Whitepapers Are Dead. Developers Want Video.

TL;DR

Most developer marketing is stuck in the PDF dark ages. Developers don’t want whitepapers. They want to see how you think, watch real engineers talk shop, and feel like they’re in the room. Video isn’t just a content format. It’s scalable trust and human connection at internet scale. In this blog, you’ll learn why video beats whitepapers, how to use it to drive onboarding and adoption, and one overlooked insight that could transform your community strategy forever.

Why This Matters

Most companies still bet on PDFs and long docs to win over developers. But the data and behavior tell a different story.

We still see companies invest time and budget into 20-page whitepapers no one reads. If your ideal customer is a developer, here’s the hard truth: they’re not opening your PDF.

Most developers don’t finish product whitepapers. Surveys and community feedback show they often skim or skip static PDFs altogether. They’re hard to navigate, impossible to track, and don’t translate well to modern learning behavior.

Meanwhile, companies that switch to interactive or video-first formats are seeing better engagement, faster comprehension, and better retention—not because video is trendy but because it meets people where they are.

That said, whitepapers can still be useful for deep technical dives or in compliance-heavy industries where detailed documentation is required. But if your goal is adoption, they’re usually not the right tool.‍

Developers Want “Why,” Not Just “How”

We’ve seen the same thing across dozens of DevRel teams. The best-performing content isn’t a feature demo. It’s the explainer that breaks down the “why.”

Developers consistently prefer content that explains why a tool exists and how it fits into their workflow, rather than just feature demos. According to the 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 90% of developers rely heavily on clear, actionable technical documentation such as APIs and SDKs to learn and solve problems. This highlights their need for context and problem-solving guidance. Understanding the reasoning and practical application behind tools builds trust and drives adoption far more effectively than simple step-by-step instructions.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explain “how.” Just don’t start there. If you skip the context, you’ll lose the people who aren’t already sold on your approach.‍

Authenticity Beats Polish

Slick videos narrated by marketers don’t perform as well as low-production clips from real engineers. Developers want to hear from people who actually built the thing.

Authenticity is a big driver of trust and adoption. Developers want to hear from real engineers, not just marketing teams. GitHub’s State of the Octoverse highlights this trend.

Put engineers on camera. Use their voice, their language, their real-world examples. And don’t over-edit. The occasional “uh” or unscripted moment makes the content more believable.

Video Speeds Up Onboarding

We’ve worked with teams that cut onboarding friction by 30%–50% just by adding short videos in the right places: confirmation emails, quick start pages, install guides, and dashboards.

Studies show video makes it much easier for people to understand a product compared to reading alone. It simplifies onboarding and cuts down on friction.

This isn’t about flashy promo videos. A 90-second screen share from a real user walking through setup is often more effective than a five-minute polished explainer.

Why Video Works: The Parasocial Effect

Video creates what psychologists call a parasocial relationship—a one-sided bond where the viewer feels connected to the person on screen.

That may sound manipulative, but it’s how human communication works. Seeing someone’s face and hearing their voice builds trust in a way that text alone doesn’t.

Put simply: video is scalable body language. And in developer marketing, trust is the whole game.

Where to Go From Here

If you want developers to adopt and champion your product, focus on creating content that builds trust and actually helps them get started faster.

Think of your content strategy less like a gated PDF library and more like a friendly guide who shows up where developers already spend their time.

Start by looking at your current content. Where are you relying on static docs? Where could a short, authentic video make a bigger impact?

The shift doesn’t have to be perfect or expensive. Start small, learn what resonates, and build from there.

For more on how top teams do this, check out this video interview Jono did with Martin Woodward, VP of Developer Relations at GitHub. It’s a great look at how GitHub builds trust and engages millions of developers in a real, narrative-driven way.