12 ways ecosystem projects can attract more developers

There are multiple strategies to help crypto ecosystems create a welcoming environment for developers.

The ecosystem concept is unique to (and uniquely suited to) the crypto industry. These synergistic communities offer a network where participants can benefit from each other’s work and progress while building an ever-stronger foundation. A recent study found there were more than 18,000 active Web3 developers and pinpointed the ecosystems having the most success attracting new developers.

So what do ecosystem projects need to do to achieve similar success to these top performers? According to the industry experts of Cointelegraph Innovation Circle, it’s essential to be cognizant of what developers are really looking for in an ecosystem. Below, 12 of them share strategies ecosystem projects can leverage to attract more developers.

Build a supportive international community

Create a supportive community, and provide developers with the support they need to launch successfully on your network. Create an ambassadors program in key countries, and manage monthly meetups with the local dev community. In addition, offer incentives to project owners to migrate or launch on your network, like gas fees rebates. These are just some of the things you can do to attract devs. – Tomer Warschauer Nuni, Kryptomon

Support developers who are already building

The best thing you can do to attract new developers to your network is to support the ones who are already building! Give them the tools, resources and marketing support that they need to grow. As a result, other developers will see how supportive and attractive your ecosystem is, and they’ll be enticed to build with you as well. A nice grant program doesn’t hurt, either. – Molly Glennon, Ditto

Provide the resources needed to build and scale applications

Ecosystem projects looking to attract more developers must focus on providing developers with the right tools, resources and support to build and scale their applications on the network. To do this, projects should offer robust developer documentation and resources, provide access to necessary development tools and offer dedicated support channels for developers to ask questions and receive help. – Akash Takyar, LeewayHertz

Provide a comprehensive and user-friendly platform

One thing ecosystem projects can do to attract more developers is to provide a comprehensive and user-friendly development platform, including robust developer tools, clear documentation and accessible technical support. Additionally, offering incentives such as grants, bounties and hackathons can also motivate developers to contribute to the ecosystem and build on the network. – Erki Koldits, OÜ Popspot

Articulate your purpose and mission

Often, ecosystem projects make the mistake of thinking developers are looking for monetary rewards. While that may be true to some extent, I believe that developers are longing for a sense of purpose and a true mission far more than any monetary compensation. If you’re able to articulate a true sense of mission to your current and potential developers, then you’ll be much more successful. – Ayelet Noff, SlicedBrand

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Focus on speed, security, scalability and ease of use

Ecosystems are mainly competing on speed, security, scalability and ease of use. These factors are very important, and if your network is not working on them, you will probably have a hard time attracting developers. However, the difference can come from having a really supportive community that can help developers when they are just starting out or when they hit a serious development obstacle. – Bogomil Stoev, Seasonal Tokens

Cultivate a vibrant community

Blockchain projects can support their networks by helping cultivate a vibrant community where new developers can easily connect and find synergies. Events, competitions and hackathons are all great ways to not only bring people together, but also to bring new talent and ideas into the ecosystem. – Wolfgang Rückerl, ENT Technologies AG

Offer popular incentives

Along with a supportive community, blockchain ecosystems should offer captivating incentives via developer-focused programs like Gitcoin grants, the Ethereum Foundation grants program and the Solana Season Hackathon. These programs offer coding hackathons, bounties for code-bug auditing, grants and rewards for developers, giving them recognition for their contributions to the ecosystem. – Vinita Rathi, Systango

Leverage reward and referral programs

Find ways to create incentives for them. One way to do so is to create a developer rewards program through which network participants receive token airdrops or lower transaction costs for their contributions. Referral programs can also incentivize existing network developers to bring others into the ecosystem. – Anthony Georgiades, Pastel Network

Maintain clear network roadmaps

Ecosystem projects should focus on their main missions and community building. This includes everyone from users to developers and everyone in between. It’s also valuable to maintain clear network roadmaps to allow the community to scale with you. This will ensure developers have confidence in the foundational layer of their project. – Megan Nyvold, BingX

Feed developers’ love for constant innovation

Developers love constant innovation. Give them a sleek, simple tool that makes things more seamless, easier, faster or just more intuitive. Make sure they get first dibs on new products that are game-changing. – Yaoqi Jia, AltLayer

Support cultural flexibility and provide access to helpful tools and content

It’s paramount to build a supportive and engaging community and culture for developers. This can be achieved through supporting cultural flexibility and providing access to helpful content and developer-friendly tools and APIs. Additionally, attractive incentives and rewards, such as hackathons and bug bounty programs, can promote a competitive culture. – Sheraz Ahmed, STORM Partners

This article was published through Cointelegraph Innovation Circle, a vetted organization of senior executives and experts in the blockchain technology industry who are building the future through the power of connections, collaboration and thought leadership. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Cointelegraph.

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