Building in Public
Turn your building process into your most powerful marketing tool — and grow an audience before you even launch.
What Does "Building in Public" Actually Mean?
Building in public means sharing your journey — your progress, your mistakes, your numbers, and your wins — openly on the internet while you create something. Instead of waiting until your product is "perfect" and ready to launch, you let people watch you build it in real time.
Think of it like a reality TV show for your business. The cameras are always rolling. Your audience follows along as you figure things out, solve problems, and slowly turn an idea into something real.
It works because people are curious about process. They want to know how things get made, not just see the final product. When you share that journey openly, you create a connection that traditional marketing can never fake.
Why Bother Sharing Your Work?
Here's the thing: getting people to notice your product is the hardest part of being a solo builder. You can build something amazing in secret for a year and then... nobody shows up on launch day. Building in public solves that problem before it even starts.
When you share your journey, you slowly gather three things that every founder needs:
Early believers — People who start following you early become emotionally invested in your success. They're not just potential customers — they're rooting for you. And when you launch, they show up.
Free feedback loop — Every post is a chance for someone to tell you "oh, I wanted that too" or "this feature would be amazing." You learn what people actually want before you've built the wrong thing.
Proof that you exist — The internet is crowded. Publishing consistently proves you're real, you're active, and you're worth paying attention to. It's the cheapest distribution strategy available.
Key Insight
By the time you're ready to launch, an audience of potential customers should already know you, trust you, and be waiting for what you've built. Building in public turns months of development time into marketing runway.
A Simple System for Sharing Your Journey
You don't need to be a content creator or spend hours writing posts. The goal is consistency, not perfection. Here's a straightforward way to start:
Share What You Build
Post screenshots, short videos, or quick text updates about what you worked on today. It doesn't need to be polished — real and raw beats perfect every time.
Show Your Numbers
Share revenue, growth, traffic — even when they're small. "Day 14: hit $47 in revenue" is far more interesting to your audience than silence.
Talk About Failures
Nothing builds trust faster than honesty. When something goes wrong, share what happened and what you learned. People connect with honesty, not highlight reels.
The best platforms for building in public are Twitter/X (short, fast updates), LinkedIn (more professional audience), a personal newsletter (deeper connection), and YouTube (for visual learners who want to watch you work).
Start with one platform. Post at least once a week. Respond to every comment. Over time, a community forms around your work.
A Simple "Ship This Week" Update
Here's a low-pressure way to start building in public: write a weekly "what I shipped" update. It's short, honest, and takes about 15 minutes. Here's a template you can copy:
// WEEK 12 SHIP UPDATE // What I built this week: - Added search filtering to the dashboard - Fixed a bug that was crashing on mobile - Wrote the FAQ page (finally!) // Numbers: Revenue: $312 (up from $287) New signups: 14 Churn: 1 user left (rip) // What went wrong: Tried to add dark mode, broke half my CSS, spent Tuesday undoing it. Back to light mode. // This week's goal: Launch the referral system. If 3 people refer a friend, I'll buy myself a coffee. // Still stuck on: How do I get my first 5 paying customers? Any advice appreciated — genuinely.
That's it. No fancy writing. No polish. Just honest updates that people can follow. Post this on Twitter, LinkedIn, or your newsletter. Watch who starts engaging with you.
Knowledge Check
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