Your Code Is Great, So Why Isn’t It Selling?

A buddy of mine, a killer PHP dev, built a WooCommerce extension for subscription invoicing. It was clean, well-documented, and solved a real problem. He launched it, pushed it to a marketplace, and then… nothing. Crickets. He was baffled and pretty frustrated, thinking he’d just wasted three months building a dud. The code was solid, so what went wrong?

The problem wasn’t his code. The problem was he thought shipping good code was the whole job. For years, I made the same mistake. My first few utility plugins got maybe a dozen downloads. I thought marketing was for sales guys, not for serious devs. That was my single biggest blind spot, and it’s why most developer-led products fail. A solid developer marketing strategy isn’t optional.

Good Code Isn’t Enough

Here’s the kicker: nobody cares how elegant your code is if they don’t know it exists. And they won’t trust it—or you—if you just show up one day asking for their credit card number. The most valuable asset you can build isn’t a product; it’s an audience that trusts you. And the best way to do that is with an old-school email list. Period.

You build that trust by consistently sharing what you know. Write articles, solve small problems, and teach. I saw a fantastic breakdown of this on carlalexander.ca, where he detailed how he marketed his OOP book for WordPress. He didn’t just appear out of nowhere. He spent years writing and building a newsletter list of people who were already listening. When he announced the book, he was selling to a warm audience, not shouting into the void.

A No-Nonsense Launch Plan for Devs

• Build an Email List: This is non-negotiable. Put a simple signup form on your site. Write about the problems you’re solving. Give away your knowledge. People will sign up if you’re providing real value.
• Warm Up Your Audience: Don’t just email them when you want to sell something. Send them your articles, share useful tips, and keep them engaged. Train them to open your emails because they know there’s something good inside.
• Announce Early, Build Hype: Tell your list about the product a month before it launches. Let them know it’s coming. This isn’t about being a hype-man; it’s about respecting their attention and getting on their radar.
• Launch with an Exclusive Discount: Reward the people who’ve been with you from the start. A launch-week discount for your subscribers is a no-brainer. It drives urgency and makes your core audience feel valued.
• Send a “Last Chance” Reminder: People are busy. A simple email 24 hours before the launch discount ends will consistently be one of your highest-grossing days. Trust me on this. It’s not pushy; it’s helpful.

So, What’s the Point?

The point is that marketing doesn’t have to be slimy. For a developer, it’s just an extension of the work you already do: solving problems and building trust. My friend’s plugin was great, but he skipped the part where he proved he was a guy worth buying from. Don’t make that mistake. Build your audience first. The sales will follow.

Look, this stuff gets complicated fast. If you’re tired of debugging someone else’s mess and just want your site to work, drop my team a line. We’ve probably seen it before.