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A strong product does not automatically attract users. Developers can build something useful and still struggle to reach the people who need it because building, launching, and earning attention are different jobs. The practical question is not simply how to make a better product; it is how to connect a specific audience with it, help them understand its value, and measure whether they adopt it.
Why does nobody know about my product?
There is no reliable statistic showing what share of excellent developer products go undiscovered. But the underlying challenge is real: making software and making people aware of it require different capabilities. Technology has lowered barriers to developing and launching products, while digital channels expose audiences to more competing messages. McKinsey’s 2017 cross-industry analysis says more than 50% of product launches fail to hit business targets. That is not a software-specific failure rate, nor does it mean that more than half of software products are undiscovered. It does show why shipping alone is not a distribution plan. McKinsey’s analysis of product launches also associates stronger outcomes with collaboration, market insight, rigorous launch planning, and talent development; it did not find that spending more on a launch correlated with success in the analysis discussed.
A product can be technically excellent yet miss because it targets too broad an audience, reaches that audience in the wrong place, or fails to turn initial interest into a first successful use. Gartner’s September 2025 research abstract puts the audience problem plainly: “Product marketing leaders must target the right developers and engage them in nuanced ways to achieve the complete, strategic impact expected.” The abstract supports that strategic point, but does not provide detailed recommendations or a universal playbook.
How do I get users for my software product?
Start by deciding which kind of buyer or user you need to reach and how they are likely to discover a product like yours. A mobile app, a developer tool, and software sold to business buyers may need different routes. There is no evidence here that one channel works best for every product.
#1 Best Overall
| Product or audience | Possible discovery route | What to evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app users | Organic app-store search | Whether the app appears for relevant searches and converts store-page visitors into installs |
| Developers adopting a tool | Technical content, documentation, events, developer portals, or community spaces | Whether the right developers engage and reach a useful first outcome |
| Business buyers | Audience-specific marketing and direct outreach | Whether qualified prospects understand the product and progress toward adoption |
These are routes to test, not guaranteed recipes. Choose a route that matches how the intended audience evaluates and adopts products, then track whether it brings qualified people rather than just attention.
How do developers market their products?
For teams reaching developer audiences, technical material can make a product easier to evaluate: it can show what the software does, how it works, and whether it fits a developer’s task. In the 2024 State of Developer Relations survey, 54.5% of respondents selected content marketing, including blog posts and case studies, among their most effective tactics for attracting developers. Public speaking and event organization followed. These are reported preferences, not proof that content or events will deliver the same results for every team.
The report also lists LinkedIn, branded developer portals, company websites, YouTube, and GitHub among outreach channels. Rather than adopting every channel, define the developer segment you need to reach and test one or two plausible ways to reach it. A useful technical article, a relevant talk, or a well-maintained project page is more valuable when it answers the audience’s actual questions than when it merely announces that a product exists.
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Rank #3
Why isn’t my product getting traction?
“Traction” can refer to awareness, trials, active use, retention, or revenue. Those are different stages, so measure the one that matches the current problem. If few qualified people encounter the product, investigate reach and discovery. If people arrive but do not activate, inspect the product explanation, onboarding, and documentation. If they try it but do not return, examine whether it solves a recurring need.
The 2024 State of Developer Relations report illustrates the measurement gap: active users was the most frequently selected program-success metric, at 44.3%; content engagement was selected by 37.8%. Respondents also named attracting new developers (32.5%) and proving business impact (28.5%) as leading challenges. These figures describe survey respondents’ reporting, not a universal benchmark. They reinforce the value of connecting channel activity to adoption: a page view or event attendance is not the same outcome as an active user.
How do people discover a new app?
For mobile apps, app-store search can be an important discovery route, particularly for newly launched or lesser-known apps. The Competition and Markets Authority’s interim report says organic app-store search matters and that ranking tends to matter more in those cases. It cites a separate CMA 2017 literature review in which the top three vertically ranked links received more than 70% of mobile clicks in the search contexts reviewed. That figure is specific to those mobile search contexts; it should not be read as current click behavior across all search engines, app stores, or software products. The CMA’s mobile ecosystems market study discusses app-store search in its mobile-market context, not general web SEO.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Can a developer community help find early customers?
Community spaces and open-source participation can provide routes to early users, but survey comparisons do not establish that building a community causes customer growth. Supabase’s 2026 State of Startups page reports that surveyed startups with developer communities had higher shares of first customers coming from Discord, Slack, or Reddit and from converting open-source users than startups without such communities. Personal networks were more prominent among respondents without a community. Those differences are useful prompts for choosing where to participate, not a forecast of what a new community will produce.
Best Value
A practical way to diagnose discoverability
- Name the audience: Describe the specific role, problem, and use case the product serves. “Developers” or “small businesses” is usually too broad to guide channel choices.
- Choose a discovery route to test: Select a channel that audience plausibly uses to find or assess this type of product, such as technical content, an event, community participation, or app-store search for a mobile app.
- Make evaluation and first use straightforward: Explain the product’s fit, provide accurate documentation, and give newcomers a clear next step toward experiencing value.
- Measure the next stage, not just exposure: Track qualified reach, activation, active use, retention, or business impact according to the problem you are trying to solve. Compare channel activity with the adoption outcome it is meant to support.
- Adjust based on observed behavior: If the right people are not arriving, revisit audience or channel fit. If they arrive but stall, investigate comprehension and onboarding before simply increasing promotion.
This sequence is a diagnostic, not a guaranteed growth formula. The sources point to the same distinction: product quality matters, but audience fit, distribution, planning, and the path from discovery to adoption determine whether the people who could benefit actually find and use the product.
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