The Art of Tech Blogging

Problem

I am working for a company that's transitioning from one business model (selling hardware) to another (selling software), and I needed to position it for new engineering hires to attract talent.

Actions taken

I convinced two senior engineers to make tech-focused blog posts, and followed it with more of a business case for engineers who'd want to understand the company's trajectory and get excited about growing with it.

Lessons learned

• A mixture of narrowly focused technical and big picture posts works best: the number of online applications quadrupled and several candidates mentioned engineering blog posts explicitly as something that convinced them to apply.
• Engineers like to write about things they are proud of and care about, which is itself a culture-enhancing organizational habit, in addition to helping with sourcing, especially passive sourcing.
• Engineering blogs should be visible on the site but not too visible. Engineers like the chase.
• The best place for the engineering blog is on the About page.

"A mixture of narrowly focused technical and big picture posts works best: the number of online applications quadrupled and several candidates mentioned engineering blog posts explicitly as something that convinced them to apply."

"Engineers like to write about things they are proud of and care about, which is itself a culture-enhancing organizational habit, in addition to helping with sourcing, especially passive sourcing."