No audience? No problem. Here’s how to build one before your product goes live, without becoming a full-time influencer.
As indie makers, we love building. But when it’s finally launch day and… crickets? That hurts.
Turns out, building a great product isn’t enough. You also need an audience ready to care when you launch.
This isn’t about chasing clout or going viral. It’s about getting your product in front of people who actually need it. In this post, I’ll walk you through a simple, repeatable way to build a warm audience before you ship. You don’t need to be internet famous.
Why Audience-Building Matters
You’ve probably heard the phrase: “Build it and they will come.” But unless you’re working at OpenAI, they won’t.
A launch without an audience is just a quiet blog post. But a launch with an audience? It’s momentum, feedback, sign-ups, and sales.
An engaged audience doesn’t just validate your product. They become your distribution engine.
What “Audience” Really Means
Let’s clear something up. Your audience isn’t just your Twitter follower count.
Your real audience includes:
People who joined your waitlist
People who’ve replied to your emails
Users who comment on your build-in-public tweets
Peers on Reddit who follow your journey
Friends in Slack or Discord groups who root for you
It's not about size. It's about warmth. 200 warm leads are better than 2,000 ghost followers.
The 3-Phase Strategy to Grow Without Burnout
Here’s a roadmap you can use. It works even if you’re busy coding most of the time.
🔹 Phase 1: Signal Clarity
Before you grow anything, define your signal.
Ask yourself:
What problem am I solving?
Who exactly is it for?
Why now?
Then, communicate that clearly in your bio, your posts, and your landing page.
You’re not “working on a tool.” You’re helping solo founders stop launching to zero.
Your goal in this phase is to become memorable for one problem.
🔹 Phase 2: Daily Proof
Now that people know what you’re about, start showing up.
This doesn’t mean grinding content 24/7. Just commit to one habit:
A tweet a day
A weekly blog post
A Reddit comment thread
A short Loom demo
Focus on proof of progress:
“Here’s how I got my first waitlist signup”
“Just redesigned onboarding. Thoughts?”
“Launched v0.2. Fixing my own launch mistakes.”
It builds trust. And people start caring about your journey.
🔹 Phase 3: Soft Conversions
Now it’s time to convert that interest into a pre-launch asset.
This can be as simple as:
A Tally form to collect emails
A Notion page with a signup call to action
A Discord invite for early testers
A launch checklist you give away in exchange for feedback
Don’t wait until launch day to do this. Soft conversions warm people up before the big day.
Where Most Indie Devs Get It Wrong
Here’s where launches flop:
Waiting too long to talk about the product
Overengineering the landing page before validating the idea
Posting aimlessly instead of focusing on one audience
Expecting Product Hunt to save the day
Launching is not a one-day event. It’s a multi-week campaign that starts before you hit “Publish.”
Tools and Tactics That Actually Work
Here are a few audience-building tools I personally recommend:
| Tool | What It’s Great For |
| CoLaunchly | Personalised launch plans and content ideas |
| Tally.so | Lightweight waitlist forms |
| Beehiiv | Free newsletters with referral growth |
| X (Twitter) | Build-in-public content and discovery |
| Niche discussions and feedback loops | |
| Indie Hackers | Peer support and early traction |
Use what fits your style. The best channel is the one you can stick with.
Final Thoughts: Start Small, Show Up, Win Later
You don’t need 10,000 followers.
You don’t need a viral launch.
You need a handful of people who:
Understand what you’re building
Trust your voice
Want to see you win
That’s the audience that converts. That’s the audience worth building.
And the best time to start was yesterday.
The second-best time is today.
