Definition · also called building in public, #buildinpublic, open startup
Building in public means sharing the process of building your product as it happens: what you shipped, what you learned, revenue and user numbers, failures and decisions, usually on X, LinkedIn, a blog or a newsletter, often under the #buildinpublic hashtag.
It grew out of the “open startup” movement, where companies published live revenue dashboards. 281 active makers in our directory are tagged as building in public.
What to share (and what not to)
- Share: milestones with numbers, experiments and their results, mistakes, design decisions, screenshots of work in progress, lessons from launches.
- Be careful with: exact keywords, ad creatives and niche details that make you easy to copy, customer data, and anything about other people without permission.
- Remember the audience. Other makers are a great early audience for developer tools and maker products, and a poor one for products aimed at dentists. Build an audience of potential customers too.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free distribution and a built-in launch audience | Copycats can see what works |
| Accountability and feedback | Time spent posting is time not building |
| Trust with customers and future buyers | Pressure to report only good news |
| Meeting co-founders, partners, acquirers | Audience may be makers, not customers |
Build in public in practice: how indie makers use it
Makers in the directory for whom building in public was part of the strategy:
Met his Senja co-founder Wilson Wilson on X through #buildinpublic; they grew Senja to $50K MRR by October 2024 without meeting in person, sharing the numbers along the way. (source: indiehackers.com)
Documented his whole “Hardcore Year” to $1K MRR publicly and was named Product Hunt's Maker of the Year for 2018. (source: indiehackers.com)
Posted monthly Makerkit updates on Indie Hackers, including the month he became ramen profitable and month six at $8,606 in revenue. (source: indiehackers.com)
Runs WIP, a community where makers log what they ship, and the Build in Public community on X (buildinpublic.com). (sources: killbridge.com, marc.io)
Buffer has published revenue and other company figures openly for years, through its open dashboards and public shareholder updates. (source: buffer.com)
Built Saas UI in public on X from the first day and reached ramen profitability within its first months. (source: indiehackers.com)
Browse every maker in the build in public collection.
Frequently asked questions
What does building in public mean?
Sharing your product's development openly as it happens, including progress, revenue, mistakes and decisions, usually on social media or a blog.
Is building in public worth it?
Often, especially for products aimed at makers and developers: it brings early users, feedback and accountability. It is less useful when your customers aren't on the platforms where you post.
What are the risks of building in public?
Competitors can copy what works, posting takes time from building, and there is pressure to share only good news. Many makers share numbers and lessons but keep niche details private.
Related terms
Keep reading
Maker examples are paraphrased from the cited sources and from each maker's IndieMakerList profile; revenue is self-reported unless marked verified. Spotted an error? Tell us.