Built pidkill for myself, posted on r/sideproject, got ~10 comments and 0 downloads.

▶ What I did

I built pidkill, a process management tool for macOS, primarily because I needed it myself. Once it was done, I posted it on r/sideproject targeting developers, assuming they'd want it too. I didn't do any prior validation — I just built it and hoped the audience would follow.

▶ What I expected

I expected the post to drive real downloads and eventually paying users. I was hoping for a clear signal that developers found it useful enough to try and pay for.

▶ What actually happened

The product post got ~10 comments but zero downloads or conversions. Ironically, a follow-up post about my failed launch resonated far more — until it was removed by the moderators. The struggle landed; the product didn't.

▶ What I've tried so far

I reworked the value prop: shifted from positioning pidkill as better than Activity Monitor to emphasizing data consistency and privacy transparency via official macOS APIs. No traction yet. I've been studying marketing and am planning a new approach soon.

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