Social Media Manager · Developer Audience Specialist

Ryan Els

I build tech audiences from scratch. No ads, no fluff — just content that engineers actually want to read.

X / Twitter Threads Facebook Instagram YouTube TikTok
49M
Organic views
Lingo.dev on X — 10 months, zero ad spend
2M+
Threads views
Lingo.dev on Threads — first 90 days only
150M+
Total impressions
Across all platforms — entirely organic
029.8k
Followers grown
Personal (19k) + Lingo.dev (10.8k) — both from zero

I got my last job because a tech CEO found my personal account and reached out. That's the kind of content I make — the kind people in the industry actually follow.

I understand developer culture from the inside. Seven years of self-directed study in JavaScript and web development means I can talk about code like someone who builds things, not someone who Googled the talking points. That's why the content lands.

I'm also formally trained in film and television production — which means I can handle the full video content pipeline from scripting through to final edit, not just write captions.

Social Media Manager · Lingo.dev May 2025 – March 2026 · Remote

Built the company's social presence from zero to a genuine developer community across multiple platforms. No paid promotion, no gimmicks.

  • Grew the X account from zero to 10.8k followers and 49.2M organic views in 10 months, with no paid promotion or influencer partnerships.
  • Expanded to Threads, generating over 2M views within the first 90 days of launch.
  • Also managed content distribution across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, broadening overall brand reach.
  • Created content that went viral repeatedly within the developer community, with one post exceeding 1.2M views, by identifying trends that engineers actually care about.
  • Managed community replies with technical accuracy and personality — followers rated the account 9/10 in internal surveys.
  • Tracked industry shifts — including the rise of AI-assisted coding — to keep the brand relevant and credible in fast-moving conversations.

See Featured Content below for example posts and screenshots.

Technical Content Creator · Personal Brand 2024 – Present

Built a tech-focused personal account that became the direct reason I was hired. An inbound offer — the CEO came to me.

  • Grew a personal tech-focused X account to 19k+ followers and 110M+ impressions in a year — the account that led directly to an inbound job offer from a tech CEO.
  • Consistently produced viral content by focusing on specific engineering debates (array indexing, library bloat, tooling wars), with top posts reaching 2.8M and 2.1M views.
  • Built a trusted audience by engaging as a hobbyist programmer rather than a marketer — speaking to developers as a peer, not a brand.

See Featured Content below for example posts and screenshots.

Viral moments that actually moved the needle.

Click any post to open the original on X (includes live stats).

Organic Growth

Building audiences from zero without paid promotion — done it twice, across multiple platforms.

Multi-Platform Management

Active across X, Threads, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok — tailoring content strategy to each platform's audience and format.

Community Management

Replies that build trust. Not canned responses — actual engagement with technical accuracy.

Developer Content

Content that resonates with engineers because it's made by someone who codes.

Trend Analysis

Spotting what developers are arguing about before it peaks, and creating content for it.

Technical Literacy

7 years of self-directed study in JavaScript, web development, and web architecture.

Video Production

Formally trained across the full pipeline — scriptwriting, filming, editing, and production planning. Hands-on experience from concept to final cut.

Brand Voice

Writing for brands that need to sound like a person, not a press release.

Diploma in Film & Television Production Cape Town Film & Television School · 1992 – 1995

Three-year full-time program covering the complete video production pipeline — from concept through distribution.

  • Scriptwriting and pre-production planning
  • Camera work, lighting, and on-set production
  • Video editing and post-production
  • Film marketing and distribution fundamentals
Self-Directed Technical Study 2017 – Present

7 years of independent study in software development — the foundation that makes the developer content authentic.

  • JavaScript and modern web development
  • Web architecture and system design concepts
  • Hands-on personal projects throughout
"I'm writing to recommend Ryan Els. I managed him directly during his time as Social Media Manager at Lingo.dev.

The results speak for themselves. He grew our X account from near-zero to 10.8k followers and 49 million impressions in under 12 months, entirely organic, without paid distribution. He did this with a developer audience, which is one of the hardest groups to market to authentically. When we surveyed our followers, they rated the account 9 out of 10 on average.

What makes Ryan effective is that he's genuinely embedded in the world he's speaking to. He programs on the side, follows the tools, and understands the culture. His content feels like it comes from a peer. That's not something you can fake, and it's the reason the growth happened.

I'd recommend Ryan without hesitation for any role where a technical audience needs to be reached authentically." — Max Prilutskiy, CEO & Co-founder, Lingo.dev
March 20, 2026

📄 Download full recommendation letter (PDF)

Not a typical hire.

I didn't come up through marketing. I taught myself to code because I was curious. That curiosity led to a personal tech account, which led to 110M impressions, which led to a tech CEO finding me and offering me a job without me applying.

I understand why developers roll their eyes at most brand content. I make the kind they don't.