Sharing Top Sections From Your API Documentation As Part Of Your Communications Strategy

I’m always learning from the API communication practices from out of the different AWS teams. From the regular storytelling coming out of the Alexa team, to the mythical tales of leadership at AWS that have contributed to the platform’s success, the platform provides a wealth of examples that other API providers can emulate.

As I talked about last week, finding creative ways to keep publishing interesting content to your blog as part of your API evangelism and communications strategy is hard. It is something you have to work at. One way I find inspiration is by watching the API leaders, and learning from what they do. An interesting example I recently found out of the AWS security team, was their approach to showcasing the top 20 AWS IAM documentation pages so far in 2017. It is a pretty simple, yet valuable way to deliver some content for your readers, that can also help you expose the dark corners of your API documentation, and other resources on your blog.

The approach from the AWS security team is a great way to generate content without having to come up with good ideas, but also will help with your SEO, especially if you can cross publish, or promote through other channels. It’s pretty basic content stuff, that helps with your overall SEO, and if you play it right, you could also get some SMM juice by tweeting out the store, as well as maybe a handful of the top links from your list. It is pretty listicle type stuff, but honestly if you do right, it will also deliver value. These are the top answers, in a specific category, that your API consumers are looking for answers in. Helping these answers rise to the top of your blog, search engine, and social media does your consumers good, as well as your platform.

One more tool for the API communications and evangelism toolbox. Something you can pull out when you don’t have any storytelling mojo. Which is something you will need on a regular basis as an API provider, or service provider. It is one of the tricks of trade that will keep your blog flowing, you readers reading, and hopefully your valuable API, products, services, and stories floating to the top of the heap. And that is what all of this is about–staying on top of the pile, keeping things relevant, valuable, and useful. If we can’t do that, it is time to go find something else to do.