Zero2OneDocument the journey — goals, numbers, failures, screenshots — and the audience arrives before the product does. Your feed becomes your distribution.
Proof first
Buffer
Open salaries & revenue → press + trust
Artifact: Open revenue dashboard
2013 · B2B · SaaS
Pieter Levels
#12startups → Nomad List, built live
Artifact: 12 startups tweet thread
2014 · B2C · Indie
ConvertKit
Public revenue updates → $28M+ ARR
Artifact: State-of-business post
2013 · B2B · SaaS
Gumroad
Open metrics + open board meetings
Artifact: Public metrics page
2019 · B2B · SaaS
Plausible
Open blog + metrics → $1M ARR (2022)
Artifact: "how we grew" blog post
2020 · B2B · SaaS
beehiiv
Founder build log became a funnel
Artifact: Build-log newsletter
2022 · B2B · SaaS
Tony Dinh
Every step tweeted → $500K in year one
Artifact: MRR screenshot tweet
2021 · B2B · Indie
Marc Lou
$65K/mo across projects, shared publicly
Artifact: Public revenue dashboard
2023 · B2C · Indie
+ 2 more examples mapped to individual steps below
Deep dives
Buffer · 2013
Open salaries + revenue
What they built: Buffer Open dashboard + salary formula post
What they didPublished everything most companies hide: every salary, the formula behind it, live revenue, even the fundraising deck.
Why it workedTransparency was the story — press covered it repeatedly, candidates and customers trusted them by default.
Copy thisPick ONE real number you're willing to publish monthly. The number is the content; commentary is a bonus.
Pieter Levels · 2014
#12STARTUPS · Nomad List
What they built: launch tweet + Nomad List Google Sheet v1
What they didAnnounced "12 startups in 12 months" publicly, then shipped and live-tweeted each one — Nomad List launched as a shared Google Sheet.
Why it workedThe public deadline created a following that wanted him to win; the audience picked the winner for him.
Copy thisCommit to a public deadline. Ship embarrassingly small v1s and let the feed tell you which one has pull.
The guide
Tick each step off as you go. Your progress is saved in this browser.
Step 1 · ~1 hour
X if your buyers are founders/devs, LinkedIn if they're operators. Then pick the single narrative you'll return to every post: "solo dev bootstrapping to $10K MRR", "designer learning sales". One thread, not a diary.
How Pieter Levels did this step
I'm going to launch 12 startups in the next 12 months. All of it public. Here we go 🚀 #12startups
Paraphrased — see source
One platform (X), one storyline (12 startups), stated as a public commitment.
Source [2] ↓Step 2 · ~30 min
Pick one metric you'll report on schedule — MRR, signups, waitlist size, even "customer conversations had". Numbers make the story followable; people subscribe to see the next data point.
How Buffer did this step
Illustration
Buffer's "Open" dashboard made the numbers the recurring story — updated for anyone to check.
Source [1] ↓Step 3 · 30 min / day
A screenshot of the dashboard, the ugly first UI, the churn email you got. Artifacts are proof and proof travels; takes and threads about "10 lessons" don't build a builder's audience.
How Tony Dinh did this step
TypingMind just crossed $40K/mo 🤯 Here's the exact revenue chart:
Paraphrased — see source
Raw revenue screenshots — no advice, no thread hooks — grew a 100K+ following that buys his products.
Source [7] ↓Step 4 · Ongoing
The launch that flopped, the month revenue went down, the feature nobody used. Failure posts earn more trust (and reach) than victory laps — and they make your eventual wins believable.
How ConvertKit did this step
Illustration
The public stall-and-restart story became ConvertKit's most-cited marketing asset on the way to $29M ARR.
Source [3] ↓Step 5 · ~2 hours each
First paying customer, v1 shipped, 1K on the list — each gets a proper thread: what you did, the numbers, what broke, what's next. Milestones are the episodes of your story; don't waste them on a one-liner.
How beehiiv did this step
SUBJECT LINE
Illustration
Tyler Denk's build-log posts turned each beehiiv milestone into shareable content — and a steady funnel of creators.
Source [6] ↓Step 6 · ~Half a day
Followers are rented; emails are owned. Put a one-line signup link in your bio and at the end of every milestone thread. When you launch, you'll email the list — not pray to the algorithm.
How Nathan Barry (ConvertKit) did this step
Illustration
Every public revenue post pointed to the email report — attention became a compounding, owned channel.
Source [3] ↓Step 7 · Weekly review
This tactic pays in months, not days — consistency is the whole game. Track one ratio weekly: profile visits → list signups. If it's near zero, your posts entertain but don't connect to the product.
How Plausible did this step
Illustration
Plausible published "how we grew" posts on a steady cadence for years — slow, compounding, measurable.
Source [5] ↓Before you start
Works in your favour
Go in with eyes open
Make it yours
Radical transparency
Publish the numbers everyone else hides — revenue, salaries, decisions. Best when trust is the differentiator.
Ship fast, narrate live
Public deadlines, embarrassing v1s, daily artifacts. Best for solo builders who can ship weekly.
Teach everything you learn
Turn every lesson into a post or report others can use. Best when your buyers face the same problems you do.
Copy and paste
First build-in-public post
modeled on Levels' #12startups announcement
I'm building {product} in public.
The goal: {number} {metric} by {date}.
Starting from: {honest current state}.
I'll post the real numbers — wins and faceplants — every {cadence}. Follow along if you're into that.Weekly update skeleton
modeled on Tony Dinh's artifact posts
{Product} — week {n}:
→ {metric}: {value} ({+/- change})
→ Shipped: {one thing}
→ Broke: {one thing}
→ Learned: {one sentence}
[attach ONE screenshot: dashboard, UI, or chart]Milestone launch thread
modeled on beehiiv's build log
{Milestone} 🎉 Here's exactly how (thread):
1/ Where we started: {baseline + date}
2/ What we tried that FAILED: {honest miss}
3/ What actually worked: {the unlock}
4/ The numbers: {before → after}
5/ What's next: {next goal}
Building {product} in public — follow for the next episode. Full story on the list: {link}From the showcase
The famous examples above are proof it works. The next founder reading this wants proof it works for someone like them — that could be you.
Used “Build in Public (X / LinkedIn)”? Submit your product →Discussion
Share a result, ask a question, or say what you'd do differently. The next founder to try this will thank you.
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Receipts
Last reviewed
Buffer, Dec 2013
levels.io, 2014
Nathan Barry on Indie Hackers
The Hustle, 2020
Plausible blog, 2022
Big Desk Energy newsletter, 2022+
Tony Dinh on Indie Hackers
Marc Lou's newsletter, 2023
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