3 months in: what growing on Indie Hackers actually looks like

Been hanging out here for 3 months now. Started with zero followers, zero credibility. Now at 70+ points and 16 comments across genuine posts. Here's what actually moves the needle.

The naive approach: Post something clever once and wait for traction. Doesn't work. The community is crowded and smart - they can smell the self-promo from a mile away.

What actually works:

• 5-10 upvotes per week on posts you genuinely think matter. Not the hype. The ones about founders solving real problems.
• 2-4 thoughtful comments each week where you ask a real follow-up. This takes 5 minutes. Most people won't do it.
• One post every 2-3 weeks. Not constant noise. Just showing up with something worth the read.

The secret part most founders miss: The comments are the real signal. When you drop a genuine thought on someone's post - especially when they've gotten zero engagement yet - they remember you. That's how real community trust builds.

My two posts got engagement because they felt honest. Not because they were perfect. One about the shift from execution to judgment as the real bottleneck. One based on actual convos I've had with other makers. The community responds to that authenticity.

Playing the long game here. Not optimizing for viral. Just showing up for the people building real things.