10 Tips to Making Sure Your API is a Hackathon Favorite
Our company, Ziggeo, was recently voted a fan favorite at hackathons by DevPost (formerly known as ChallengePost).
How did we do it? Here are 10 tips to keep in mind when sponsoring a hackathon:
- Show up early and engage the hackers -- these are the most critical moments of the hackathon to stir up interest
- Be present for most if not all of the hackathon (don’t disappear after presentations and show up for awards)
- Make sure it’s easy to get started with your API -- any quick start tricks will remove the friction
- Have a printed cheat sheet on hand that gives a quick overview on how to get started
- Prepare a printed sheet on hand that includes suggested ways your API could be used; ours had hundreds of ways and uses for our technology
- Prepare an FAQ so if you’re not around for any reason, there’s a go to resource
- Offer fun prizes (not necessarily expensive); we had someone draw cartoons of winning hackers in addition to offering a choice of gift certificates and GoPros.
- Create a presentation “ooh” moment -- audience members actually record and submit videos that immediately appear on the screen to show off our API
- Ensure your table isn’t buried so you can be easily found -- and if you have more than one person at the table, walk around to see if you can be helpful.
- Make sure you support women at the hackathon -- make women’s size T-Shirts, encourage a woman to present, offer appropriate prizes, etc.