HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Build in Public, Including the Negatives

Build in Public, Including the Negatives is a content & youtube tactic for getting your first users: Document the build openly with promo videos, demos, screenshots, tech-stack details, and real user stats, sharing failures alongside the wins.

It's a strong fit for teams of almost any kind, and works especially well for Indie hackers, solo founders. As a content & youtube play, plan for medium effort and expect results to arrive at a steady pace, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Content & YouTubeMedium effortMedium

Why does content & youtube work for this?

Openness and curiosity draw people in and make them root for the product.

The exact steps (4)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

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Sources

Works for
Any / universal

Frequently asked

How is the "Build in Public, Including the Negatives" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 1 primary source — a real founder write-up or interview, not generic advice. It is linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original account yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is medium effort, and results tend to be medium.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Source — IndieHackers, is in the paid library.

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