I had a friend ask me for help with their talk submission for #APIStrat in Amsterdam. He was concerned that his talk was too product pitchy, and wanted help making it something that not just would be accepted by our event, but something community would want to hear.
It is good to hear the concern, its true we want the best talks at #APIStrat, we don’t want to have a bunch of product pitches, we are seeking stories of API strategy and the practices from the trenches of API design, deployment and management.
Additionally, the audience doesn't want to hear it. I know many companies are focused on selling their products and services, but event audiences don't care. #APIStrat participants wants to hear about how you are solving the problems they face, using APIs.
Sure your product or service may solve their problems, but telling them this isn't good enough. You need intelligently articulate the problem and walk the the story of how the problem can be solved, in a compelling way. Sure your product or service may be woven in there, but it can't be the central actor in the story. You need to work extra hard to find a story that is meaningful to the #APIstrat audience, and provide details they can take home with them and apply in their own worlds.
We are still looking for more stories of API Strategy & Practice from the trenches. Our call for papers is only open for another week, so make sure and polish your story and get it submitted. I look forward to seeing you in Amsterdam.
