From Zero to 3,000 GitHub Stars: How We Gained Traction for Our Open-Source ERD Tool

Our open-source project, Liam ERD, hit 3,000 GitHub stars in just three months. This wasn't accidental. We used targeted strategies to boost visibility, engagement, and ultimately, those coveted stars. Learn how you can replicate our success.

What is Liam ERD? Automated ER Diagram Generation

Liam ERD automatically generates beautiful entity-relationship diagrams (ERDs) from your database schemas. The goal is to build a thriving community around this open-source data visualization tool. Think effortless database documentation.

Why 3,000 GitHub Stars? Setting Clear Goals

Why make GitHub stars a key performance indicator (KPI)? Here's why it mattered to us:

• Driving Development of a Paid Product: GitHub stars validated interest in the database design space, a critical step towards a commercial offering.
• Boosting Brand Recognition: Stars were used to elevate awareness for the first product under the Liam brand.
• Public Validation as a Trust Signal: GitHub stars build trust and credibility. It's a visible endorsement of a project's value.

Learning from Predecessors: Our Guiding Light

We didn't reinvent the wheel. We sought guidance and inspiration from existing success stories. One compelling article was found on Star History,"The (Detailed & Creative) Playbook for Getting More GitHub Stars". This actionable advice paved our way.

Our Step-by-Step Strategies for GitHub Star Growth

We transformed the Star History article's insights into actionable tasks. Here's what we did to get those 3,000 GitHub stars:

1. Repository Preparation: Foundation for Success

First impressions count! We focused on optimizing the Liam ERD repository to welcome and engage new users.

• GitHub Best Practices: We implemented GitHub's official recommendations and security measures.
• Killer README.md: The README.md file is your repository's face. To maximize appeal:
  • Show, Don't Tell: Animated GIFs immediately demonstrated the tool's capabilities.
  • Concise Tagline: A clear and impactful tagline summarized the core benefit.
  • Informative Badges: Colorful badges from Shields.io displayed the project's status at a glance.
  • Community Focus: Clear contribution guidelines and a roadmap invited collaboration.
  • Contributor Recognition: Contrib.rocks visualized contributors, showcasing community involvement.

2. Direct Engagement: Nailing the First 100 Stars

Before broader promotion, we wanted initial traction. So, we directly sought the first 100 stars.

• Personal Outreach: Direct messages via X (Twitter) and Slack asked friends and colleagues to star the repository.
• Strategic First Post: We waited until exceeding 100 stars to make our initial X post, maximizing impact with a compelling video demo, concise bullet-point features, and shoutouts to influential accounts.
  • React Flow quoted it, amplifying our reach.

3. Indirect Strategies: Scaling Beyond Initial Connections

With that initial boost, we used these indirect strategies to broaden our reach and audience.

• Content Marketing: We built valuable content, including:

  • Blog posts with direct or indirect mentions of Liam ERD.
  • Listicles and knowledge-sharing articles related to ER diagrams and database design.

• Content Distribution: Cross-posting expanded our reach:

  • Platforms like dev.to, Hashnode, and Medium. Make sure to set canonical URLs!
  • Slightly altered versions on Reddit and HackerNoon.
  • Translated content (e.g., Japanese on Zenn) to reach specific audiences.

• Aggregator Sites and Newsletters: We used a lot of research to locate platforms that were a naturalfit for Liam ERD.

  • Hacker News got Liam ERD exposure and traffic.
  • The coolgithubprojects subreddit helped increase visibility.
  • daily.dev delivered an unexpectedly positive response, especially in Japan.

• Conference Presentations: Team members showcased Liam ERD at tech conferences in Japan.

• "Awesome List" Submissions: Pull requests to relevant "awesome list" repositories increased discoverability.

• Influencer Outreach: Direct engagement with influencers resulted in valuable exposure.

4. Celebrating Milestones: Building Hype

Don't be shy about success! We celebrated star milestones on X. Each post generated momentum and awareness.

• 200 stars
• 500 stars
• 1,000 stars
• 3,000 stars

Results & Key Takeaways

So, what really worked?

• daily.dev and Influencer Posts: These had the biggest impact on views and traffic for Liam ERD.
• GitHub trending is golden: When @GithubProjects posted on X, it drove great traffic and awareness.

Final Thoughts: Embrace Active Promotion

Don't wait for organic growth! A software engineer may initially be hesitant about promoting OSS. Recognize that you have to actively promote a good product. Hopefully, this information will serve as useful reference for others.