Everyone says:
Build in public.
Share your journey.
Be transparent.
But no one talks about how it actually feels.
In the beginning, I used to post like I was talking to myself,
No likes, no responses.
And honestly?
That’s where most people quit.
We see the big wins shared online:
- “Just landed 1,000 users!”
- “Launched my MVP!”
- “Hit my first revenue milestone!”
Building in public looks like a badge of authenticity.
But behind those updates is a much quieter, more complicated emotional experience —
One that rarely makes it to the timeline.
So let’s talk about the part no one explains.
What Does “Building in Public” Actually Mean?
Building in public is a storytelling strategy.
It means sharing your journey, your wins, your mistakes, your experiments, as they happen.
Building in Public is:
- Sharing stories (wins/losses)
- Being vulnerable and transparent
- Inspiring a community through honesty
Building in Public is not:
- A shortcut to fame
- A growth hack to go viral
- A trick to get users fast
Why “Building in Public” Took Over the Internet
Around 2020–2021, something shifted.
Indie hackers and solo founders began sharing:
- Revenue dashboards
- Feature releases
- Weekly learnings
- MRR breakdowns
People like Pieter Levels, Arvid Kahl, and the Indie Hackers community didn’t just build products,
They built audiences by sharing the process.
Why did it resonate?
- Authenticity felt refreshing compared to polished PR
- It created accountability for solo builders
- It formed communities around products before launch
From the outside, it looked like a cheat code:
"Share progress → Gain followers → Grow fast."
But if you’ve actually tried it, you know:
It’s never that simple.
The Hidden Pressure Behind Transparency
When you build in public, your journey stops being just yours.
You start documenting progress daily.
It creates an invisible pressure to keep proving you're still building.
When I started posting updates daily on X, it felt exciting.
But soon, something changed:
I wasn’t just building anymore.
I was performing progress.
On days I coded for hours but had nothing “tweet-worthy,” I felt like I had failed.
I wondered if the small audience watching me thought I had given up.
When Sharing Becomes the Work
This was the hardest realization:
The more you think about what to share, the less you actually build.
I once spent 40 minutes crafting a tweet about a feature that took 10 minutes to code.
Not because the tweet mattered,
But because I wanted it to look like progress.
Soon, my decisions were influenced by metrics:
- “Should I build this?” → Will this make a good update?
- “Should I rest today?” → What if people think I stopped?
To fix this, I shifted from daily updates to weekly reflections.
Less pressure.
More meaning.
More real.
The Fear of Failing Publicly
When you fail privately, you close the tab and move on.
When you fail publicly, you feel like you have to announce your failure too.
And reality check:
- Wins → get engagement
- Failures → get silence
But here’s the truth:
A publicly shared failure teaches more than a polished success ever will.
Someone needs to see the part where you didn’t know what you were doing.
The Real Benefits (When Done Gently)
When approached with intention, building in public can be life-changing:
- You attract people who resonate with your story.
- You get feedback before launching.
- You build trust, not hype.
- You find collaborators, mentors, friends.
Once, I posted about something I was struggling with.
Someone DMed me:
“Thank you for saying this. I thought I was the only one.”
That felt more meaningful than any retweet count.
Build With the Public, Not For the Public
This is the shift:
Don’t share to impress.
Share to connect.
Share:
What you learned today
- What broke and how you fixed it
- A thought process behind a decision
- Why you scrapped a feature
Your journey is supposed to inspire and support people, not drain you!
Final Thoughts
Building in public isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay.
Some seasons require silence.
Some require privacy.
Some require slow, unbroadcasted growth.
The key is to remember:
Build for yourself.
Share for others.
But never let the audience decide your pace.
Your Turn
Have you tried building in public?
Did it feel:
- Exciting?
- Exhausting?
- Or both?
Share your experience below. I’d love to read it
