I launched my first indie project in 2023. By month 6, I had 0 paying customers despite "marketing" for 30 hours a week. Here's what I was doing wrong — and what finally moved the needle.
Mistake 1: Building an Audience Before Building a Product
The advice "build in public" got corrupted. I spent months tweeting about what I was building without ever asking anyone to pay for it. Building an audience and building a business are not the same thing. People who follow your journey don't automatically become customers.
What worked: Find 10 people who have the problem, solve it for them, charge from day one.
Mistake 2: SEO Without Intent Matching
I published 20 blog posts. They ranked. They got traffic. None of it converted. The problem: I was targeting "how to" queries but selling a premium product. People wanted the free answer, not a guide.
What worked: Target "best X", "X vs Y", and "how much does X cost" keywords — those have commercial intent.
Mistake 3: Being Present Everywhere, Effective Nowhere
Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, Hacker News, Product Hunt, IndieHackers. I posted on all of them. Each got 15 minutes of attention per day, which meant none got enough to build momentum.
What worked: Pick two channels where your buyers already congregate. Go deep on those. Ignore the rest.
Mistake 4: Testimonial-Shy
I was afraid to ask early users for testimonials because I felt the product wasn't "ready". This was a mistake. The 3 users I had were happy — I just didn't ask. Testimonials at $0 revenue are more valuable than at $10k because they create the social proof that unlocks the next tier.
Mistake 5: No Distribution Strategy Before Launch
I launched on Product Hunt on a random Tuesday with no pre-launch warmup, no existing community, no one notified in advance. I got 8 upvotes.
What worked: Build a small waitlist (even 50 people). Notify them. Ask them to upvote on launch day. The algorithm rewards velocity.
The Honest Summary
Most early marketing mistakes come from avoiding the uncomfortable part: talking to real humans, asking for money, asking for feedback. The more you automate marketing to avoid that discomfort, the slower you move.