Why Announcing Before Shipping Costs You Credibility Over Time

A developer argues that the popular "build in public" approach is often practiced in the wrong order, with creators announcing projects before they exist rather than after shipping. Posting intentions triggers the same dopamine reward as doing actual work, which can create a false sense of productivity while nothing tangible gets built. Announcing unfinished work also spends credibility, as audiences form expectations tied to a product that may change or never arrive — a dynamic the author compares to the Osborne effect in hardware. The author now follows a stricter sequence: complete the work first, then write about it, so every public post is backed by something readers can immediately use or verify. Over time, this approach builds compounding trust rather than a backlog of unfulfilled promises.