A Practical Blogging Strategy for Software Engineers Who Want to Be Seen
What to publish, where to publish, and how to become visible in the dev community.
Most engineers want more visibility.
They want better opportunities, stronger networks, interesting people to collaborate with, and an audience to share ideas with.
But almost nobody publishes.
Not because they can’t write — but because they underestimate the value of sharing their experiences.
Here’s a practical approach to becoming visible in the engineering community without becoming a “content creator” caricature.
1. Write About Real Problems You’ve Faced
Tutorials are everywhere. Your unique experience isn’t.
Write about:
decisions that didn’t age well
production incidents
process failures
gaps in documentation
weird edge cases
cultural or communication friction
When you talk about how and why things broke in the real world, people listen.
2. Keep a Friction Log
Throughout the week, capture tiny frustrations:
confusing toolchains
vague error messages
flaky pipelines
messy abstractions
Each entry is a potential post.
You’re not inventing ideas — you’re documenting where reality rubbed against expectation.
3. Add Context
The best engineering content explains the environment.
Tell readers:
the constraints
the deadlines
the team size
the trade-offs
Context turns ordinary lessons into useful ones.
4. Publish in One Place, Distribute in Several
Your long-form post lives on Substack.
That’s where you build a home.
Then you extract:
a short LinkedIn post with the core insight
a dev.to version with a code snippet or technical variation
a small thread on X breaking down the conclusion
One idea becomes multiple touch points.
Repetition builds recognition.
5. Develop Themes
Engineers should know what you “stand for.”
Pick four or five recurring themes such as:
architecture trade-offs
developer productivity
building and shipping SaaS products
AI tooling in everyday workflows
team dynamics and communication
Patterns create identity.
6. Publish at a Sustainable Cadence
One solid article a week is enough to grow.
Add two short posts on LinkedIn or X if you can.
Consistency beats intensity.
Engineers respect long-term thinkers.
7. Have Opinions
It’s easy to write safe content.
It’s forgettable.
You don’t have to be loud or provocative.
Just be honest.
Say what you learned, where you disagree, and what you’d do differently next time.
People follow clarity, not neutrality.
8. Engage With the Community
Comment on other posts, respond thoughtfully, ask questions, share someone else’s article.
Publishing without engaging is broadcasting into the void.
Visibility is social.
9. Build a Library
Over time, group posts into categories:
scaling lessons
debugging patterns
cultural pain points
productivity systems
architecture stories
Each category becomes a reference.
That’s how readers start saying:
“I go to this person when I need clarity on X.”
10. Focus on Clarity, Not Perfection
Good writing has:
simple sentences
direct claims
clean structure
Cut jargon.
Cut filler.
Cut disclaimers.
Publishing teaches clarity.
The Real Benefit
You won’t just get views.
You’ll get:
better job conversations
invitations to speak or collaborate
early adopters for side projects
consulting leads
a network that opens doors
Writing compounds.
The earlier you start, the sooner it pays off.
Final Thought
Don’t wait until you feel “experienced enough.”
Publishing is how you sharpen your thinking and find your audience.
Engineers who write become more valuable than engineers who don’t.
Start with one post.
You’ll figure out the rest along the way.