5 Mistakes Harmful to Your Building in Public Journey

Building in public can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be fraught with pitfalls. In 2026, as the landscape of indie projects and side hustles continues to evolve, it's crucial to be aware of the common mistakes that can hinder your journey. From engaging your audience to sharing your project effectively, here's a breakdown of five mistakes that can harm your building in public experience and practical steps to avoid them.

1. Neglecting Audience Engagement

What This Looks Like

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of building your project and forget about the audience. If you're only sharing updates when you have something to launch, you might be missing out on building a loyal following.

Our Take

In our experience, engaging with your audience regularly, even with small updates and behind-the-scenes looks, fosters a community that feels invested in your journey. We use Twitter and Discord to keep the conversation going, but it requires consistency.

Actionable Steps

• Schedule at least one engagement post per week.
• Use polls or questions to involve your audience in decisions.
• Share failures or lessons learned to create relatable content.

2. Overpromising and Underdelivering

The Pitfall

In an effort to build hype, some founders promise features or timelines that are unrealistic. This can lead to disappointment and loss of trust.

Honest Limitations

While it’s tempting to create excitement, it’s more important to be realistic about what you can deliver. We’ve had to backtrack on promises before, and it didn’t feel great.

Actionable Steps

• Set achievable milestones and communicate them clearly.
• Use a project management tool like Trello or Notion to track progress transparently.
• Update your audience if timelines shift, explaining why.

3. Focusing Solely on Growth Metrics

The Misstep

Many builders obsess over metrics like followers, likes, and shares. While these numbers are important, they don’t always translate into meaningful engagement or customer loyalty.

Our Experience

We’ve found that focusing on genuine interactions and building relationships has led to better long-term results than simply chasing numbers.

Actionable Steps

• Prioritize qualitative feedback over quantitative metrics.
• Conduct regular surveys with your audience to gather insights on their needs and interests.
• Celebrate small wins with your community to foster a sense of belonging.

4. Ignoring Feedback

The Mistake

When you’re building in public, feedback is invaluable. Ignoring it can lead to building a product that doesn’t meet your audience’s needs.

Our Take

We’ve learned the hard way that constructive criticism is a gift. It might sting at first, but it can help shape your project into something better.

Actionable Steps

• Set up a feedback loop via tools like Typeform or Google Forms.
• Actively solicit feedback during key stages of your project.
• Share how you plan to incorporate feedback into your project to show you value your community’s input.

5. Not Sharing Your Failures

The Reality

Many builders shy away from discussing their failures, fearing it will tarnish their reputation. However, sharing setbacks can be incredibly powerful.

Our Experience

We’ve shared our struggles with product-market fit and the tools that didn’t work out. This honesty has built more trust with our audience than the successes alone.

Actionable Steps

• Create a “failures” section in your updates to normalize setbacks.
• Discuss what you learned from each failure and how it’s influencing your next steps.
• Encourage others to share their challenges; it builds a supportive community.

Conclusion: Start Here

If you're embarking on your building in public journey in 2026, avoid these common mistakes by engaging your audience, managing expectations, valuing feedback, and sharing both successes and failures. Building in public is about creating a community around your journey, and that requires honesty and consistency.

What We Actually Use:

• Twitter for engagement
• Notion for project management
• Typeform for feedback collection

By following these principles, you can foster a supportive community that grows alongside your project.