GitLab is a leader in the DevSecOps space, producing a vast amount of high-quality thought leadership content, including interviews, product updates, blogs, and keynotes. However, this content was scattered across multiple platforms, making it difficult for developers and IT decision-makers to stay updated.
Through social listening and platform analytics, we identified a key audience need:
💡 Opportunity Identified:
Consolidate GitLab’s news into a monthly video and LinkedIn newsletter—creating a go-to content source for GitLab’s audience.
Objectives:
✅ Increase GitLab’s thought leadership presence in the DevSecOps space.
✅ Drive engagement on LinkedIn and grow The Monday Merge newsletter subscribers.
✅ Create a repeatable, scalable content format that aligns with GitLab’s brand.
Target Audience:
👨💻 Software Developers & DevSecOps Practitioners – Technical professionals looking for expert insights.
💼 IT Decision Makers & Business Leaders – Evaluating GitLab as an enterprise solution.
🤝 GitLab Community – Existing users and advocates.
Strategy:
📌 Develop a monthly, social-first content series hosted by GitLab’s Developer Advocate, Fatima, ensuring credibility and authenticity.
📌 Use LinkedIn’s newsletter feature to maximize organic reach and subscriber growth.
📌 Position Monday Merge as a “one-stop-shop” for all GitLab thought leadership content.
🟣 Content Format & Branding:
🎬 Production Process (Monthly Workflow):
1️⃣ GitLab shares key content priorities for the month.
2️⃣ 1000heads scripts the episode and writes the LinkedIn newsletter.
3️⃣ GitLab records Fatima’s video update.
4️⃣ 1000heads post-produces and distributes across LinkedIn & other social channels.
🚀 Key Evolutions:
"The Monday Merge represents a perfect alignment between audience needs and content strategy. By consolidating our thought leadership content into a digestible, video-first format and strategically choosing Monday mornings for distribution, we've created a powerful touchpoint that truly resonates with our DevSecOps community. Working with our creative partners at 1000heads, we've built this into a consistent, high-quality content series that our audience actively seeks out. The rapid growth to over 200,000 subscribers and consistently strong engagement rates demonstrate that we're not just sharing content – we're building a valuable resource that keeps our community informed while establishing GitLab as a trusted voice in the DevSecOps space." Tim Schraeder Rodriguez - Senior Manager @ GitLab
📊 Impact in First 24 Hours:
⚡ 80K newsletter subscribers within 48 hours of launch.
📈 Since Launch (Combined Stats Across LinkedIn, Instagram & X):
🔹 145,000 Subscribers in the first 30 days
🔹 172K Newsletter views
🔹 204K subscribers in total
🔹 25 Published Posts
🔹 395K+ Impressions
🔹 10.7K+ Engagements
🔹 61K+ Video Views
📌 LinkedIn-Specific Performance:
🔹 364K+ Impressions
🔹 9.9K+ Engagements
🔹 42K+ Video Views
🔹 2.7% Engagement Rate
💡 The Monday Merge has successfully established GitLab as a thought leader, increased brand visibility, and created an engaging, repeatable content format that resonates with the DevSecOps community. Top companies that are reading/subscribing include: AWS (Amazon Web Services), Microsoft, Google, Tata Consultancy Services, IBM, Capgemini, and Accenture.
Conclusion
The Monday Merge transformed GitLab’s thought leadership strategy, consolidating scattered content into a high-impact, scalable content series. By leveraging LinkedIn’s newsletter format and data-driven publishing, we successfully built a trusted monthly update that delivers real value to GitLab’s audience while driving significant engagement and subscriber growth.
