| name | build-in-public |
| description | Use when sharing development progress publicly. Covers progress sharing, changelog writing, social media updates, community engagement, and milestone announcements. |
Build in Public
Overview
Patterns for transparent development and effective public communication. Covers progress sharing, changelog writing, social media updates, community engagement, and milestone announcements. Build trust and audience while shipping.
When to Use
- Building a product with public progress updates
- Maintaining a changelog
- Announcing releases and milestones
- Growing an audience through development journey
- Engaging with developer communities
Quick Reference
| Update Type | Frequency | Platform |
|---|
| Ship Log | Daily/Weekly | Twitter, Blog |
| Changelog | Per release | Website, GitHub |
| Milestone | Monthly | All platforms |
| Deep Dive | Monthly | Blog, Newsletter |
| Retrospective | Quarterly | Blog, Newsletter |
Progress Sharing
Daily Ship Log Format
## Ship Log: [Date]
### Shipped Today
- [Feature/fix]: [Brief description]
- [Feature/fix]: [Brief description]
### In Progress
- [What I'm working on]
### Learnings
- [Insight or lesson]
### Tomorrow
- [Next priority]
---
#buildinpublic #[project]
Weekly Update Format
## Week [N] Update: [Project Name]
### Summary
[2-3 sentences on overall progress]
### Highlights
- [Achievement 1]
- [Achievement 2]
- [Achievement 3]
### Metrics
- Users: [X] (+Y%)
- Revenue: $[X] (+Y%)
- [Custom metric]: [Value]
### Challenges
- [Challenge faced and how resolved]
### Next Week
- [ ] [Goal 1]
- [ ] [Goal 2]
- [ ] [Goal 3]
### Screenshot/Demo
[Include visual progress when possible]
Monthly Retrospective
## Month [N] Retrospective: [Project Name]
### The Numbers
| Metric | Start | End | Change |
|--------|-------|-----|--------|
| Users | X | Y | +Z% |
| Revenue | $X | $Y | +Z% |
| Features | X | Y | +Z |
### What Shipped
1. **[Feature]**: [Impact description]
2. **[Feature]**: [Impact description]
3. **[Feature]**: [Impact description]
### What Worked
- [Strategy/approach that succeeded]
- [Decision that paid off]
### What Didn't Work
- [Approach that failed]
- [Lesson learned]
### Key Learnings
1. [Learning with context]
2. [Learning with context]
### Next Month Goals
- [ ] [Measurable goal]
- [ ] [Measurable goal]
- [ ] [Measurable goal]
Changelog Writing
Changelog Format (Keep a Changelog)
# Changelog
All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
## [Unreleased]
### Added
- New feature description
### Changed
- Existing functionality that changed
### Deprecated
- Features that will be removed
### Removed
- Features that were removed
### Fixed
- Bug fixes
### Security
- Security updates
## [1.0.0] - 2024-01-15
### Added
- Initial release with core features
- User authentication
- Dashboard
Release Notes Template
# [Project] v[X.Y.Z] Release Notes
**Release Date**: [Date]
## Highlights
[2-3 sentence summary of most important changes]
## New Features
### [Feature Name]
[Description with screenshot/gif if applicable]
**How to use:**
1. [Step 1]
2. [Step 2]
### [Feature Name]
[Description]
## Improvements
- **[Area]**: [What improved and why it matters]
- **[Area]**: [What improved and why it matters]
## Bug Fixes
- Fixed [bug description] (#issue)
- Fixed [bug description] (#issue)
## Breaking Changes
- **[Change]**: [Migration guide]
## Upgrade Guide
```bash
npm install [package]@latest
[Additional upgrade steps if needed]
Acknowledgments
Thanks to [contributors] for their contributions!
### User-Friendly Changelog
```markdown
## What's New in [Project] - [Month Year]
Hey [user type]!
Here's what we've been building for you:
### [Emoji] [Feature Name]
[Plain language description of benefit]
### [Emoji] [Improvement]
[Plain language description of benefit]
### Bug Squashing
- [Fixed issue in plain terms]
- [Fixed issue in plain terms]
---
Questions? Reply to this email or [contact method].
Happy [using/building/shipping]!
[Your name]
Social Media Updates
Twitter/X Templates
Ship Update (Short)
Just shipped: [Feature] in [Project]
[1 sentence benefit]
[Screenshot/GIF]
#buildinpublic
Progress Thread
[Project] Week [N] Thread
Here's what I shipped this week:
1/[N]
Milestone Announcement
[Emoji] Milestone: [Achievement]!
[Project] just hit [metric].
Here's how we got here:
[Thread or brief story]
Thank you to everyone using [product]!
Lesson Learned
Lesson from building [Project]:
[Insight in 1-2 sentences]
Context: [Brief story]
The fix: [What I did differently]
#buildinpublic
Asking for Feedback
Building: [Feature]
I'm torn between:
A) [Option A]
B) [Option B]
Which would you prefer and why?
[Screenshot of both options]
LinkedIn Template
[Emoji] [Milestone/Achievement] at [Project]
[2-3 paragraphs telling the story]
Key learnings:
- [Learning 1]
- [Learning 2]
- [Learning 3]
If you're interested in [topic], I'm sharing the journey at [link].
#buildinpublic #[relevant hashtags]
Content Calendar Template
| Day | Content Type | Topic |
|---|
| Mon | Ship update | Weekend progress |
| Tue | Insight/Lesson | Technical learning |
| Wed | Engagement | Ask question |
| Thu | Behind scenes | Process/tool |
| Fri | Weekly summary | Week highlights |
| Sat | - | Rest |
| Sun | Plan sharing | Next week goals |
Community Engagement
Announcement Posts
Product Hunt Launch
# [Product Name] - [Tagline]
Hey Product Hunt!
I'm [Name], and I've been building [Product] for [time period].
## The Problem
[2-3 sentences on the problem]
## The Solution
[What your product does]
## Key Features
- [Feature 1]: [Benefit]
- [Feature 2]: [Benefit]
- [Feature 3]: [Benefit]
## Pricing
[Simple pricing explanation]
## Special for PH
[Any launch offer]
Would love your feedback!
Hacker News Launch
Show HN: [Product Name] - [Concise description]
[1 paragraph on what it is and why you built it]
Tech stack: [Brief stack overview]
Would love feedback, especially on [specific aspect].
[Link]
Reddit Post
[Descriptive title with context]
Hey r/[subreddit],
[Genuine intro - why you're posting here]
**The Problem**: [Context they'll relate to]
**What I Built**: [Brief description]
**Key Features**:
- [Feature relevant to this community]
- [Feature relevant to this community]
**Looking For**: [Specific feedback request]
[Link - follow subreddit rules]
Happy to answer any questions!
Engagement Best Practices
## Engagement Guidelines
### DO
- [ ] Respond to every comment
- [ ] Ask follow-up questions
- [ ] Thank people genuinely
- [ ] Share credit with helpers
- [ ] Engage with others' content
- [ ] Be consistent in posting
- [ ] Show vulnerability/struggles
- [ ] Celebrate others' wins
### DON'T
- [ ] Only post about yourself
- [ ] Ignore negative feedback
- [ ] Delete critical comments
- [ ] Use engagement bait
- [ ] Spam communities
- [ ] Fake metrics or progress
- [ ] Overpromise features
- [ ] Ghost after launching
Milestone Announcements
Types of Milestones
| Milestone | Example | Celebration Level |
|---|
| User milestones | 100, 1K, 10K users | High |
| Revenue milestones | First $, $1K MRR | High |
| Feature milestones | V1, major release | Medium |
| Personal milestones | 1 year building | Medium |
| Technical milestones | 99.9% uptime | Low-Medium |
Milestone Post Template
## [Emoji] [Project] just hit [Milestone]!
[1-2 sentences of genuine excitement]
### The Journey
[Brief timeline of how you got here]
- [Date]: [Event]
- [Date]: [Event]
- [Date]: Today!
### What Made This Possible
1. [Factor 1]
2. [Factor 2]
3. [Factor 3]
### Learnings
[Most valuable insight from reaching this milestone]
### What's Next
[Your focus going forward]
### Thank You
[Genuine thanks to users/community/supporters]
---
If you're curious about [project]: [Link]
#buildinpublic #milestone
Revenue Milestone (Transparent)
## [Project] hit $[X] MRR - Here's everything
[Brief intro on why sharing]
### The Numbers (All of them)
- **MRR**: $[X]
- **Customers**: [Y]
- **ARPU**: $[Z]
- **Churn**: [A]%
- **Runway**: [B] months
### Revenue Breakdown
[Chart or table if possible]
### How We Got Here
[Timeline with key decisions]
### What Didn't Work
[Honest failures]
### What Worked
[Successful strategies]
### Expenses
[Real costs breakdown]
### Net
$[Actual profit/loss]
---
AMA in the comments!
Content Templates
Dev Log Blog Post
# Dev Log #[N]: [Title]
*[Date]*
## This Week's Focus
[What I planned to work on]
## What Actually Happened
[Reality vs plan]
## Technical Deep Dive
[One interesting technical challenge]
### The Problem
[What I was trying to solve]
### Approaches Tried
1. [Approach 1]: [Result]
2. [Approach 2]: [Result]
### The Solution
```code
[Relevant code snippet]
Why This Works
[Explanation]
Metrics Update
| Metric | Last Week | This Week |
|---|
| [Metric] | [Value] | [Value] |
Next Week
Random Thought
[Something interesting that came up]
### Newsletter Template
```markdown
Subject: [Project] Update: [Catchy Summary]
Hey [First Name],
[Personal opening - 1-2 sentences]
## What's New
### [Feature/Update 1]
[Brief description with screenshot]
### [Feature/Update 2]
[Brief description]
## Behind the Scenes
[One interesting story from development]
## Numbers
[Key metrics if sharing publicly]
## What's Coming
[Preview of next updates]
## One Ask
[Specific request - feedback, share, etc.]
---
Thanks for following along!
[Your name]
P.S. [Fun fact or teaser]
Consistency Framework
Building in Public Pledge
## My Build in Public Commitment
I commit to:
- [ ] Share progress [frequency]
- [ ] Be honest about failures
- [ ] Respond to feedback
- [ ] Share real numbers
- [ ] Help others building
I will NOT:
- [ ] Fake metrics
- [ ] Hide struggles
- [ ] Spam communities
- [ ] Abandon consistency
Metrics to Track
## Build in Public Metrics
### Engagement
- Followers: [X]
- Avg. engagement rate: [Y]%
- Newsletter subscribers: [Z]
### Impact
- Referral signups: [X]
- Community mentions: [Y]
- Press/features: [Z]
### Consistency
- Posts this month: [X]
- Streak: [Y] days
- Response rate: [Z]%
Red Flags - STOP
Never:
- Fake metrics or progress
- Overpromise timelines
- Ignore negative feedback
- Abandon community after launch
- Spam same content everywhere
- Be inconsistent without explanation
Always:
- Be authentic about struggles
- Give credit to helpers
- Respond to comments
- Share real numbers
- Stay consistent
- Celebrate others' wins
Integration
Related skills: idea-to-product, analytics, seo-content-generation
Platforms: Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Product Hunt, Hacker News, Dev.to
