“I joined every golf subreddit, every Facebook group, every Discord I could find. For months I just answered questions about course management — didn't mention the app. Then one day I posted a screenshot and said 'hey, I built this.' The response was immediate because I'd already earned trust.”

Build in public inside your niche community before launch — add value first, drop screenshots second

Duffett spent several months participating in golf communities as a genuine contributor before mentioning Shot Pattern. This wasn't a calculated growth strategy — he was a golfer who was interested in the conversations. But the consequence was that when he revealed the app, the community recognised him as one of them, not a marketer. His post spread organically because the trust was real and pre-existing.