Ask HN: How to get developers to try your product (in a non-spammy way)?

Everyone knows that developers hate it with a passion when people try to sell stuff to them.

But many developers are also very generous in testing new products and offering candid feedback to the makers.

My question is - what is the cheat code for striking that balance? What gets developers to sign up and try your dev-oriented product in an authentic way? - Are there specific platforms or communities where developers are more receptive to these requests? - Maybe a specific type of pitch that is more effective? - Perhaps a specific medium that most developers prefer?

I'm very interested to hear what's worked well for you.

Thank you!