Building in public advice for newbies
8 key tips for those who are really just getting started on how to build momentum
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Imagine you’re a founder who’s completely new to the art of building in public and don’t really know the norms.
Here are my key tips for newbies trying to gain momentum: 🔑
1. Write to express, not impress.
Share an insight or a lesson you learned each day mainly to document the learning than trying to make it seem smart to others on Twitter. As you practice sharing these learnings online, you will organically find what others seem to perceive as “valuable” and you can double down on that.
2. Be authentic and write like you talk
Use simple words. Why? Because most people are scrolling to fast to pause to notice your rich vocabulary. Share practical examples and situations that people can relate to.
3. Focus on personal tips and actionable lessons vs generic opinions
People don’t follow people for just opinions because everyone’s got them.
Plus when you share something out of your own lived experience, it has higher credibility. Why? ‘Coz you got receipts.
4. Aim to be giver and a contributor
Initially, before your posts take off quite consistently, you will need to build social capital in public by offering your insights / tips/ ideas under other bigger accounts. Pick those who you admire and contribute under their tweets/threads. Be sincere.
5. Create more, judge yourself less
A lot of beginners create way too less (1-4 tweets a week) because of the fear of looking desperate / foolish etc.
But to get better at building in public, you’ve got to take more shots and be prolific so create more (10-20 tweets per week).
6. Study successful BIP formats
There are so many ways you can build in public. Keep tabs on what seems to be working & learn from the best. Here are 8 formats.
7. Surround yourself with others who get it
It’s easy to get discouraged because of how hard, tricky and unpredictable the journey of building in public can be. I was lucky to be in a supportive group in 2018. Now I’m helping founders have a support system and a positive environment they can count on through my new community: Build In Public Fellowship
8. Be patient & find intrinsic joy
The benefits of building in public are immense and life changing. But they’re not instantaneous. You have to play the long game and genuinely find a way to enjoy the process. You have to fall in love with building in public.
These are few honest tips that come to mind. Hope they were valuable!
Shoutouts and Sponsors
#1. How Plausible was built to $1.2m ARR all in public
Last week I featured Plausible, an indie startup on my other newsletter “How I Built This In Public”. The interview resonated with so many founders and even hit the home page of Hacker News. Got 10,144 page views within 2 days which is my personal all-time Substack record. Read it here.
#2. Million Dollar Exits
I recently started a special podcast series called '“Million Dollar Exits” that uncovers insider stories and actionable lessons with founders who went from an idea to 7-figure exits. Check out my 1st episode featuring Tibo Louis-Lucas, founder that created and scaled Tweet Hunter, a SaaS startup, from idea to a multi-million dollar exit. Listen to it here.
#3. Paralect
Paralect is a venture studio built to design, build and launch a product for you that is ready to sell in under 2 months. Start with no-code or go full-stack right away. Check it out here.
How can I help?
No pressure but whenever you’re ready, here are 2 ways I can help you:
Grab a quick 1:1 consult session with me (like many founders who’re using Intro, a fast-growing platform funded by Alexis Ohanian’s fund) to unblock you on GTM, Product Hunt launches and ‘Build In Public’ strategy.
If you have a business you want to promote to my ~7,000 email and ~41,000 Twitter audience feel free to DM me, reply or reach out.
And that’s a wrap for now!
Thank you for giving your attention and checking this edition out.
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