Behind-the-Scenes Post Template
Behind-the-scenes posts about the process of building something consistently generate high engagement. Redditors particularly value transparency about the messy, non-linear reality of building.
The Template
Title: [What you're showing behind the scenes] — [specific, honest detail that creates curiosity] --- [Setup: what moment or realization prompted you to share this] [The behind-the-scenes content — be genuinely transparent about the process, not a highlight reel] [Specific detail #1 — something that would surprise people about how the sausage gets made] [Specific detail #2 — something you learned or noticed] [Honest reflection on what this means — where you are, what you're uncertain about] [One thing you're doing next as a result] [Optional question tied to the specific thing you're showing — "Anyone else do it this way? Curious if there's a better approach."]
When to Use This
Behind-the-scenes posts work when you have something genuinely interesting to show — a decision process, a pivot, a feedback session, a failure post-mortem. They fail when they're marketing thinly disguised as transparency.
Best Subreddits
Tips for Success
- 1Show the actual thing — a screenshot of your analytics, a breakdown of your support tickets, a real user interview quote — not a description of the thing.
- 2Include something that didn't go well. Pure success stories feel curated. Messy reality generates trust.
- 3Building in public works when you share before-and-after. A single update with no context is hard to care about.
- 4"Behind the scenes" of the decision process is more interesting than behind the scenes of the outcome.
Filled-In Example
Title: I read every churn survey from the last 6 months. Here's what users actually said (and what I got wrong) I've been building my SaaS for 14 months. Until last month, I was reading churn survey responses but not really acting on them. I decided to actually read every single one from the past 6 months and look for patterns. 79 responses. Here's what I learned: The most common reason for churning wasn't price or features. It was "I stopped needing this kind of thing." My product helps you find Reddit leads — and about 30% of users apparently try Reddit once, it doesn't work immediately, and they give up on the channel entirely. I thought I had a product problem. I actually have an onboarding problem. I'm not teaching users how to use Reddit, so they fail, then churn. Seven people said some version of "I liked the product but I needed help knowing how to use Reddit first." I had completely missed this. I'm adding a 5-email onboarding sequence about Reddit basics before we get into product features. Launching it next week. Does anyone else find that your real churn reason is multiple layers removed from what you assumed? I kept thinking "they just need better features" when they actually needed education.
