Distribution is a skill though. Testimonials are great but they're limited by how many people see it.

Yes. I don't think Reddit needed marketing in its early days. It was mostly spread by people with their content.

That's why I say the best way to promote Lemmy is just to post links of interesting content.

I'm more of a tech person than a people person. I've been doing as you suggest (for a different open source project) for years, and have been brutally unpersuasive. I do bring a lot of passion and excitement, and that's why they don't tell me to fuck right off. Even my best friends have only listened to enough advice to get themselves into trouble.

I hope it's made a difference. But a professional marketer would certainly have done a better job.