Why #BuildInPublic Doesn't Work
May 05, 2023
Somber news, friend...
#BuildInPublic (where you build your startup and post about it all over the internet) is dead.
Well, actually, it never really worked all that well.
Let me explain:
The purpose of building in public is to showcase your progress on a new startup or product - this could work only if certain criteria are met.
1. The target customer is interested in seeing the process of building.
2. The target customer has $ to buy your product.
In the end, there are only two important points to hit, but many people are missing the mark.
Why?
Simple:
Most customers don't care how it's built.
The only people that really care are going to be other people building their own products.
But here's the real kicker:
People building their own products usually don't have the $ to spend
A common scenario to bring this home:
- An indie hacker builds a small tool to help fellow indie hackers
- They spend a few months building it in public - they even get a decent following of other devs!
- Launch day comes and they get next to $0 in sales
- They spend the next 2+ years clawing their way to 'ramen profitability'.
Why was this so hard? Why did it take several years?
A poorly positioned offer in a not-so-rich niche.
Selling products to other bootstrapped startups is a recipe for a long, painful journey of fighting for every single customer.
This is because - like many bootstrapped startups - they have no excess capital.
Can it work anyway? Sure - you can cram a square block into a round hole. But why play on hard mode?
Key takeaway: make sure the niche you're building for has disposable income to spend.
best,
- Jordan