When you ask most founders about their creations, you'll see their faces light up with enthusiasm. They passionately describe the technology stack, the innovative features, the carefully planned roadmap, and the ingenious solutions they've devised for challenging technical problems.

However, when you shift the conversation to how they intend to market their product, watch the excitement fade away.

Marketing is that necessary aspect of business that we all recognise as essential, yet many of us approach it with a sense of dread. It can feel disingenuous, as if we're bragging or being overly promotional. It often appears to be an endless endeavour, and the most disheartening reality is that if we neglect marketing, we risk the failure of our hard work.

I have experienced this struggle more times than I can count.

Let’s explore the reasons behind this discomfort.

Many of us begin our journeys as builders rather than as storytellers. Crafting social media posts, sharing insights on LinkedIn, or pitching our products to strangers often feels like venturing into unfamiliar territory one that requires a different skill set altogether.

We fear coming across as spammy or desperate. In an attempt to avoid the perception of self-promotion, we often choose to keep our innovations under wraps, waiting indefinitely for a “perfect launch moment” that never materializes.

In contrast to building features or fixing bugs, marketing can feel like an unending task. Once you think you’ve completed one aspect, another channel, post, or advertisement emerges, making it challenging to ever feel like your marketing efforts are truly “done.” This constant cycle can be overwhelming.

In programming, feedback is immediate; your code either compiles or it doesn't. Marketing, on the other hand, is often ambiguous. You might invest a week crafting content only to receive minimal engagement, which can be disheartening.

Let’s face it: when you’re in the zone, immersed in coding, the last thing you want to do is pause to consider copywriting or distribution strategies. Marketing can feel like that uninvited cousin who drops by unexpectedly and demands your attention.

Here’s what often unfolds when marketing is neglected:

Ultimately, many founders experience burnout and walk away not because their product lacked merit, but because they never effectively communicated its existence to potential users.

Here’s a perspective shift that proved pivotal for me: stop viewing marketing as “selling.”

Instead, think of marketing as the process of ensuring that the individuals who would benefit from your product are aware of its existence. That’s all it is.

Marketing isn’t about bragging; it’s not a deceptive practice. It’s storytelling, establishing connections, and sharing the journey the behind-the-scenes moments, the challenges faced, and the lessons learned along the way.

When you adopt this mindset, marketing starts to feel less burdensome.

While I don’t claim to be a marketing expert, I have implemented several strategies that have made the process more enjoyable and less daunting:

Rather than crafting perfectly polished posts, I share my ongoing projects, including successes and failures. Authenticity resonates with people, and they appreciate the honesty.

By offering valuable insights that help others solve small problems through my content, I build trust. When the time comes to introduce my product, readers are more inclined to engage.

I take advantage of scheduling tools, reuse templates, and repurpose content across various platforms. This approach reduces mental fatigue and enhances consistency in my marketing efforts.

I approach marketing as I would any coding project. I run small experiments and test different messaging strategies, which helps make the process feel more natural and less intimidating.

Marketing is not solely about broadcasting messages; it involves meaningful conversations. Some of my most effective marketing efforts have resulted from simply responding to direct messages and engaging with my audience.

To be candid, marketing used to drain my energy entirely.

Whenever I launched a product, I would find myself overwhelmed, juggling multiple tabs Twitter, Product Hunt, Reddit, Indie Hackers, newsletters trying to figure out where to post, how to craft my message, and what to say.

I often spent hours obsessing over wording, design, and timing, only to realize I was neglecting the most critical task: getting my product in front of the right audience.

This frustration ultimately inspired me to create CoLaunchly. I sought to develop a tool that serves as a marketing co-pilot for founders like me one that doesn't just bombard users with random tactics, but instead provides a clear roadmap, content templates, and channel strategies. This way, you won't be left staring at a blank page every time you need to promote.

My goal isn’t to transform founders into marketing experts overnight; it’s about removing the friction so we can continue building without sidelining the essential task of attracting users.

Contrary to popular belief, it's rarely the technology that leads to a startup's downfall. Most products fail simply because no one knows they exist.

We often cling to the notion that if we create a good enough product, it will organically gain traction. However, the idea that “if you build it, they will come” is a myth.

If you want your product to thrive, you must actively communicate about it. You need to show up and share your story.

Founders often harbor a disdain for marketing because it can feel unnatural, endless, and distracting. However, the stark reality is that effective marketing can be the deciding factor between a project that fades into obscurity and a product that garners a loyal user base.

You don’t have to love marketing, nor do you need to be a master at it. What’s crucial is to stop avoiding it.

Reframe your perspective on marketing as sharing rather than selling. View it as connection instead of mere promotion. When you shift your mindset in this way, marketing evolves from a chore into a natural extension of your building process.

Ultimately, your product won’t succeed solely because of an impressive tech stack or a meticulously crafted roadmap. It will triumph because people know it exists, believe in its value, and choose to engage with it.