Indie Hackers Post Ideas: 30 Topics for Founders to Write About in 2027

Indie hackers post ideas are easier to find once you know what readers want. This list of 30 topics answers what to post on Indie Hackers, with indie hackers content ideas and build in public topics sorted by goal. Use them to build in public on Indie Hackers, follow advice on how to post on Indie Hackers, and work out how to get your first SaaS customers.

What to post on Indie Hackers: how to choose

Indie Hackers says on its about page that founders use it to share their stories and to submit posts asking for help and feedback. That is a useful filter. A post fits if it tells a story, asks for help or gives feedback a reader can use.

A community thread asking what kinds of posts members would like to see more of gives more detail. Commenters asked for more personal experiences and failures, marketing and sales content, interviews, learning resources, tools and tech stacks, and posts split by stage, such as first customer. They asked for less self promotion, "drop your link" threads, clickbait titles and "how I made" posts with no lesson a reader can reuse. It is one thread from 2022, so read it as a snapshot of opinion, not a rule.

One member's study of 500 front page posts reportedly found that success stories were the most common top format, followed by guides, and that announcements made up none of the top 50. The sample was front page posts only and the author promotes his own product, so treat the direction as a hint, not proof.

Before you pick an idea, answer three questions:

1. What do I want from this post? Feedback, users, accountability or reputation.
2. What real detail can I add? A number, a screenshot, a decision, a mistake.
3. What will a reader get? A lesson, a template, a warning or a chance to help.

If you can answer all three, the idea is ready, and you can start working through these indie hackers post ideas one at a time.

30 post ideas, grouped by goal

Story and lesson posts (ideas 1 to 8)

These suit founders who want to build a reputation. They work best when they are specific and honest.

1. How I got my first customer. Who they were, where you found them and what you said. Include the message you sent.
2. A mistake that cost me real money or time. Say what you did, what it cost and the check you now use.
3. Why I removed a feature. Explain how you spotted that nobody used it and what happened after.
4. A launch that did not go as planned. Share the plan, the result and what you would change.
5. A pricing change and what happened. State the old and new price, how you told users and the response.
6. What I would do differently after six months. A short list with a reason for each item.
7. A decision I regret. Readers value honesty about a choice that looked right at the time.
8. Why I paused or shut down a project. A calm explanation of the reasoning and what you took from it.

Numbers and progress posts (ideas 9 to 14)

These suit accountability. You do not need big numbers. Small, honest numbers with context are more credible than a vague claim.

1. A monthly recap. Signups, trials, paying users and one thing you learned.
2. Where my traffic comes from. A simple breakdown of sources and which ones turned into users.
3. What it costs to run my product. Hosting, tools and time, with the one cost that surprised you.
4. My signup to paid funnel. The steps, the drop off at each and what you tested.
5. A small milestone. First signup, first payment or first review, and what it taught you. Do not inflate it.
6. How I spend my week. A rough split of building, selling, support and admin.

Feedback and question posts (ideas 15 to 20)

These suit founders who need input. Each one should end with a single specific question.

1. Roast my landing page. Share the page and ask what is unclear in five seconds.
2. Which tagline works better? Post two options and ask which one a reader would click.
3. What would you pay for this? Describe the product and ask about price, without selling.
4. Should I build X or Y next? Explain both options and the trade off.
5. Why did you cancel? If you have churn, ask for the real reasons and share the patterns.
6. What tool replaced which one? Ask readers what they switched to and why.

If your tagline is the weak point, practice with a short, plain description first. Writing your one line description first will make idea 16 much easier.

Guide and how-to posts (ideas 21 to 26)

These suit founders who want to teach. Guides were reportedly the second most common top format in the study above.

1. How I validated the idea. The steps you took, with what worked and what did not.
2. My launch checklist. A real list you used, with items you added after the launch.
3. How I found my first ten users. The channels, the messages and the replies. If you are still working toward your first 100 users, first 100 users is a useful target to write about as you go.
4. My tech stack and why. Members asked for stacks in the thread above, so explain trade offs, not just tool names.
5. How I handle support alone. A routine, a template or a tool, and what you would automate.
6. How I use directories and communities. Where you listed or posted, what you learned and what you stopped doing.

Community and trend posts (ideas 27 to 30)

These suit founders who like talking to people and connecting dots.

1. An interview with a customer or fellow founder. Members said interviews had dried up, so a good one stands out.
2. What a book, tool or article changed for me. Name the idea and the change you made.
3. My view on a trend, with my own data. Take a position and back it with something you measured.
4. What I would tell myself on day one. A year in review, in five honest lines.

Indie hackers content ideas by goal

If you are not sure where to start, match your goal to the ideas above.

A simple plan: pick one idea a week, alternate between a story and a question, and publish a bigger piece once a month. Members of the platform often point to a post every two to three weeks, plus steady commenting, as a sustainable pace, but that figure comes from one founder's self reported eight week experiment, so adjust it to your time.

Build in public topics for weekly updates

If you are updating weekly, you need a repeatable shape more than a new idea each time. These recurring formats work for a series:

• Weekly shipped list. Three things you shipped, one thing you broke.
• One number. One metric, how it moved and your guess about why.
• One user quote. A real comment from a user and what you did with it.
• One decision. A choice you faced, the options and the one you took.
• One question. A single thing you want help with.

Keep the same headings each week so readers know what to expect. This is the core of how to build in public as a habit rather than a one off post.

Turning an idea into a post

An idea becomes a post when you add detail and a question. Use this routine:

1. Write the lesson in one sentence. For example: "Free users do not convert unless they hit a limit."
2. Add the evidence. A number, a screenshot or a quote from your own work.
3. Write a title that says it. The platform's own tips post advises a descriptive, near full sentence title.
4. Put the point first. Many readers decide in the first few sentences.
5. End with one question. Ask something a stranger can answer.
6. Reply to every comment. The conversation is part of the post.

For titles and structure in more depth, the advice in indie hackers post tips covers what to avoid.

Ideas to skip

• Generic prompts. A 2020 post had GPT-3 suggest five viral post ideas. They included writing about your idea before launching, launching and writing about it, telling your story and sharing something you learned. Those are broad enough to apply to anyone, which is why they rarely stand out. Add a real detail.
• Pure announcements. "We launched" with no lesson gives readers nothing to respond to.
• Link drops. Members said they wanted fewer "drop your link" threads.
• Fake numbers. Do not invent figures to make a title stronger. Use real ones or none.
• Private details. Customer data, private conversations and security details do not belong in a public post.

A short example week

Frequently asked questions

Summary

Good indie hackers post ideas come from your own work. Decide what to post on Indie Hackers by goal, mine your own indie hackers content ideas and keep a few build in public topics ready for weekly updates. Use these build in public tips for rhythm, check how to get upvotes on Indie Hackers for replies, and run customer discovery interviews for stories. Not listed yet? Submit to circlesaasboard.com.