1 Tweet. 750 Signups.

How to successfully step out of "stealth mode" and get users onto your waitlist.

I don’t know when or why “building in stealth mode” became such a thing, but it hurts you more than it helps you.

I get it.

Getting feedback can sting. Watching people scroll past your passion project feels brutal. But here’s the thing: talking about your idea early is the best move you can make.

You prevent yourself from building for months only to discover nobody wants to pay for it. You avoid heading in the wrong direction without anyone telling you.

(And, because I know you are afraid of this, the chance of getting copied is so low that execution matters way more than secrecy)

So when you decide it’s time to talk about your product and maybe even land some pre-customers, here’s how to do it right.

The right way to launch before you're ready

I’ve seen posts about product launches work on LinkedIn and X.

With zero followers and with massive audiences.

The thing is, when you have something people want, it finds them. You just have to put your solution out there.

Post about and see what feedback you get.

Here’s how you do it:

Social media

You want to do this on the platform where your target audience lives. Be it Substack, X or LinkedIn, chose the one you know you can reach as many as possible.

Product recording

Show, don’t tell → Record your screen while walking people through how your product works and what you actually solve for them. The key: show the real tool, not a mockup. Even better if you zoom in on the exact part that creates the most value.

Bonus points if you show your face to create trust right away (e.g. Loom video).

Your story

Most posts I see go like this: “Hey I launched XYZ, register now here”… then crickets. You don’t want to make it salesy. People can smell that from miles away.

Instead, try one of these angles:

Tell a funny story about how you accidentally built something that solved your own problem

Celebrate the moment. “After months of grinding, I finally launched...” People love watching others win or celebrating with you.

Or you share something genuinely useful for your audience.

And always include a clear call to action so people know what to do next.

Landing page

Speaking of next steps. You need somewhere to send people. A place where your solution is explained, the value is clear, and there's an obvious next step like "Sign up free" or "Try it now.

Waitlist

If you’re mid-development and people can’t sign up yet, set up a waitlist. Let interested people drop their email. This also tells you how much real interest exists.

Two examples that crushed it

Mac Martine talked about RalphBlaster. His tweet hit 221k impressions and pulled in 750 waitlist signups just by showing his solution in action, he wrote about it here.

Cursor jumped on the GPT wave at the right moment. They built on the hype, showed a screen recording, and drove traffic straight to their site.

Takeaway

Stop hiding behind stealth mode. The feedback you get early will save you months of wasted work.

Here’s what happens when you share early:

• You find out if people actually care about what you’re building.

• You start building an audience while you build the product. By launch day, you already have people waiting.

• You get real feedback from potential customers, not just opinions from friends.

• You create momentum. Each post, each conversation, each signup compounds.

Like the examples show. Both shared early, both won.

AJ

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