🪙 If I had a nickel for every time I saw or heard a brilliant developer building some masterpiece in total isolation, only to realize no one was outside waiting to use it, I’d probably be able to FIRE.
I do get it and won’t pretend like I don’t understand tunnel vision as a dev. You want to stay in the IDE and let the code speak for itself. But coming from my background I’ve learned a hard truth: If no one knows your product (or you) exist, it’s effectively a bug.
If that rubs you wrong, don't think about it like "selling." We’re debugging our business.
Marketing is Just Another Stack to Master
Technical people often resist marketing because it feels like fluff. Think of it this way instead: marketing is the API between your code and the user’s problem. In a book I recently finished, The Passionate Programmer, Chad Fowler talks about "Choosing Your Market." You wouldn't pick a tech stack based on a coin flip; you pick it based on the requirements. Marketing works the same way. If you can’t define the market you’re coding for, you aren’t building a product, you’re indulging in a hobby and there’s nothing wrong with that. To be a founder, you have to master the communication stack just like you mastered Java or React.
Say It, Do It, Show It
It’s so easy to get sucked into feature creep mode thinking one more PR will finally make people buy your thing. Fowler’s rule for career advancement is the perfect fix for this:
Say It: Announce what you’re building before it’s finished.
Do It: Build that MVP.
Show It: If you aren’t showing it, you haven’t finished the job.
Aim for a 50/50 split. If you’re not working a 9-5, try spending 4 hours coding, and 4 hours on distribution. Continually refactoring an invisible product is the hamster-in-the-wheel activity you’d do well to avoid.
Documentation is Your Secret Weapon
Yes, we’re devs and we avoid all that salesy nonsense like the plague. But you know what we love? Great documentation.
Fowler emphasizes the value of being a teacher. When you write a "How-To" guide or a killer README that solves a specific technical hurdle, you’re doing inbound marketing. By solving a user’s problem for free, you earn the right to ask for their attention on your paid product. In the DevRel world, we call this "teaching to lead."
The "Passionate Founder" System Audit
Treat this checklist like your marketing test suite. If these tests don't pass, your business isn't ready to ship.
[] Identify the Pain Point Variable: Can you describe the problem you solve in one sentence without using jargon? If you can't explain it to a non-dev, you haven't simplified the logic enough.
[] Find the Watering Hole: Where do your users hang out? (Reddit, Discord, Product Hunt, Startup Grind and other niche forums). If you aren't in the conversation, you aren't in the market.
[] The 30-Second "Show It": Do you have a video or a demo playground? Users should see the value immediately without having to create an account.
[] The "Consultative" Pitch: Are you asking for a sale or for advice? Fowler’s rule: Ask for advice, and you’ll get a customer; ask for a customer, and you’ll get ignored.
[] The Five-User "Debug": Have you watched five strangers try to use your product while they think out loud? This is the ultimate way to find bugs that are killing your business.
How to Structure Blogs Tweets and Videos
Target Audience: The people currently Googling the problem your SaaS solves.
- The "I’ve Been There" Hook
The Goal: Empathy.
My Tip: Start with a specific error message or a facepalm moment you had while building.
Drafting Prompt: "If you’re trying to [achieve X] in [Tech Stack], you’ve probably run into [Error/Frustration]. I spent four hours banging my head against the wall on this, so you don't have to."
- The "Hard Way"
The Goal: Establish authority by showing you understand the underlying logic.
The Content: Provide the actual code, script, or configuration steps to solve the problem without your SaaS.
Why this works: It proves you aren't just selling a black box. You’re providing value upfront.
- The "Why This Scale Is Broken"
The Goal: Introduce the Pain of Maintenance.
My Tip: Use a food or kitchen analogy. "Doing this once is like making a sandwich. Doing this for 1,000 users is like trying to run a commercial kitchen with a toaster."
Drafting Prompt: "This works for a side project. But once you hit [Scaling Milestone], you start dealing with [Security/Performance/Technical Debt] issues."
- The "Better Way"
The Goal: Position your product as the logical evolution of the manual fix.
The Content: "This is exactly why I built [Product Name]. It automates the [Step 1] and [Step 2] we just talked about so you can get back to building your actual app."
- The "Soft CTA" (Call to Action)
The Goal: Low friction.
Drafting Prompt: "I’ve put together a [Free Cheat Sheet/Utility Script/Guide] that handles this. Grab it here, or try the [Product Name] sandbox to see it in action."
How to Distribute This
Once you’re written it up, you can't just hit publish and hope. Follow some sort of distribution strategy (stack):
Snippet to Social: Take the "Hard Way" code snippet and post it to X/Twitter or LinkedIn with a "Lesson Learned" caption.
The "Rubber Duck" Comment: Find a Stack Overflow or Reddit thread asking about this specific problem. Don't post the link to the SaaS; post the link to the educational guide.
The Newsletter Hook: Share the "Facepalm" story with your email list to build that personal connection.
It’s a roller coaster moving from a builder to a founder. I experienced this with just a few freelance clients and have watched the highs and lows in numerous builders through the years. It takes a shift in mindset, but you’ve already got the logical tools to do it. Instead of hiding behind your IDE, treat your marketing with the same rigor you apply to your codebase, and you’ll stop asking how to get attention and start wondering how to scale it.
Keep building, keep sharing, and I’ll see you in the trenches!
Top comments (2)
Fabulous post Lawrence. Definitely in this boat myself with shipping invisible'ish code. Need to do better at putting it out there. Will be following this and seeing what I can come up with.
Hey Jessie thanks for reading and responding. I'd love to see what you produce next and how it goes!