Building in Public: What Actually Works

Building in public became a movement. Like all movements, it has useful parts and cargo-cult parts. Here is what actually moves the needle.

What Works

**Revenue transparency.** Sharing real numbers builds credibility. Monthly revenue updates, user counts, and growth metrics show you are running a real business. People respect the vulnerability and it attracts potential customers who want to support the journey.

**Technical decisions.** Writing about why you chose Supabase over Firebase, or why you switched from REST to GraphQL, provides genuine value. Other builders learn from your experience. These posts also rank well in search — people Google these comparisons constantly.

**Failure analysis.** Sharing what went wrong and what you learned is more valuable than celebrating wins. A post about why your launch flopped gets more engagement than a post about hitting a milestone. People relate to struggle.

What Doesn't Work

**Daily standup posts.** Nobody cares that you "worked on the dashboard today." These posts get low engagement and dilute your brand. Save updates for meaningful milestones.

**Vague inspiration.** "Believe in your vision and never give up" is not building in public. It is content marketing without substance. Share specifics or do not post.

**Oversharing process.** Your commit history is not content. Your Figma iterations are not content. The interesting part is the decision and the reasoning, not the execution details.

The Right Frequency

Post when you have something genuinely useful to share. For most founders, that is 1-2 times per week. A weekly update with real insights beats daily filler.

Where to Share

Twitter/X for quick updates and engagement. Your blog for longer technical content. LinkedIn for B2B products. Indie Hackers for community discussion. Pick two platforms and do them well rather than spreading thin across five.

The Real Benefit

The biggest benefit of building in public is not marketing. It is accountability. When you tell people what you are going to do, you are more likely to do it. The audience is a forcing function for consistency.

Build in public because it makes you a better builder, not because it is a growth hack.