If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a product manager, operations lead, or procurement person sitting in a tech company of any size—from a startup building IoT sensors to a mid-sized enterprise rolling out smart retail devices—who’s hit that exact same roadblock. You’ve built a product that works, you’ve tested it in labs, and it’s ready to ship. But you know the real work doesn’t stop there: you need to get it into the hands of developers, integrators, and the teams that build things with embedded systems, but you’re not sure how to reach them. That’s where I come in. I’ve spent the last 12 years as an embedded channel supplier, and I’ve worked with companies that went from launching a single board to seeing their embedded components used in 17 different industries. I’ve made every mistake you can imagine, from overestimating the power of a single trade show booth to ignoring a community of engineers that ended up being our biggest advocates. Today, I want to walk you through the actual, actionable steps we’ve used to promote our embedded channel—steps that are rooted in how the embedded community actually works, not the generic B2B playbooks you’ll find on a Google search. Embedded Channel
First, let’s get one thing straight: embedded systems people are not your average B2B buyers. They don’t care about flashy marketing slogans, 30-minute sales calls, or discounted bulk orders that require a 12-month contract. They care about reliability, documentation, and the ability to get help when their code crashes at 2 a.m. before a product launch. When we first started out, we tried the standard route: we bought ads in embedded magazines, sent cold emails to engineering managers, and set up a website that was little more than a spec sheet dump. We got almost zero traction. One of our engineers, Jake, who spent his days answering forum questions about our hardware, pointed this out to me over a coffee. “No one buys parts from ads,” he said. “They buy from people they trust, or from parts that work when no one’s watching.” That comment changed everything. We shifted our entire promotion strategy to center around building trust within the embedded community, and that’s been our foundation ever since.
The first step we took, and the one that’s driven more new business than any other, was investing in embedded communities that already exist—on Reddit, Discord, LinkedIn Groups, and even niche forums like EEVblog or Stack Exchange’s Electrical Engineering. At first, I’ll admit, we were scared of being that “sales guy spamming links.” So we set a strict rule: for every promotional post or link we shared, we’d contribute three non-promotional answers to questions. For example, if someone on r/embedded asked how to resolve a common power issue in a microcontroller, our team of FAE (Field Application Engineers) would reply with a step-by-step fix, no mention of our product required. After a few months, we started participating in weekly AMAs where engineers could ask us anything about embedded design, supply chain delays, or even how to choose the right microcontroller for a low-power IoT device. What we found is that communities reward consistency more than hard sells. Last year, a startup building agricultural sensors reached out to us because they’d seen our FAE’s answer to a thread about battery life optimization. They said they’d tested three different component suppliers, but our engineer’s detailed, practical advice made them trust we’d be there to help if they ran into issues down the line. That client has since referred three other companies to us, and they all came in with the same line: “We saw your guy in the forums.”
Beyond online communities, another huge part of promoting our embedded channel is partnering with embedded education programs. Most engineering programs at universities either have a dedicated embedded systems track or integrate it into their capstone projects. For years, we’d send press releases to university engineering departments, but no one cared—until we started offering free component kits for capstone projects, with clear terms that let students use our hardware for non-commercial projects, and a discounted rate for when those projects went to production. We also started hosting free, monthly webinars with our FAE team, focused on practical topics like “Debugging Embedded IoT Connectivity” or “Optimizing Code for Low-Power Devices.” These webinars aren’t sales pitches—we spend the entire time teaching actionable skills, and we share our contact info only for people who ask follow-up questions. Today, we work with over 40 university programs across North America and Europe, and many of the engineers we work with now started out building their capstone projects with our components. Last year, a medical device manufacturer contacted us because three of their senior engineers had used our hardware in their undergrad projects, and they wanted a supplier that understood how embedded teams work, not just how to fill orders.
Next, we focused on making our embedded channel as accessible and transparent as possible—because embedded teams hate surprises. One of the biggest pain points for embedded engineers is supply chain uncertainty. Nothing kills a project faster than a component that’s backordered for 12 weeks, or a part that’s been discontinued without notice. So we built a dedicated embedded channel portal that’s not just an order page—it has real-time stock levels, lead times, and a clear roadmap for all our components, including which ones are scheduled for discontinuation, and when. We also added a “design support” tab that lets engineers submit a schematic or code snippet for a free review from our FAE team. This was a big investment—we had to hire four more FAE reps to handle the volume—but it’s paid off in spades. Last quarter, 28% of our new orders came from engineers who used the free schematic review tool. They didn’t just order a single part—they ordered bulk stock for their entire product line, because they trusted that our components were documented, supported, and wouldn’t disappear. We also started publishing our own monthly newsletter, but it’s not a list of new products. It’s a roundup of common embedded design mistakes, supply chain tips, and case studies of projects that used our components. We keep it short—under 500 words—and only send it to people who opt in, no buying lists.
Another strategy that worked for us was speaking at embedded events, but not just the big trade shows like Embedded World. We still attend those, but we prioritize smaller, niche events—like regional embedded meetups, hackathons focused on embedded IoT, and university engineering conferences. At these events, we don’t set up a booth with big posters or give out branded swag (well, maybe a few stickers, but nothing fancy). Instead, we host 15-minute “office hours” where engineers can drop by with their design challenges, no appointment needed. Last year, at a local embedded hackathon in Chicago, a team of graduate students was struggling to get their low-power sensor to communicate with a cloud platform. Our FAE stayed after his scheduled time to help them fix the issue, and six months later, their startup contacted us to be their primary embedded component supplier. The big trade shows still have their place—they’re great for connecting with larger companies that need volume pricing—but the small, community-focused events are where you build the relationships that turn into long-term clients. We also make a point to sponsor open-source embedded projects. For example, we contribute components to popular open-source hardware platforms like Arduino or Raspberry Pi Pico, and we donate parts to open-source projects that address social issues, like disaster response sensors or low-cost medical devices. This isn’t just a PR move—it gets our components in front of thousands of engineers who build with open-source tools, and many of them go on to use our products in their commercial projects.
One thing I learned the hard way is that you can’t promote an embedded channel in a vacuum—you have to listen to your audience. A few years ago, we thought our biggest segment was industrial embedded systems, so we focused all our marketing on that. But after attending a few community events, we started hearing from a lot of engineers working in smart home devices and consumer IoT. They had completely different needs: they needed components that were small, low-cost, and easy to integrate, not the rugged, high-price parts we were focusing on. We pivoted our embedded channel to create a dedicated line of components for consumer and smart IoT, and within 18 months, that segment made up 40% of our revenue. If we’d stuck to our original plan, we would have missed out on a huge opportunity. The key here is to talk to the people who are actually using your components—not just sales teams or managers. Our FAE team meets with engineers every week, and we hold quarterly feedback sessions where we ask them what’s working, what’s not, and what they need from a supplier. We even implemented a “feature vote” on our embedded channel portal, where engineers can suggest new components or features, and we prioritize the ones that get the most votes.
Now, let’s talk about what doesn’t work. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on paid ads on Google and LinkedIn, and the conversion rate is less than 1%. I’ve sent cold emails to engineering managers, and 99% of them go unanswered. I’ve tried hosting big product launches with fancy demos, and almost no one from the target embedded community showed up. The reason these things don’t work is because the embedded community is built on trust, not hype. Engineers can spot a sales pitch from a mile away, and they tune it out. They want people who understand their pain points, who can help them solve problems, and who won’t disappear after they’ve made a sale. That’s why all the strategies that worked for us are focused on being a resource, not a vendor. When we close an order, we don’t just send a confirmation email and disappear. We follow up a month later to make sure the components arrived, and we check in after three months to see how the integration is going. We’re not just selling parts—we’re building long-term partnerships.
I know a lot of suppliers get caught up in the idea that promotion is about reaching as many people as possible. But in the embedded space, it’s better to reach the right people. A single engineer who’s trusted our components and referred three of their colleagues is worth more than 10,000 ad impressions. Our promotion strategy is focused on deep, genuine connections, not broad reach. That’s why we’ve grown steadily over the last 10 years, even when competitors with bigger marketing budgets have entered the market.
If you’re an engineer or a team lead looking for a reliable embedded channel supplier that understands how embedded systems work, we’re here to help. We don’t just sell components—we provide the support, documentation, and flexibility that embedded teams need to get their projects off the ground and into production. Whether you’re a startup building your first product or an enterprise looking to streamline your supply chain, our team can work with you to find the right components for your needs. If you’d like to chat about your project, ask questions about our products, or learn more about how we support embedded teams, reach out to our embedded channel team today. We’re here to help you build something great.
Glass Sealant References
- EEVblog Community. (2023). The State of Embedded Systems Design: Community Insights and Trends.
- Stack Exchange Electrical Engineering. (2022). Guide to Selecting Embedded Component Suppliers for Reliability and Support.
- IEEE Computer Society. (2021). Embedded Systems Supply Chain Resilience: Best Practices for Manufacturers and Suppliers.
- Arduino Open Source Project. (2023). Open-Source Hardware Adoption in Commercial Embedded Applications.
- Embedded Systems Education Consortium. (2022). University Capstone Projects and their Impact on Commercial Embedded Product Development.
- Field Application Engineers International. (2023). The Role of FAE in Building Trust with Embedded Engineering Teams.
- IoT Analytics. (2022). Supply Chain Challenges in Embedded IoT Product Development: A Global Survey.
- Hackaday Community. (2023). Niche Embedded Events as a Gateway to Commercial Success for Component Suppliers.
- Open Source Initiative. (2022). Supporting Open-Source Hardware Projects: A Supplier’s Guide to Long-Term Partnerships.
- Society of Automotive Engineers. (2023). Embedded Component Requirements for Automotive and Industrial IoT Systems.
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