How to Market on r/buildinpublic
A community for founders and makers who share their building journey publicly. Transparency about progress, metrics, challenges, and learnings. The Reddit home for the #buildinpublic movement.
r/buildinpublic Rules & Self-Promotion Policy
Understanding the rules is critical for successful marketing. Here's what you need to know about r/buildinpublic.
Lenient Self-Promotion Policy
This community is more accepting of self-promotion when done authentically. Still follow the community spirit.
Community Rules
- 1Share your building journey authentically
- 2Include real progress and metrics
- 3No pure promotional content
- 4Engage with other builders
- 5Be transparent about struggles
How to Write for r/buildinpublic
Radically honest. Share the real numbers, the struggles, the doubts. The community rejects curated success theater. Vulnerability is valued. Update formats can be casual—authenticity matters more than polish.
Best Practices for r/buildinpublic
Maximize your impact by understanding when, what, and how to post.
Best Times to Post
- Monday Morning Est
- Friday Afternoon Est
- Weekend Morning Est
Posts stay relevant for about 24-48 hours
Content That Works
- Weekly or monthly progress updates
- Transparent revenue and user metrics
- Lessons from failures and pivots
- Decision-making breakdowns
Common Flairs
Who's Here
Indie hackers, solopreneurs, and startup founders committed to transparency. Most are actively building products and sharing the journey. Community values authenticity over polished success stories.
Common Mistakes on r/buildinpublic
Avoid these pitfalls that get marketers banned or ignored.
Only sharing wins and milestones
Build in public is about the full journey. Only positive updates feel curated and miss the community's core value.
Instead
Share struggles equally: "Revenue flat this month. Tried X, didn't work. Testing Y next week."
Treating it as a promotional channel
This isn't a launch platform—it's a journey-sharing community. Product-first posts miss the point.
Instead
Focus on the building process, decisions, and learnings. Your product is context, not the main content.
Starting a journey and disappearing
The community follows ongoing journeys. Starting then vanishing frustrates followers and wastes your initial momentum.
Instead
Commit to regular updates before starting. Even "no progress this week, here's why" maintains the relationship.
Being vague about metrics
Build in public means real numbers. Vague updates like "growing nicely" defeat the purpose.
Instead
Share specifics: "$2.3k MRR, 47 paying users, 3.2% churn this month." Precision builds trust.
Copying others' update formats exactly
When everyone uses the same template, updates feel generic. Find your voice.
Instead
Develop your own style. What makes your journey unique? Your challenges? Your market? Lean into that.
Post Formats That Work on r/buildinpublic
These content formats consistently perform well in this community.
Weekly Update
Example Format
""Week [N] building [product]. Metrics: [MRR/users]. This week: [what you did]. Learned: [key insight]. Next week: [focus].""
Why It Works
Regular cadence. Real metrics. Reflection plus forward-looking. Easy to follow over time.
Decision Post
Example Format
""Facing [decision] with [product]. Option A: [pros/cons]. Option B: [pros/cons]. Here's my thinking and what I chose.""
Why It Works
Shows the thought process behind building. Invites discussion. More interesting than pure updates.
Failure Analysis
Example Format
""[Thing] failed. Here's what happened, what I learned, and what I'm doing differently.""
Why It Works
Rare and valuable content. Builds credibility through vulnerability. Helps others avoid same mistakes.
Related Communities & Use Cases
Expand your reach with similar subreddits and see who uses r/buildinpublic for marketing.
Similar Subreddits
Who Should Target r/buildinpublic
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about marketing on r/buildinpublic
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