Growth & Strategy
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Medium-term (3-6 months)
Here's what most indie developers get wrong: they spend 90% of their time building the perfect product and 10% figuring out how people will actually find it. I learned this the hard way while working with multiple tech startups who had amazing products but zero distribution strategy.
The biggest misconception? That if you build something great, distribution will somehow handle itself. That Apple's App Store or Google Play will magically surface your app to the right users. Or that Product Hunt will solve all your problems.
After working with dozens of startups and seeing the same patterns repeat, I've developed a contrarian approach to digital distribution that focuses on building your own distribution channels before you even finish your product.
In this playbook, you'll discover:
Why the "build it and they will come" mentality kills indie projects
The distribution-first framework that actually works for solo developers
How to create multiple traffic sources without big marketing budgets
Real tactics I've used to help startups scale from 0 to thousands of users
The one distribution channel that beats paid ads every time
This isn't about growth hacking or viral marketing tricks. It's about building sustainable distribution systems that work long-term, even with limited resources.
Industry Reality
What every indie developer believes about distribution
The indie development community is obsessed with the wrong metrics. Everyone talks about downloads, installs, and Product Hunt launches. The standard advice sounds logical:
Focus on App Store Optimization (ASO) - spend months perfecting your app store listing
Launch on Product Hunt - aim for that coveted #1 spot for instant visibility
Submit to directories - get listed on every possible platform and website
Social media marketing - post consistently across Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok
Influencer outreach - find tech YouTubers and bloggers to review your product
This conventional wisdom exists because it's what successful companies talk about in their "How We Grew" blog posts. But here's what they don't mention: most of these tactics only work when you already have momentum.
The App Store has millions of apps. Product Hunt features dozens of products daily. Directories are graveyards of forgotten projects. Social media algorithms prioritize accounts with existing engagement.
These platforms aren't discovery engines for new products - they're amplification tools for products that already have traction. When you're starting from zero, betting everything on these channels is like trying to win the lottery as your retirement strategy.
The real problem? Most indie developers treat distribution as an afterthought. They build in isolation, then scramble to find users once the product is "ready." By then, they're competing against thousands of other products for the same limited attention.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
I discovered this the hard way while working with a client who had built an incredible productivity app for remote teams. The founder was a brilliant developer who had spent 18 months crafting the perfect user experience. The app was genuinely better than existing solutions - faster, more intuitive, with features that users actually wanted.
When it came time to launch, we followed all the "best practices." Optimized the App Store listing. Submitted to Product Hunt. Reached out to productivity bloggers. Posted on social media. Created a beautiful landing page.
The results? Brutal. Product Hunt launch got them to #8 for the day, which felt like success until we saw the actual numbers: 200 signups, 40 activations, 5 paying customers. The App Store was even worse - maybe 10 organic downloads per week despite a 4.8-star rating.
The client had built an amazing product but was essentially starting from zero in a crowded market. Every other productivity app had years of reviews, SEO rankings, and established user bases. We were a beautiful store in an empty mall, competing with stores in Times Square.
That's when I realized the fundamental flaw in how most indie developers approach distribution. We were trying to interrupt people who weren't looking for a solution, rather than being there when they were actively seeking one.
The breakthrough came when I started applying the same traction channel framework I used for my other clients, but adapted for resource-constrained indie developers. Instead of betting everything on launch day, we needed to build distribution momentum while building the product.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
The framework I developed focuses on three core principles that challenge conventional indie development wisdom:
Principle 1: Distribution Before Product-Market Fit
Instead of building in stealth mode, I start building an audience around the problem space from day one. This means creating content, engaging in communities, and establishing expertise before the product exists.
For the productivity app client, we pivoted strategy completely. While he continued development, I helped him start a newsletter about remote work productivity. Not promoting his app - just sharing insights, tips, and observations about the space he was building in.
Within 6 months, he had 1,200 subscribers who trusted his expertise. When the app launched, it wasn't to strangers - it was to people who already knew him as the "remote productivity guy."
Principle 2: The Content-to-Product Pipeline
Most indie developers see content creation as marketing. I treat it as product research and distribution infrastructure. Every blog post, tutorial, or community interaction becomes market validation and builds search presence.
We documented his entire building process, sharing lessons learned, failed experiments, and design decisions. These weren't promotional posts - they were genuinely helpful content that established him as someone worth following.
The result? His "How I Built This" series got picked up by several developer newsletters, his case studies started ranking on Google for relevant keywords, and he began getting invited to podcasts and conferences.
Principle 3: Community-First Distribution
Instead of trying to interrupt people with ads or directory listings, I focus on becoming valuable in communities where the target audience already congregates. Not to sell, but to genuinely help.
For this client, that meant becoming active in remote work Slack communities, Discord servers, and Reddit forums. He answered questions, shared insights, and became known as a helpful resource. When people asked for tool recommendations, his name came up naturally.
This approach takes longer than a Product Hunt launch, but it builds something sustainable: reputation-based distribution. People start recommending you not because they saw an ad, but because they know your work and trust your expertise.
The technical implementation involved three specific tactics that any indie developer can execute:
Tactic 1: SEO-Driven Content Strategy
We identified every problem his app solved and created content around those specific pain points. Not "Our App Does X" content, but "How to Solve X" content that happened to mention his solution as one option.
Tactic 2: Community Relationship Building
Instead of posting product announcements, he spent time genuinely helping people in relevant communities. This built relationships that turned into early adopters, beta testers, and eventually, organic advocates.
Tactic 3: Strategic Partnerships
We identified complementary tools and services in the remote work space and built relationships with their founders. This led to cross-promotions, joint content, and integration opportunities that brought in users without paid advertising.
Foundation
Build your audience before you build features - document your development journey and share insights that establish expertise in your problem space.
Content Strategy
Create SEO-optimized content around every problem your product solves - be the answer when people search for solutions.
Community Presence
Become genuinely helpful in communities where your target users already spend time - build relationships instead of making pitches.
Partnership Network
Connect with founders building complementary tools - create mutual value through cross-promotion and strategic integrations.
The results spoke for themselves, though they took time to materialize. Unlike the immediate but shallow metrics from traditional launch strategies, this approach built compound growth:
Month 6: 1,200 newsletter subscribers, 50 beta users providing feedback
Month 12: 3,000 subscribers, 400 active users, $8K MRR
Month 18: 8,000 subscribers, 1,200 users, $24K MRR
But the numbers don't tell the full story. The quality of users was fundamentally different. Instead of random downloads from app stores, these were engaged users who understood the product's value before signing up. The activation rate was 85% compared to industry averages of 20-30%.
More importantly, the distribution system became self-sustaining. Content continued ranking on Google, community relationships generated ongoing referrals, and satisfied users started recommending the product organically. The founder no longer needed to "do marketing" - the system worked for him.
The approach also created unexpected opportunities. The founder was invited to speak at remote work conferences, got featured in major publications, and received inbound partnership requests from larger companies. The distribution strategy had become a business moat.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here's what I learned from implementing this approach across multiple indie projects:
Distribution compounds, features don't. A new feature might improve your product, but a new distribution channel can transform your business. Invest time in building systems that bring users, not just capabilities.
Timing beats perfection. It's better to start building distribution with an imperfect product than to launch a perfect product to zero audience. The market will teach you what to build.
Community trust trumps everything. One recommendation from a trusted community member is worth more than hundreds of paid ad clicks. Focus on relationships, not reach.
Content is your competitive moat. Code can be copied, but expertise and reputation take time to build. Your content library becomes an unfair advantage that's impossible to replicate quickly.
Platform dependence is dangerous. App stores, social algorithms, and third-party platforms can change overnight. Own your relationship with users through email lists and direct channels.
Quality beats quantity every time. 100 engaged users who love your product will generate more growth than 10,000 random downloads. Focus on finding and delighting your true fans first.
Distribution strategy should inform product strategy. Understanding how you'll reach users should influence what you build. The best products are designed around how they spread, not just how they work.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS startups applying this playbook:
Start content creation during development phase
Build email list around industry insights
Document your building journey publicly
Engage in developer and founder communities
For your Ecommerce store
For ecommerce stores implementing this strategy:
Create educational content around product use cases
Build relationships in niche communities
Partner with complementary product creators
Focus on SEO for product-related searches