It usually comes down to how they manage visibility, not just what they’ve built.
Some teams are very intentional about creating an external presence from the start. They use press releases to announce milestones, partnerships, or launches, so when someone looks them up, there’s already a trail of updates across different platforms. That makes the project feel more active and credible.
On the other hand, a lot of technically strong projects skip this step and only focus on their own channels. If everything stays limited to Twitter or their website, it’s harder for outsiders to verify anything, which affects perception.
So it’s not always about how long a project has been around, it’s about how visible and documented it is. Press releases play a big role in shaping that early impression.