Building in public: where to post and what to share
How solo founders build an audience while they build the product: which communities to use, what to post each week, and how to mention your product without spamming.
In this note
Building in public means sharing the work as you do it: the idea, the numbers, the decisions and the mistakes. For a solo founder it does something no ad budget can. It builds an audience of people who've watched the product come together, and some of them become your first customers.
It also goes wrong in predictable ways: posting into the void, posting only wins, or showing up in a community for the first time with a link to your product. This guide covers where to post, what to share, and the rules that keep it from turning into spam. It runs alongside every step of our 90-day plan for a one-person business.
Two kinds of community
Before choosing platforms, separate two groups of people. They live in different places and need different things from you.
- Where you learn, get feedback and post updates
- r/SaaS, r/microsaas, r/indiehackers, r/SideProject, r/buildinpublic
- Indie Hackers, X (#buildinpublic), LinkedIn
- Good for accountability, advice and a few early fans
- Where the people who'll pay you spend time
- The subreddit and Facebook groups for your category
- The role subreddit for the person who'd buy it
- Where your actual revenue comes from
Most founders only post in founder communities and wonder why nobody buys. Other founders are a great audience for your story and a poor market for your product, unless you sell to founders. Join the customer communities as soon as you've picked your idea.
Where to post, by type of product
| Platform | Business software (B2B) | Consumer apps (B2C) |
|---|---|---|
| Your main platform. Builds a launch list | Credibility as a founder; customers are elsewhere | |
| Category and role subreddits | Niche subreddits for your users | |
| Facebook groups | Category groups; lifetime-deal groups later | Groups for your users' hobby or need |
| X | Accountability and other founders | Accountability and other founders |
| TikTok, Instagram, Shorts | Skip | Short demos of the product doing its one thing |
| Indie Hackers | A public build log and a backlink | A public build log and a backlink |
| Product Hunt | One launch later, mainly for the backlink | One launch later, mainly for the backlink |
Pick two platforms and be consistent on them, rather than posting occasionally everywhere.
Follow before you post
For your first week in any community, read and don't post. Learn the tone, the rules and who's active. Upvote and leave a few helpful comments so your account isn't brand new when you need it. Reddit in particular punishes new accounts that self-promote.
Set up free alerts for your competitors' names (F5Bot covers Reddit and Hacker News; Google Alerts covers the web) so you see the threads where people ask for alternatives the moment they appear.
What to share each week
You don't need to be a writer. You need one honest update a week, and each one can be a single screenshot with three sentences.
Waitlist sign-ups, first revenue, hours spent. Real numbers, including small ones, are what people follow.
What you cut, what you priced, which idea you crossed out and why. Decisions show your thinking.
The rough sketch next to the real screen. The ugly first version next to the fixed one.
The session recording that made you wince, the feature nobody used. Honesty is the whole point.
Good moments to capture, step by step: your idea spreadsheet filling up, competitors' pricing pages side by side, the feature list being cut down, the first waitlist post, the first payment notification, and the first month you pay yourself.
The rules for mentioning your product
Once you're answering questions in customer communities, use one format and stick to it:
- Answer the actual question first, fully, as if you had nothing to sell.
- Then one line about your product and its price, only if it genuinely fits.
- Then a disclosure: "Full disclosure, I'm the founder."
Answer questions where your product isn't relevant too. That's what earns you the right to mention it when it is. Three to five good answers a week, about 20 minutes a day when the alerts come in, adds up.
What doesn't work
- Only posting wins. People follow the struggle. A feed of launches and milestones reads as marketing.
- Growing X as a sales channel. Very few bootstrapped software founders get customers from X. Use it for accountability and to meet the 20 people who'll become your beta list.
- Product Hunt as a launch strategy. Do it once for the backlink. Don't expect customers.
- Posting a link on day one. In any community, earn trust first.
Frequently asked questions
What is building in public?
Sharing your work as you build a product: the numbers, decisions, progress and mistakes, usually in weekly posts. It builds an audience that trusts you, and some of that audience becomes your first customers.
Where should I build in public?
Pick two platforms. For business software, LinkedIn plus the subreddits and Facebook groups for your category. For consumer apps, short videos on TikTok or Instagram plus the communities your users belong to.
Is building in public worth it if I have no followers?
Yes. Your first updates are for accountability and for a handful of people, not for reach. Posting where your customers already gather matters more than follower count.
How do I promote my product on Reddit without getting banned?
Read a community's rules and lurk for a week first. Answer the question fully, mention your product in one line only when it fits, and always disclose that you're the founder.
How often should I post?
Once a week is enough to start: one honest update with a number or a decision. Consistency matters more than volume.
Build in public with people who are doing it too
Solo Software Studio, the community included with Heyron membership, is a place to post your weekly updates, get feedback, and see what's working for other solo founders. Your Heyron agent can draft the updates for you. See what's included.