Building in public is an intentional practice of creating content and sharing your startup’s real-time story with openness and vulnerability in order to attract like-minded people on the Internet into your orbit (these people may eventually become your customers, co-founders, investors, employees or supporters of your mission).
You can choose to build in public on any social platform (like Twitter, Linkedin, Tiktok) or within community such as Indie Hackers.
How is it different from building in stealth?
For one, building in public can help create a sense of community around a project. By sharing updates and soliciting feedback, creators can engage with others who are interested in their work, and can even attract potential collaborators or business opportunities. In contrast, building in stealth can often lead to missed opportunities and lack of support.
Additionally, building in public can be a valuable way to gather feedback and ideas from others. By openly sharing progress on a project, creators can solicit input and suggestions from a wider audience, which can help improve the final product. This can be especially useful for projects that are still in the early stages, as it can help guide the direction and development of the project. By keeping a project secret via building in stealth, creators may miss out on valuable feedback and ideas from others, and may struggle to build a supportive network or audience.
Building in public can also be a great way to build credibility and establish thought leadership in a particular field or industry. By openly sharing the process and progress of a project, creators can demonstrate their expertise and knowledge, and can even attract potential collaborators or business opportunities. Building in stealth can often create skepticism or mistrust, as people may wonder what the creator is hiding or trying to avoid.
Top reasons why should consider building in public
- Build your network online, and consequently offline
- Grow relationships with like-minded people
- Attract investors and key hires for your business
- Stay in the forefront of your target audiences’ minds
- Build trust in your community, and sell without actually selling
- Get yourself jobs at impressive tech startups