For Builders2025 Guide

Best places to share your side project and get real users (2025)

You've built something. Now you need to get it in front of the right people — not just anyone. Here's an honest breakdown of where to share your side project in 2025, ranked by what actually works.

Last updated: April 2025 · 6 min read

Quick Answer

The best places to share a side project in 2025 are: Shipgrid (AI-matched, always-on), Hacker News Show HN (technical audiences), Indie Hackers (community building), ProductHunt (launch-day visibility), and niche subreddits (high-intent targeting). Always sequence across multiple platforms — never put all your energy into one.

Why "launch day" is the wrong mental model

Most founders treat a product launch as a single event — one big push, one big day, then hope the SEO kicks in. In 2025, this model is broken. Here's why:

  • ✕ProductHunt has 12k+ daily submissions — you're competing against everyone at once
  • ✕Upvote-based algorithms reward first-mover network effects, not product quality
  • ✕Launch-day traffic spikes are rarely the right users — they're curiosity browsers
  • ✕The conversion rate from "launch day" visitors to paying customers is often under 0.5%

The better model is always-on discovery — your product continuously finds new, relevant users over weeks and months, not in a single 24-hour window.

Top 5 platforms ranked

#1

Shipgrid

AI-Matched
9.5/10
score

Best for: long-term, targeted discovery

Pros

  • ✓AI matches your product to users by role, problem, and budget
  • ✓Always-on — keeps finding new users after launch day
  • ✓Founder analytics + changelog updates
  • ✓AI-generated FAQs per product (SEO boost)

Cons

  • —Newer platform — smaller initial audience
Submit your app →
#2

Hacker News (Show HN)

High Risk, High Reward
8/10
score

Best for: technical tools with developer audiences

Pros

  • ✓5,000–15,000 highly technical eyeballs in 24 hours
  • ✓Comments are genuinely useful feedback from smart people
  • ✓Strong SEO backlink from a DA 90+ domain

Cons

  • —Brutal if your product isn't technically impressive
  • —Must be genuine — zero tolerance for marketing speak
  • —Posts disappear from front page fast
#3

Indie Hackers

Community Building
7.5/10
score

Best for: build-in-public momentum and founder peers

Pros

  • ✓Share milestones + revenue numbers for high engagement
  • ✓Long-form posts get indexed well by Google
  • ✓Supportive community that actually reads what you write

Cons

  • —Lower conversion to paying users vs Hacker News
  • —Best used for relationship-building, not viral launches
#4

ProductHunt

Launch Day Visibility
6.5/10
score

Best for: one-day brand awareness burst

Pros

  • ✓Large audience of early adopters
  • ✓Strong media visibility if you hit top 5
  • ✓Good for social proof ('Featured on ProductHunt')

Cons

  • —24-hour window — if you don't hit it, you're buried
  • —Upvote brigading favors established networks over quality
  • —No audience targeting — your product reaches everyone and no one
#5

Reddit (Niche Subreddits)

ICP Targeting
7/10
score

Best for: high-conversion posts in the right community

Pros

  • ✓r/SaaS, r/SideProject, r/webdev — high-intent audiences
  • ✓If your post resonates, organic sharing is powerful
  • ✓Comments show you exactly what users think

Cons

  • —Self-promotion rules vary — read each sub carefully
  • —Can go negative fast if the community smells marketing

Common questions

Is ProductHunt still worth it in 2025?↓
Yes — but only as one of several channels. Use it for brand visibility and social proof ('Featured on ProductHunt'), not as your primary user acquisition strategy. The days of PH making or breaking a product are largely over for most niches.
How do I get my first 100 users?↓
Submit to AI-matched discovery platforms like Shipgrid, post a Show HN on Hacker News, share in 2–3 targeted subreddits, and personally DM 10–20 people in communities where your ideal customer is already active. Do the unscalable things first.
Should I launch everywhere at once or sequence?↓
Sequence. Launch your product on Shipgrid first (always-on, no pressure), then do a Show HN when you have some traction data to share, then hit ProductHunt last when you have screenshots, testimonials, and a real story to tell.

Ready to try always-on discovery?

Submit your product to Shipgrid and reach users who actually match your ICP.

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