Self-promotion

New founders talk about their product too much. I did, too. It's natural. You're excited, you want people to notice, and every discussion feels like a chance to pitch. But timing and context matter. Mention it too often, and people start to tune you out. And that hurts your ego, and may even become a catalyst for giving up.

I see it all the time — on Hacker News, on X, on Reddit. A founder joins a discussion, but instead of adding something thoughtful and joining the discussion, they see it as an opportunity to inject their product into every reply they make. Sometimes subtly, sometimes blatantly. Either way, it reads as self-promotion — because it is.

And even if their insights are valuable, even if their product is genuinely great, what they say will eventually begin to fall on deaf ears, because people have a natural aversion to self-promotion online.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't talk about your product. If you live and breathe the problem you're solving, then of course your thoughts will circle back to it. That's fine. That's good. But you don't need to drop a link or make a pitch every chance you get — especially when the discussion doesn't concern your product.

The problem isn't talking about your work — it's about turning every conversation into a sales opportunity — into an opportunity to talk about yourself. When people sense that, they stop listening. Even if you don't intend to sound like an ad, you will. And once people start to see you that way, it's hard to undo.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't market your product. Marketing and self-promotion are different. (Maybe more subtly to some.)

Marketing is about understanding your audience, positioning an offer in a way that resonates with them, and creating demand for your product through that channel. It's usually^[1] about providing value first — e.g. through content, tools, etc. — so that people come to you, rather than constantly pushing something on them.

Self-promotion, on the other hand, makes every conversation about you. Instead of adding to the discussion, you attempt to hijack it. Instead of offering value, you attempt to take whatever you can. And while marketing scales — e.g. through word of mouth, organic search, advertising, etc. — self-promotion rarely does.

The better approach?

Contribute first.

Make yourself someone worth listening to. Offer insights. Help people without expecting anything in return. If you're in a discussion about something you know well, share what you've learned. Teach without pitching. Give people a reason to care about your perspective before you ever ask for their attention and money.

And when it makes sense to pitch your product — maybe don't.

If people resonate with what you're saying, if they see you as someone who understands their problems, they'll look into what you're building on their own. No explicit pitch necessary.

Let your work speak for itself.

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[1]: Well, usually. Some channels like advertising don't always necessarily provide value to the audience. But you get the idea.

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This is an expansion of a thought from an X post.