The Accidental Rise of Live Coding on Twitch

What happens when you accidentally discover a whole new developer audience?   At Twitch, Katie Penn and her team set out to build a platform for game integrations—but instead found developers eager to live code. She shares how they recognized the opportunity, leaned into it, and built a thriving developer ecosystem.   Sponsored by Developer Marketing in Practice: The coaching and training program to level-up your developer marketing career.   Episode outline:   01:26 – Understanding Twitch’s developer audienceKatie explains how Twitch initially focused on gaming integrations but saw the opportunity to expand into a broader developer ecosystem. 03:35 – Using live streaming to engage developersKatie shares how her team experimented with live coding streams, unexpectedly drawing in developer advocates and growing a new community. 07:21 – The challenge of trust in developer marketingReflecting on Twitter’s Fabric launch, Katie highlights the difficulty of rebuilding developer trust after past missteps. 10:17 – Why showing ‘under the hood’ mattersKatie emphasizes how transparency—whether through blog posts or live demos—helps developers connect with a platform. 12:29 – Segmenting developer audiences effectivelyKatie discusses how different types of developers (enterprise, hobbyists, mobile app developers) have distinct motivations and engagement patterns. 19:19 – Strategies for engaging different developer typesKatie outlines how different audiences require tailored approaches, from partnerships to content marketing to meetups. 26:30 – Metrics for tracking developer engagementKatie breaks down key metrics Twitch used to measure the health of its developer community, from API calls to extension adoption. 30:06 – Lessons from Twitter and TwitchKatie reflects on the risks of overpromising to developers and why developer programs need to be core to a company’s business. 35:18 – Advice for new developer marketersKatie shares why product marketing skills are essential in DevRel and how marketers can establish themselves as strategic partners.

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