Conference talk
KON-frens tawk
A presentation at a developer conference where a speaker shares technical knowledge, experience, or insights with an audience.
A conference talk is a presentation at a developer event. For companies, conference talks are one of the most effective ways to build credibility with developers. The speaker shares genuine technical knowledge, and the audience associates that expertise with the company.
The best conference talks are educational, not promotional. A talk about 'How we reduced our P99 latency by 80%' is interesting. A talk about 'Why you should buy our product' is not. Developers attend conferences to learn. If the talk teaches them something valuable, the company benefits through association.
Conference talks have a longer shelf life than most content. Recorded talks are published on YouTube, shared in newsletters, and turned into marketing content for years after the event.
Examples
A developer advocate presents at a major conference.
The talk covers 'Building resilient microservices' using real examples from production. The company's product is mentioned as one tool among several. The talk gets 50,000 YouTube views. It becomes the developer's introduction to the company for thousands of viewers.
A conference talk generates leads.
After the talk, 20 people visit the speaker's booth. Five request demos. Two become customers within 3 months. The conference talk created warmer leads than the company's booth alone ever could.
An engineer gives their first conference talk.
The DevRel team coaches a backend engineer to submit a CFP (call for papers) about their database migration experience. The talk is accepted. The engineer presents to 300 people. The personal growth and company visibility are both significant.
In practice
Read more on the blog
Frequently asked questions
How do you get accepted to speak at a conference?
Submit to the conference's CFP (Call for Papers). Write a compelling abstract that promises specific, actionable takeaways. Include your speaking experience and why you are uniquely qualified to give this talk. Start with smaller conferences and local meetups to build experience.
Should conference talks mention the company's product?
Briefly and naturally. The talk should deliver value regardless of whether the audience uses your product. Mention the product as context (this is what we use at Company X) but do not make it the focus. Educational talks build more trust than product pitches.
Related terms
An open invitation from a conference for potential speakers to submit talk proposals for consideration.
Representing developer interests within a company while helping developers succeed with the company's products.
A local, informal gathering of developers to learn, network, and discuss technical topics.
A hands-on educational session where developers build something guided by an instructor, learning by doing.
Want the complete playbook?
Picks and Shovels is the definitive guide to developer marketing. Amazon #1 bestseller with practical strategies from 30 years of marketing to developers.