# Build-in-public vulnerability threads

> Post raw, honest weekly updates about failures and small wins on Reddit and Indie Hackers to attract early users who value authenticity over polish.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/build-in-public-vulnerability-threads/
- Source: [reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/buildinpublic/comments/1qiex40/reddit_indie_hackers_threads_beat_product_hunt/)
- GrowthDex source hub: [reddit.com](/sources/reddit-com-reddit-com/)
- Last checked: March 19, 2026
- Rarity: epic
- Budget: free
- Channels: Communities, Reddit
- Stages: 0-100
- Key metric: 8x more

## Why this can grow

People trust vulnerability over polish. Sharing brutal truths like 'this feature flopped, here's why' invites replies with real stories, building community and trust fast. Users acquired through conversation have higher retention than users acquired through hype. Product Hunt feels like a beauty contest; Reddit threads feel like real conversations with the builder.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. I would treat this as earning the right to be in the room, not dropping a campaign into a room. In community-led growth, the first job is to notice what people already care about, then bring a useful proof, tool, teardown, or question that makes the conversation better. I would run it small enough to learn quickly, then only scale the parts that real users repeat, save, reply to, or buy from. For this tactic, I would watch 8x more before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where build-in-public vulnerability threads can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Communities and Reddit channel.
3. Use the evidence from reddit.com to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: 8x more.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

Indie founder on r/buildinpublic — honest weekly threads drove 200+ signups in one week vs. ~40 from a Product Hunt launch, with 3–8x more signups overall.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Competitor mention hijacking](/growth-ideas/competitor-mention-hijacking/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage
- [Hobby-first community immersion before building](/growth-ideas/hobby-first-community-immersion-before-building/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage
- [Reddit profile-as-funnel optimization](/growth-ideas/reddit-profile-as-funnel-optimization/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage
- [Niche micro-subreddit targeting (10K–100K members)](/growth-ideas/niche-micro-subreddit-targeting-10k100k-members/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.