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Growth

Building in Public: Grow While You Ship

Share your journey. Learn how indie makers grew their audience and user base by documenting their process publicly, and how to start building in public.

By ReachFront·September 29, 2026·7 min read

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The most underrated growth channel for indie app makers is your own story.

Building in public means sharing your journey (the wins, the failures, the lessons) before your app is "perfect."

Why It Works

When you build in public:

  1. You attract early users (followers become day-1 users)
  2. You get feedback loops (audience tells you what's missing)
  3. You build credibility (shipping in the open proves competence)
  4. You create content (your journey *is* your marketing)

The Platforms

X (Quick Wins)

  • Thread format: "I built this in Y days. Here's what I learned."
  • Frequency: 2–3 times/week
  • Audience: Indie makers, the tech crowd on X

Email Newsletter (Deep Connection)

  • Cadence: Weekly or bi-weekly updates
  • Content: "Here's what shipped" + learnings
  • Audience: People who explicitly opted in, usually your warmest audience

GitHub (For Builders)

  • If your app is open-source
  • Document progress in the README
  • Audience: Developers, often high-quality early users

YouTube / TikTok (Longevity)

  • "Building my app" series
  • 5–15 minute episodes
  • Audience: Long-tail and recommendations

The Content Framework

Week 1: The Problem

Share why you're building. Make it relatable.

> "I spent 4 hours every Sunday managing my side project finances in a spreadsheet. Built a tool to fix it in 5 minutes. Shipping this week."

Week 2–4: The Build Journey

Share milestones and blockers.

> "Day 7: Got user authentication working. Took way longer than expected. Here's what went wrong and how I fixed it."

> "Day 14: First 20 beta testers signed up. Feedback: the flow is confusing. Back to the drawing board."

Week 5–6: The Launch

Your audience becomes your launch crew.

> "Shipped on App Store 2 hours ago. 47 downloads. Responding to every message. This is real."

Week 7+: The Iteration

Share what users are asking for and what you're building next.

> "Top feedback: Users want dark mode. Building it this week."

Dos and Don'ts

DO Share

  • Real metrics (downloads, MRR, churn)
  • Mistakes and how you fixed them
  • Learning moments ("I was wrong about X")
  • User feedback and how it changed your roadmap
  • Honest timelines ("This took 3x longer than planned")

DON'T Share

  • Every commit message (too granular)
  • Unfiltered rage at bugs
  • Personal drama unrelated to the app
  • Daily screenshots of empty features

The Metrics That Matter

Track, week over week:

  • Followers gained on X
  • Email subscribers gained
  • GitHub stars (if open-source)
  • Downloads that came from your audience (ask, or use a tracked link)

Your 30-Day Build-in-Public Plan

Week 1:

  • Share the problem and your solution
  • Post on X and LinkedIn

Week 2:

  • Weekly update on progress
  • Share a technical challenge and solution

Week 3:

  • Beta launch announcement
  • Invite your audience to test
  • Share early feedback

Week 4:

  • Public launch
  • Share real numbers
  • Thank your audience

The Unexpected Benefit

People who follow your journey aren't just users, they become cheerleaders.

When you launch, they don't just download. They share your app. They leave reviews. They become your unpaid marketing team.

That's the real power of building in public.

Start today. Post your problem on X. See who responds.