us, they're an essential part of successful developer marketing. If you're looking to truly engage with developers, build lasting relationships, and see what they can really do with your tools, you're in the right place.
Let’s dive into four ways hackathons can transform your developer marketing strategy.
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:
At Devpost, we typically see 5-33% of hackathon registrants go on to build and submit projects. This hands-on approach has a significantly higher conversion rate than other dev marketing initiatives, like conferences or tutorials, which often result in fewer than 1% of people building.
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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 4 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.
