Build in Public — How Startups Are Turning Transparency Into Traction in 2025

Forget stealth mode. In 2025, some of the fastest-growing startups are doing the exact opposite—they’re building in public.

They’re sharing everything from product roadmaps to revenue milestones, from user feedback to team culture shifts—openly, in real time. And they’re not just doing it for vanity. They’re doing it because it works.

Building in public is no longer just a cool founder trend. It’s a serious growth strategy that fuels community, builds trust, drives accountability, and creates compounding visibility.

This article dives into how (and why) startups are using transparency as their superpower—and how you can do the same.

1. What Does “Building in Public” Actually Mean?

Building in public means sharing your startup’s journey—wins, losses, experiments, pivots, user feedback, lessons learned—openly on platforms like:

• Twitter/X
  
• LinkedIn
  
• YouTube
  
• Medium
  
• Email newsletters
  

This includes things like:

• Revenue milestones
  
• Roadmaps and feature polls
  
• Growth numbers
  
• Customer testimonials (good and bad)
  
• Personal reflections from founders
  

Think of it as building with your audience, not just for them.

2. Why Transparency Is the New Marketing

We’re in a trust economy. Audiences are skeptical of polished brands and staged launches. What they crave is realness.

Building in public works because:

• It builds trust with potential users
  
• It creates long-term brand loyalty
  
• It attracts early adopters and community advocates
  
• It makes fundraising, hiring, and selling easier
  

Stat: Content with founder vulnerability (failures, pivots, behind-the-scenes) gets 2–3x more engagement on social than traditional branded content (Source: Demand Curve).

People follow people—not just products.

3. The Growth Flywheel of Building in Public

When you commit to transparency, you trigger a powerful compound effect:

1. You Share → Ideas, builds, bugs, and milestones
   
2. You Get Feedback → Faster product validation
   
3. You Build with Input → Higher user retention
   
4. You Show Progress → Builds public excitement
   
5. You Gain Followers → Which = free attention, free press, and more users
   

This turns your audience into co-creators. They’re invested not just in your product, but in your journey.

4. What Startups Are Doing It Right?

Here are some standout examples of successful startups building in public:

• Gumroad: Founder Sahil Lavingia famously shares monthly revenue, hiring decisions, and product updates with brutal honesty.
  
• Buffer: Made their salaries, equity, and revenue public. Built massive trust and transparency culture.
  
• Loom: Early product updates were shared via videos, building hype long before their breakout growth.
  
• Roboflow: Shares real revenue updates, growth challenges, and team wins on Twitter/X.
  

The result? Bigger communities, higher trust, stronger inbound hiring, and lower CAC.

5. It’s Also a Fundraising Strategy

In a world of cautious VC funding, founders who build in public stand out. Investors love:

• Founders who are resilient and self-aware
  
• Audience-first traction
  
• Validation loops and strong engagement
  

A well-crafted build-in-public Twitter thread can do more than a pitch deck in 2025.

“When you build in public, the right people find you before you need to find them.” – Sahil Bloom

6. It Attracts Talent Without Job Boards

Hiring in 2025 is less about LinkedIn job posts and more about vibes, mission, and community.

Founders who share:

• Why they’re building what they’re building
  
• What their team culture is like
  
• Real product and process insight
  

… attract top-tier talent who are values-aligned.

Candidates see the company’s growth, team mindset, and real-world execution in public. This de-risks the startup—and makes joining feel like a mission, not a job.

7. You Don’t Have to Share Everything

Transparency ≠ oversharing. Building in public is about selective openness.

You don’t have to reveal:

• Proprietary data
  
• Private user information
  
• Equity terms
  
• Internal team conflict
  

What you can share:

• Why a feature failed
  
• What you learned in the last 30 days
  
• Behind-the-scenes of your launch
  
• What you’re experimenting with this week
  

Rule: Be honest, not reckless.

8. Best Platforms for Building in Public

Each platform has a different flavor:

Start with one. Be consistent. Turn transparency into an audience engine.

9. How to Start (Even If You’re Not “There Yet”)

The best time to start building in public was when you had the idea. The second-best time is now.

Here’s a simple 30-day roadmap:

Week 1: Introduce yourself and your startup

“I’m building [product] to solve [problem]. Sharing my journey here every week.”

Week 2: Share your user research or build progress

Screenshot of wireframes, tools you’re using, poll for feedback

Week 3: Launch something tiny + post results

Lead magnet, waitlist page, test landing page with traffic results

Week 4: Reflect + set goals publicly

What worked, what didn’t, what’s next

Repeat. Refine. Grow.

10. Common Mistakes to Avoid

✅ Don’t fake it: Building in public only works if it’s real. No inflated numbers, no “humblebrags” disguised as failures.

✅ Don’t make it a diary: Share lessons that help others—not just venting.

✅ Don’t overcommit: Posting once a week is enough if it’s consistent and valuable.

✅ Don’t build without shipping: Your posts should reflect forward motion. If you’re not shipping, you’re just tweeting.

11. Use AI to Amplify Your Transparency

Building in public doesn’t have to take hours. Use AI tools to help:

• ChatGPT → Turn your weekly notes into a polished LinkedIn post
  
• Canva + Magic Write → Create clean, branded visual updates
  
• Tella or Loom → Record async video updates
  
• Descript → Turn your video update into a podcast and blog
  
• Beehiiv + Twitter integration → Push your updates to both audiences
  

The tools are here to help you stay consistent—even if you’re not a “content person.”

Final Thoughts — Why Transparency Wins in 2025

In a noisy startup world full of empty hype and inflated launches, building in public is your unfair advantage.

• It attracts customers before your product is even ready
  
• It builds a community who roots for your success
  
• It creates investor and hiring interest without pitching
  
• It forces clarity, discipline, and reflection in your own process
  

At Marktal, we work with founders who are done hiding behind websites and pitch decks. We help them build publicly, grow sustainably, and show up consistently—with the right marketing support, automation workflows, and content systems.