Cold outreach to Developer tools companies
The buyer is a product manager at a developer tools company, primarily measured on the adoption rate of their CI/CD pipeline. They respond to outreach that clearly shows an understanding of their integration challenges, particularly those related to observability and API platform performance. Demonstrating knowledge of their tech stack and specific pain points will make your outreach more compelling.
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
- integration complexities
- observability challenges
- api performance issues
- deployment delays
The playbook
- 01
Identify recent CI/CD updates
Use tools like GitHub or GitLab to find companies that have recently updated their CI/CD pipelines. Look for announcements or blog posts that highlight new features or integrations. This indicates a willingness to improve processes and may open the door for relevant discussions.
- 02
Pinpoint observability gaps
Research pain points related to observability in their recent product updates. Check developer forums or community discussions for mentions of issues or frustrations. Highlighting these gaps will resonate with the product manager's daily challenges and show that you understand their environment.
- 03
Analyze API performance feedback
Look for customer feedback on their API platform in review sites or social media. Identify common complaints or requests for improvements. Addressing these specific areas in your outreach will demonstrate that you have done your homework and are offering tailored solutions.
- 04
Time your outreach after product launches
Schedule your outreach shortly after a product launch or major update. Product managers are often more receptive to new ideas when their focus is on recent changes. Use tools like Product Hunt or relevant tech news sites to stay informed about launch timelines.
- 05
Prepare for common objections
Anticipate objections related to budget constraints or integration complexities. Prepare responses that acknowledge these concerns and offer insights into how your solutions can be cost-effective or simplify integration. This will help you to navigate objections smoothly during the conversation.
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 efficiency
- Observability solutions for your team
- Enhancing API performance insights
Questions
- Why do product managers in developer tools ignore cold outreach?
- Product managers often receive numerous outreach messages daily, making it difficult for them to engage with every one. If the outreach does not directly address their specific pain points or recent challenges, it is likely to be overlooked. Tailoring your message to their current needs is crucial.
- What factors influence a product manager's decision to engage?
- Product managers are more likely to engage when they see a clear connection between their current challenges and the solution being offered. Demonstrating an understanding of their recent product updates and pain points, along with a potential impact on their KPIs, can significantly increase response rates.
- How can I make my outreach stand out to developer tools companies?
- To stand out, focus on specific challenges faced by the company, such as integration issues or deployment delays. Offer insights or solutions that are directly relevant to their current projects. Personalization that reflects an understanding of their tech stack and recent updates can make your outreach more appealing.
- What common objections should I prepare for when reaching out?
- Common objections include budget constraints, concerns about integration complexity, and skepticism about the effectiveness of new solutions. Preparing thoughtful responses that address these concerns and offer clear benefits can help you navigate these objections and keep the conversation going.
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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