This talk presents a practical framework for Developer Relations professionals based on real experience at Unleash. Drawing inspiration from industry leaders and personal insights, I'll introduce a four-pillar Context-Gathering Framework that transforms how DevRel professionals approach their role. Attendees will learn concrete strategies for product mastery, customer understanding, market positioning, and industry context—all designed to create alignment and establish meaningful feedback loops that elevate developer experience.

Developer Relations sits at the intersection of product, marketing, and engineering—making it both a challenging and rewarding discipline. In this session, I'll share my journey as a Developer Advocate at Unleash and introduce a proven Context-Gathering Framework that has transformed my approach to DevRel.
Building on Sam Julien's foundational pillars (Awareness, Education, Feedback, Community) and Kurtis Kemple's emphasis on context gathering, I'll demonstrate how a structured learning approach across four key dimensions creates exponential impact:

Product Mastery: Moving beyond documentation to truly understand how your solution solves real-world engineering challenges
Customer Understanding: Developing clarity about who makes decisions, who implements solutions, and what technology ecosystems they inhabit
Market Positioning: Mapping the competitive landscape to articulate your unique value proposition effectively
Industry Context: Connecting your product's capabilities to broader technology trends and movements

Through practical examples and lessons learned, I'll show how this framework creates alignment between technical capabilities and customer needs, facilitates more effective communication, and ultimately drives adoption. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies they can immediately apply to their DevRel practice, regardless of company size or product complexity.
Target Audience
This talk is designed for:

Early to mid-career Developer Relations professionals looking to increase their impact
DevRel team leads seeking frameworks to guide their strategy
Marketing professionals transitioning into technical advocacy roles
Engineering leaders responsible for developer experience initiatives
Product managers interested in strengthening their connection to the developer ecosystem

Attendees will benefit most if they have some familiarity with developer marketing/relations concepts, though no specific technical expertise is required.