How to sell to CTOs at Developer tools companies in United Kingdom
CTOs in developer tools companies prioritize system uptime and performance metrics. They are measured on reducing downtime and improving deployment frequencies. They respond to outreach that demonstrates a clear understanding of their tech stack challenges, particularly around CI/CD pipelines and observability, and how a solution can enhance their operational efficiency.
Written and maintained by the SoloRiff team, who build outbound software and run outbound with it. The figures below are our own: we measured 587 developer tools company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.
What actually hurts
- frequent deployment failures
- inadequate observability tools
- slow response to system outages
- high operational overhead
The playbook
- 01
Identify recent CI/CD failures
Search for news articles or forum discussions highlighting recent CI/CD pipeline failures within your target companies. This indicates a pain point that your solution can address. Use tools like Google News or industry-specific forums to gather this information.
- 02
Target firms expanding API capabilities
Filter your prospect list for companies announcing new API integrations or expansions. This signals a need for enhanced observability tools. Utilize LinkedIn or industry newsletters to identify these announcements and create a targeted outreach list.
- 03
Highlight deployment frequency metrics
In your outreach, reference specific metrics related to deployment frequencies that are relevant to the prospect's recent projects. This shows you’ve done your homework and understand their operational goals. Use data from their public releases or tech blogs to tailor your message.
- 04
Anticipate objections about budget constraints
Prepare to address budget concerns by outlining cost-saving benefits of your solution. Research their funding rounds or recent financial news to gauge their budget flexibility. This allows you to frame your solution as an investment rather than a cost.
- 05
Follow up post-event engagement
After industry events or webinars, reach out to prospects who attended. Reference discussions or insights shared during the event to create a relevant connection. Timing your follow-up within 48 hours ensures your outreach is timely and top of mind.
Can developer tools companies even receive your mail?
We measured the DNS of 587 developer tools companies, sampled evenly across company sizes, to see how many authenticate their own email. It matters in both directions: a domain that does not authenticate is a domain whose team is used to mail going missing — and if your own domain is in the gap, yours is the mail going missing.
Publishes a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject — the domain actually asks receivers to act on failures.
The gap is the finding: 27.4% of 1–10-person companies against 94.9% of the largest — 68 points apart. Small companies are where the unauthenticated domains are, and small companies are who most cold outreach is aimed at.
Where does your domain sit?
Same three lookups, run live against your domain. Nothing is stored and nothing is emailed to you.
How this was measured
Company domains were sampled within employee-count bands, then queried over public DNS for SPF (TXT at the apex), DMARC (TXT at _dmarc.) and MX. One domain per company, deduplicated. Anyone can reproduce any single row of this with dig.
DKIM is deliberately absent. A DKIM key lives under a selector that cannot be enumerated from outside the domain, so a company with flawless DKIM under a name we did not guess would be counted as having none. That would measure our guess list, not the industry.
Domains with no MX record are excluded rather than counted as failures — parked and redirect-only domains would otherwise drag every figure down and make the result an artefact of the sample.
Sampled within bands, so this describes the population of companies, not of employees: a 10-person company counts once, as does a 10,000-person one. Each band is at least 60 domains; bands below that are not published. Figures are percentages of the sample, not of the whole industry, and we publish no company names — only counts.
Measured 2026-09-03. Re-measured monthly.
The full census across every industry — sortable, with sample sizes, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Subject lines that fit
- Improving your CI/CD pipeline
- API expansion challenges
- Enhancing system observability
Questions
- Why do CTOs at developer tools companies ignore outreach about new tools?
- CTOs often receive numerous pitches and may ignore them if they don't immediately see relevance to their current challenges. Outreach must be highly tailored to demonstrate an understanding of their specific pain points, such as CI/CD issues or API management needs.
- What factors influence a CTO's decision to adopt new technology?
- CTOs consider factors like integration ease with existing systems, potential ROI, and the ability to solve specific operational challenges. They also weigh the long-term benefits against short-term disruptions, making it crucial to present clear value propositions.
- How can I effectively engage a CTO in the developer tools space?
- Engagement should be based on a deep understanding of their technology landscape and current challenges. Providing insights or solutions that directly address their pain points, such as improving deployment speeds or enhancing observability, can lead to meaningful conversations.
- What common objections do CTOs have regarding new solutions?
- CTOs frequently raise concerns about budget constraints, integration challenges, and the potential disruption to existing workflows. Addressing these objections upfront in your outreach can help build trust and demonstrate that you understand their operational realities.
Or have it run itself
SoloRiff does every step above on its own — finds the companies, finds the people, writes each of them individually, and handles the replies. Drop your URL and watch it work before you sign up for anything.
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