Every founder who tries to be everywhere ends up nowhere. Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, Reddit, Hacker News, Product Hunt, three Discords, two newsletters — that is not a strategy, that is a slow burnout. Pick two. Master them. Add more later only if the first two work. Focus is a weapon, and on launch day it is the only weapon you have.
Two questions, one decision:
- Where do your users already complain about this problem?
- Where do they already pay attention for 20+ minutes a day?
Match the audience to the channel:
| If you build for | Channel #1 | Channel #2 |
|---|
| Developers | Hacker News | GitHub / X |
| Marketers | LinkedIn | X |
| Designers | Dribbble | Product Hunt |
| Indie hackers | Product Hunt | Reddit |
| Small business owners | Reddit (niche subs) | LinkedIn |
This is a starting point, not a rule. If your user research from earlier waypoints surfaced a specific Slack, Discord, or subreddit where your users actually live, that beats any generic channel.
Write it down. Channel 1, Channel 2, one sentence of why for each. That doc is your launch plan. Show up daily for 30 days on both. Measure replies, clicks, signups. Ignore the rest.
Bad: "We'll be active on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Discord, and Product Hunt."
Good: "Channel 1: r/marketing — our users post weekly questions there. Channel 2: LinkedIn — they share solutions with their teams."
Bad reasoning: "I like Twitter."
Good reasoning: "Hacker News, because our last 4 beta users found us through a comment thread there."
- Trying to be everywhere. Pick two. Add more only after you win one.
- Picking channels you enjoy instead of where your users actually are.
- Skipping the "why" sentence. Without it, you will drift to ten channels by Friday.
Open a doc. Write Channel 1 and Channel 2. Add one sentence of reasoning under each. Commit to 30 days on both before adding any third.
A short written decision naming exactly two distribution channels with one sentence of reasoning for each, grounded in where your real users already spend time. No third channel. No "and maybe also."
Every founder who tries to be everywhere ends up nowhere. Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, Reddit, Hacker News, Product Hunt, three Discords, two newsletters — that is not a strategy, that is a slow burnout. Pick two. Master them. Add more later only if the first two work. Focus is a weapon, and on launch day it is the only weapon you have.
Two questions, one decision:
- Where do your users already complain about this problem?
- Where do they already pay attention for 20+ minutes a day?
Match the audience to the channel:
| If you build for | Channel #1 | Channel #2 |
|---|
| Developers | Hacker News | GitHub / X |
| Marketers | LinkedIn | X |
| Designers | Dribbble | Product Hunt |
| Indie hackers | Product Hunt | Reddit |
| Small business owners | Reddit (niche subs) | LinkedIn |
This is a starting point, not a rule. If your user research from earlier waypoints surfaced a specific Slack, Discord, or subreddit where your users actually live, that beats any generic channel.
Write it down. Channel 1, Channel 2, one sentence of why for each. That doc is your launch plan. Show up daily for 30 days on both. Measure replies, clicks, signups. Ignore the rest.
Bad: "We'll be active on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Discord, and Product Hunt."
Good: "Channel 1: r/marketing — our users post weekly questions there. Channel 2: LinkedIn — they share solutions with their teams."
Bad reasoning: "I like Twitter."
Good reasoning: "Hacker News, because our last 4 beta users found us through a comment thread there."
- Trying to be everywhere. Pick two. Add more only after you win one.
- Picking channels you enjoy instead of where your users actually are.
- Skipping the "why" sentence. Without it, you will drift to ten channels by Friday.
Open a doc. Write Channel 1 and Channel 2. Add one sentence of reasoning under each. Commit to 30 days on both before adding any third.
A short written decision naming exactly two distribution channels with one sentence of reasoning for each, grounded in where your real users already spend time. No third channel. No "and maybe also."