Why Every Indie Hacker Should Build in Public
Discover how building in public can boost your SaaS growth, increase transparency, and grow your audience through real-time storytelling and authentic founder visibility.
Imagine if your product launch wasn’t a secretive event — but an ongoing, transparent journey that others could follow, support, and even participate in. That’s the power of building in public. For indie hackers, this approach transforms isolation into connection, marketing into storytelling, and mistakes into lessons shared openly.
In this guide, we’ll explore what building in public really means, how it fuels indie hacker growth, and why it’s one of the most effective ways to build trust, grow your audience, and accelerate your SaaS transparency.
What “building in public” means
Building in public is the practice of sharing your entrepreneurial journey openly — the wins, the losses, the behind-the-scenes details. Instead of launching quietly and hoping for traction, you let your audience grow with you.
It’s not just tweeting milestones; it’s showing your process, thoughts, and decisions. The essence of building in public lies in authenticity. You’re not just promoting a product — you’re documenting a story in motion.
Sharing your journey transparently
Transparency is the core of SaaS transparency. Sharing your numbers, struggles, and lessons builds empathy and relatability. People don’t just buy products — they buy into people they trust.
Consider sharing:
Monthly revenue or user growth (when comfortable).
Product roadmap updates or new features.
Lessons learned from challenges or failed experiments.
Transparency invites others to root for you. It’s not vulnerability for the sake of attention — it’s connection built through honesty.
Building accountability and trust
When you share your progress publicly, you create accountability. Your followers become witnesses to your goals, making you more consistent.
At the same time, trust grows naturally. You’re proving, through action, that you’re not hiding behind marketing buzzwords. This level of authenticity is rare in the startup world — and it’s what makes indie hacker growth sustainable.
The more consistently you show up, the more your audience sees you as dependable — not just as a builder, but as a brand.
Growing your audience organically
One of the biggest advantages of building in public is organic audience growth. Every update you post — a milestone, a lesson, a failure — becomes content that attracts people who care about similar challenges.
Instead of chasing followers, you attract a tribe. These are people who understand your niche, value your honesty, and are likely to become early adopters, customers, or advocates.
Your transparency creates a magnetic pull — people don’t just follow your product; they follow your progress.
Using Twitter/X for public building
If you’re building in public, Twitter (now X) is your most powerful platform. It’s where the indie hacker community thrives — full of builders, makers, and founders sharing updates daily.
Use X strategically:
Post short, insightful updates about your progress.
Engage with others building similar tools.
Thread your journey — each post adding context and depth.
The goal isn’t to go viral. It’s to be visible — to show up consistently where your peers and potential users already spend time.
This type of Twitter marketing builds authentic founder visibility, positioning you as both relatable and credible.
Turning feedback into growth
When you share openly, feedback becomes your growth engine. Your audience turns into a live focus group — offering ideas, bug reports, and encouragement.
Use that to your advantage. Test early, ask questions, and involve your audience in your decisions. The result? You build a better product faster, guided by real-world insights instead of assumptions.
Building in public transforms feedback loops from reactive to collaborative — a dynamic that strengthens both your product and your community.
Balancing openness with privacy
Building in public doesn’t mean sharing everything. You set the boundaries. Decide what’s strategic to share (progress, lessons, features) and what should remain private (contracts, finances, personal details).
The key is intentional transparency — being open enough to inspire and teach, but wise enough to protect sensitive data or personal limits. This balance keeps your journey authentic without oversharing.
Tracking your progress publicly
Public accountability works best when it’s measurable. Track metrics like user sign-ups, MRR (monthly recurring revenue), or milestones achieved.
Many builders post monthly updates — “$0 → $10K MRR in 6 months” — as a way to reflect and motivate. These posts aren’t bragging; they’re proof that consistent effort compounds over time.
This visibility doesn’t just attract attention — it inspires other indie hackers to take their own first steps.
Examples of successful public builders
Many indie hackers have proven the impact of building in public. A few standouts include:
Pieter Levels — shared every step of building Nomad List and Remote OK, growing into multimillion-dollar businesses.
Marc Lou — built a SaaS called Cal.com in public, turning transparency into community-driven momentum.
Arvid Kahl — leveraged his journey into audience-driven products and bestselling books.
These examples show that public building isn’t just a trend — it’s a repeatable path to growth, reputation, and opportunity.
How building in public boosts SaaS growth
For SaaS founders, building in public multiplies visibility, trust, and growth speed. Every shared update becomes marketing. Every comment becomes market research.
Instead of guessing what your users want, you build with them — in real time. That’s what makes SaaS transparency such a competitive edge.
Building in public turns lonely work into collaborative growth. It bridges the gap between product and audience, idea and execution.
And the best part? Anyone can start — with one honest post about where you are today.
If you’re ready to share your journey, build faster, and connect deeper, join the Ekofi Capital community — where indie hackers, founders, and creators grow their products and audiences together.