How a Solo Dev Built a SaaS in Public on TikTok

Episode notes

In this episode of The Indie Hacker Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how solo developer Mia Chen grew her SaaS, SnapReply — a tool for repurposing video content into text — to 8,000 MRR by building entirely in public on TikTok. They break down her strategy: livestreaming coding sessions to an audience of 2,000 viewers, using TikTok comments as a feature request board, and turning a viral video (1.2 million views) into a 500-person waitlist. They discuss the risks of building in public — copycats, pressure to ship fast, and maintaining focus — and whether this approach is sustainable for solo devs. Mia's story offers a playbook for using short-form video platforms to validate, build, and market a SaaS without a traditional marketing budget. As of June 18, 2026, her approach challenges the conventional indie hacker wisdom that building in public means Twitter threads and blog posts.