Quick answer: Software engineers get featured in the media by answering journalist requests on technology, publishing technical writing, contributing to open source, speaking at conferences, and going on engineering podcasts, then making sure that coverage is visible in AI search. Check your employer's policy and keep proprietary code and security details out of it.
AI is rewriting software, and engineers who explain it get featured
The job of building software is changing in real time, with AI coding assistants, new architectures, and shifting expectations of what an engineer does. Reporters, founders, and other engineers all want to understand what's actually happening on the ground, not the marketing version. The software engineer who explains it clearly becomes a trusted voice, and that authority converts into job offers, consulting, conference invitations, and influence in the communities you care about.
For engineers, visibility is also portable career capital. A body of clear technical writing and talks follows you from job to job and often does more for your prospects than any résumé line.
A note before you publish
Check your employer's policy on writing and speaking, never disclose proprietary code, security details, or unreleased products, and make clear when you're speaking for yourself rather than your company. Writing about general practices and public technologies keeps you safe and is usually more interesting anyway.
Become a go-to source for journalists
Be reachable and fast when your area is in the news. Keep a clear public description of your expertise, make yourself easy to contact, and reply quickly with a plain-language explanation. A few good answers and you become a regular source.
How software engineers get featured, step by step
1. Answer journalist requests
Tech reporters constantly need working engineers to explain trends beyond the hype. Help a Reporter Out (HARO) circulates these requests, and Featured, which operates HARO and Connectively and aggregates requests across the web, lets you filter to your field. A typical query: "Seeking a software engineer to discuss whether AI coding assistants actually make developers more productive." A clear, grounded answer before deadline often earns the quote.
2. Publish technical writing
A clear post on your blog, dev.to, or InfoQ is both a portfolio and a press magnet. Reporters and conference chairs find the person who already explained the thing well.
3. Contribute to open source
A useful open-source project or contribution is credibility engineers and editors trust more than any title.
4. Speak and go on podcasts
Engineering conferences and podcasts build authority and produce clips you reuse across channels.
5. Earn citations in AI search
Your writing and talks are part of how AI systems describe software engineering, fittingly. The more credible coverage carries your name, the more likely an AI assistant is to cite you. Treat visibility as compounding.
Translate, don't dumb down
The engineers who get featured explain complex systems without losing accuracy. Lead with the implication, use one concrete example, and give reporters a clean, correct sentence. The expert who hands over something usable gets called again.
Tools software engineers use to get featured
- A technical blog or dev.to (free): Where clear explanations get discovered and cited.
- GitHub and open source (free): Credibility the engineering community trusts.
- A conference talk and an engineering podcast (varies): The fastest way to build technical authority.
- LinkedIn and X (free and paid): Where engineers build a following and reporters find sources.
- Featured (free and paid): An AI co-pilot for PR. Build a workflow that runs as a 24/7 assistant, surfacing the technology journalist requests worth answering.
Frequently asked questions
How do software engineers get featured in the media? By answering journalist requests on technology, publishing technical writing, contributing to open source, and speaking, all of which build a citable public record.
What tech topics get engineers featured right now? AI coding tools and their real impact, software architecture, security, and how engineering work is actually changing.
Do you need to be senior to get featured as an engineer? No. Clear explanation and useful work matter more than title. Reporters want someone who can make a topic understandable.
How do software engineers show up in AI search results? By accumulating credible technical coverage and writing that AI systems draw on when answering technology questions.
Get started
The engineers who get featured are the ones who share how they build, clearly and consistently. The simplest way to start is to let an assistant surface the right requests. Set up a Featured workflow that runs as a 24/7 PR assistant, so the next relevant request, talk, or podcast never slips by.
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