How I Promoted My Side Project on 4 Launch Platforms (and What Actually Worked)

IndieHackers love launching. But after the launch... what then?
If you’re like me, bootstrapping solo with a tight budget, you’ll want to squeeze every drop of exposure out of each free (or cheap) opportunity.

I recently launched MyFitTrainingPlan.com — a personalized AI-generated workout plan for just $5 — and here’s how I promoted it across four different platforms, what I paid (if anything), and what I learned.

💡 Product Hunt — Free, Popular, Surprisingly Quiet

This is the gold standard. You can list your project for free and launch the very next day.
But despite the hype, I only got 6 upvotes. Why? Probably because I don’t have a big audience (yet) and PH doesn’t drive traffic on its own unless your project hits the front page. Still, for small projects, it’s the easiest way to say, “Hey world, I exist.”

Here is link.

💸 Fazier — Not Pretty, But Surprisingly Effective

This one’s weird. Half the site runs on Notion pages. It redirects between domains. UX? Not great.
But I took a gamble and paid $50 for a small sponsored boost — and boom, 72 upvotes on Day 2.
Was it worth it? Honestly, yes. Sometimes exposure is just about paying to get in front of the right eyeballs.

Here is link.

⏳ Uneed — Free, But You'll Wait Months

I submitted for free, but my project is scheduled to go live in August. It’s April now.
By the time it’s live, my design might be outdated, my screenshots irrelevant, and my copy stale.
Could I pay to skip the line? Sure. But when you’re self-funded and your monthly income is under $1,000 — not every "upgrade" is possible.

Here is link.

🐢 TinyLaunch — Free, But Also Slow

Another free option where your project goes live in June. Same issues as Uneed. Still, it’s on the list, and every little backlink counts.

Here is link

What About Socials?

I’ve also started experimenting with:

• X (Twitter) – I run a small account with only 6 followers (it's just a week old). I set up a bot that posts helpful content daily. It’s slow growth, but hey — better than nothing.
  One surprise: X requires two paid subscriptions — one for the profile, one for API access. Without the API, your bot can’t even search tweets properly.

• LinkedIn – I created a company page and started posting there too. Honestly, it feels like shouting into the void… but maybe Google is listening. I'm still an SEO believer from the early 2010s — and good backlinks never hurt.

Lessons So Far

• Free platforms are useful, but rarely drive traffic unless you're already known.

• A small budget used strategically can make a big difference — like Fazier’s $50 boost.

• Automation (bots, schedulers, reposters) saves time, but organic growth is still slow.

• SEO isn’t dead — but it takes time. Plant seeds now, wait patiently.

What’s Next?

I’ll keep posting on socials, testing indie directories, and optimizing SEO.
But I’m also curious…

What are your favorite free (or cheap) ways to promote an indie product?
Especially if you’ve got no team, no investors, and no time.

Let’s share tactics that actually work. Drop your thoughts👇