buildinpublic.guide

The complete handbook

Library

Follow the numbered path when you are beginning. Use the rest of the library when a particular question, platform, launch, or writing task appears.

Start here

The learning path

01What is Build in Public?A clear definition of the practice, what it is not, and the smallest useful way to begin.Understand 02Why build in public?Understand what public work can improve, what it cannot guarantee, and how to choose a reason that survives quiet weeks.Reason 03Is Build in Public for me?Understand the benefits, costs, and boundaries before choosing how public your work should be.Decide 04Common Build in Public mythsSeparate the useful practice from the pressure to overshare, perform constant progress, or copy someone else's public strategy.Clarify 05Choose a project worth continuingPick a small project with a real question, visible progress, and enough meaning to survive quiet weeks.Choose 06Create a public homeGive the project one durable URL where a new reader can understand what exists and what happens next.Prepare 07Write your first useful updateTurn one work session into a short note with evidence, context, a lesson, and a focused next step.Share 08Share with boundariesProtect users, collaborators, security, and your own attention while keeping the useful parts of the work open.Protect 09Build a feedback loopAsk questions people can answer, separate signals from opinions, and show what feedback changed.Listen 10Ship every weekCreate a sustainable rhythm that produces evidence without letting publishing replace the work.Continue 11Launch something smallTurn accumulated public evidence into a clear invitation to try, respond, contribute, or buy.Launch 12Find your first 10 peopleReplace follower hunting with ten relevant conversations, readers, testers, or users who can recognize the problem.Connect 13Grow without losing the workBuild durable distribution from useful artifacts, recurring formats, and owned archives instead of chasing every channel.Grow

Practice

30 Days of Build in Public One Week in Public Seven-Day Shipping Sprint Seven Days of Builder Writing

Templates

First Build in Public Update Weekly Progress Update Build in Public README Monthly Build Recap Launch Post First Landing Page Lessons Learned Ask for Useful Feedback Product Hunt Launch Project Announcement

Use the right room

Launch and platforms

Launch something smallPrepare the version, invitation, evidence, and follow-up.Choose a platformCompare GitHub, X, LinkedIn, Reddit, Show HN, Product Hunt, DEV, and your site.Product Hunt templatePrepare a factual listing, maker comment, and follow-up.Launch postAnnounce what exists, its limits, and one useful action.Project announcementIntroduce a beginning without pretending it is validated.What is a launch?Understand launch as a focused feedback event.

Concepts

Indie hacking Shipping MVP Validation Audience Distribution Launch Glossary Frequently asked questions

Tools and resources

Build in Public ToolsA small toolkit for documenting work, publishing evidence, collecting feedback, and understanding what happens next.Build in Public PlatformsChoose a discovery channel and an owned home based on the people, artifact, and conversation your project actually needs.Build in Public CommunitiesHow to choose a relevant room, learn its norms, and participate without treating people as distribution inventory.Books, Podcasts, and NewslettersA method for building a small learning shelf without replacing product work with endless consumption.Payments for Independent BuildersChoose the smallest trustworthy way to accept money, understand who carries the tax and support burden, and add complexity only after real transactions demand it.

Methods, not mythology

Learn from builders

View case studies

Pieter Levels and HoodmapsWhat a fully visible build can teach about evidence, accountability, distribution, and the real cost of public attention.Tony Dinh and the Product PortfolioHow sharing products, experiments, and failures can document a portfolio without making attention the only business model.Arvid Kahl and the Feedback CycleA quieter model of Build in Public where teaching, listening, and preserving the journey reinforce the product work.Marc Lou and the Speed PortfolioWhat repeated small launches teach about speed, public evidence, selection, and the danger of copying outcomes without context.Danny Postma and HeadlimeHow public product development, customer proximity, and acquisition readiness intersected in the Headlime story.