Tweets

@noplanstomerge @DCoulbourne This section was another fave. So many good moments.

@ArlonAntonius Check out:

1. @noplanstomerge
2. @artofproductpod
3. @fullstackradio

@nicknow Low-margins require massive scale. (A scale you might never reach)

Also, I’m not just talking about low profit margins...

https://twitter.com/patio11/status/1214396027848937472?s=21 https://twitter.com/patio11/status/1214396027848937472

@MicroConf As Saul Griffith (founder of @otherlab) outlines here, reducing the world's carbon footprint is going to require action by governments, corporations, AND individuals:

http://longnow.org/seminars/02009/jan/16/climate-change-recalculated/

@anthilemoon These are really incredible life lessons.

You are wise beyond your years! Happy birthday. 🙌

@MrSimonBennett @SaaSReality This is real life!

Hoping you get some rest and that your family stays healthy! ❤️

@joshuaanderton @derrickreimer @r00k If this a new feature for the Webflow community, I would identify:

• influencers in that space (folks like @mackenziechild)
• existing communities and forums
• make videos and articles that target common search queries: “how do I add an email subscribe form to Webflow?”

Exactly:

“What technology and trade have done, however, is displace millions of Americans from their middle-class jobs, and send them hurtling down the income ladder into less remunerative occupations.” http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/12/november-jobs-report-analysis-wage-growth-unemployment.html

@Shpigford no dc talk? lame.

@IshIsDeep I like this answer. Purchase frequency seems particularly important (unless you’re doing enterprise sales).

@M_Gagliano @datanyze They don’t, they’re metric is “websites analyzed.”

The revenue metric comes from @Baremetrics’ Open Startups.

@smgrieser @bwertz @TransistorFM I’ve written a pretty good guide on this here: https://transistor.fm/make-money-podcasting

@venikunche Getting (and staying asleep) has been a huge struggle for me in the past.

I asked for advice a few months ago and this what I got:

https://justinjackson.ca/sleep

@petersuhm yes! when people discover a solution they’ve been looking for for a long time, they can’t stop talking about it. 👍

@mackenziechild @newsycombinator Whoa.

And that @usefathom dashboard! 😍

@MicroConf Is @SingleFounder introducing a MicroConf inspired single malt whisky?

@ryanchenkie @CoderPodcast Yup, I wrote some guidelines here (Las section):
https://transistor.fm/make-money-podcasting

@sean_j_roberts @adamwathan 🤣

@themsaid, I enjoyed listening to your interview on @HappyDevFM today!

@FrankDenbow That’s the perfect way to say it: “if your dreams don’t serve you, let them go.”

@Shpigford 👋 I hear you, I feel you.

@nbashaw Lately, I’ve been feeling that “$ being spent on X” is more important in the beginning. It shows you where to dig for oil.

After you know where to dig, the JTBD helps you figure out what to build.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1200289326380118016

@iChris But what if someone needs to publish a podcast at 31,000 feet but there are too many “uhms?”

@pjrvs Yessssssss 🙌

Look for evidence of people switching (and why they switch):
https://twitter.com/search?q=I%20just%20switched%20to%20mailchimp&src=typed_query

@lovevalgeisler listening to your interview on @churnfm right now! Really good stuff 👌.

The CEO of Spotify (@eldsjal) echoes a lot of this in his interview with @patrick_osha:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3eGF6pKazFiCe9n5C0wd4i?si=MQSBUnqoQI2oesVhJK-PnQ

You can't just list the "pros" of moving forward; you also need to think about the "cons!"

Evaluate your ideas honestly; critically.

Be OK with quitting. Quitting something that's not working is a superpower.

💯 to Tara's point here.

You need a way to evaluate the project at every stage.

If you're not seeing the results you want, it might be time to switch to something else.

https://twitter.com/kindofstrange/status/1195371118133219329

🎯 https://twitter.com/csavage/status/1195106121096273920

@randfish In retrospect, do you wish you’d taken the offers?

Right now it feels like I (foolishly?) want to run @TransistorFM for a long time.

But the answer can’t always be “charge more.”

There’s no nuance in that answer. We treat “charge more” like a pricing panacea.

Pricing a (given product) in a (given market) is more complex than that.

https://justinjackson.ca/charge-more

Most products and services should charge a reasonable multiple of the value they provide.

Example:
If my service brings you $100k of business, it’s reasonable for me to ask for 10%-30% of that.

Unfortunately, most transactions aren’t that cut-and-dry (or that simple).

(What’s more valuable than a substance essential for life?)

@chrismessina @Spotify @SoundCloud This is a pretty common misconception.

Every podcast needs their own hosting for their MP3 files, and to generate a valid RSS feed.

When you click "download" in these apps, the request gets sent to the hosting provider (like @transistorfm).

https://transistor.fm/upload-podcast-itunes-apple

@ianlandsman @taylorotwell Naw, I think he’s livin’ it.

@iChris Agreed. This. Every time.

@boaticus @daverodenbaugh @cgenco @itengelhardt @lovevalgeisler 👋 I’d also like to see networking events that aren’t alcohol-focused.

XOXO in Portland had a sponsored mocktails bar/event that was really popular.

@Patticus Totally. The thread is my attempt to explore that a bit.

My best guess right now is that podcast discovery will never have as much throughput as discovery on YouTube, Netflix, etc

Google search *might* change this, but I’m skeptical.

Podcasting is just a slower medium.

@arvidkahl @IndieHackers Really enjoyed this thread, and reading your comments.

Congrats on the sale Arvid and @SimpsonDaniK! 🙌

@pjrvs @ebarbaric @statamic ☝️ going on my website.

@asmartbear just wrote this excellent piece:

http://blog.asmartbear.com/capturing-luck.html

Will your old tweets come back to haunt you?

@evepeyser talks about her past tweets on @sparkcbc:

“My most retweeted tweets were also the most unkind.”

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/fake-news-isn-t-new-modern-disinformation-uses-centuries-old-techniques-author-says-1.5307528/could-your-tweets-come-back-to-haunt-you-1.5309742

@calebporzio @noplanstomerge @DCoulbourne “Along comes Daniel, selling calamari,” is the title track from my new EP.

@asteroid_saku What app do you use to edit videos?

@anthilemoon @WeirdoWizard @imcatnoone @briannekimmel http://producthabits.com is good.

http://justinjackson.ca/bootstrap

@lachlanjc @tim_cook Whaaaaaaat! Wow! How did that happen?

@shanesmithau That comment is clearly toxic and should be ignored.

I wrote a bit about YouTube in particular here:
https://justinjackson.ca/mean

Keep making stuff! 🙌

These folks are constantly:

- embroiled in some form of online drama
- shaming and humiliating people publicly
- saying negative things about others publicly
- hanging out with other negative people that like to complain

They distrust anyone who seems happy or earnest.

@mattwensing @joshuaanderton I don't think there has been a huge surge in podcasting. Just years of steady growth.

I think what's changed is we crossed a threshold: now, over 50% of the US population listens.

Now, the majority of folks listen; that will continue to have reverberations throughout society.

@JacobBennett Nice!

@NoahPrail PHP4EVA

@TransistorFM @zachcavender @CoverStoriesTX @The_YellowRoses I've submitted it to @podhuntapp here as well. 👍

https://podhunt.app/episodes/473/e04-the-yellow-roses-cover-tom-petty

@yongfook Yup. @jonbuda and I are nearly 40, both live in North America, and have mortgages.

(Plus, I have 4 kids)

Our next benchmark is $50k in MRR for Transistor:
https://saas.transistor.fm/episodes/how-much-mrr-is-enough

@Baremetrics @ConvertKit @TransistorFM @buffer @Hubstaff Although, most of these are bootstrapped companies.

@jeffchang30's rubric is probably good for VC backed SaaS companies (I don't know as much about that).

Here's today's newsletter:
https://ckarchive.com/b/75u7h8ho3zw4

If you'd like to get it (I send it every Saturday morning), you can subscribe here:
https://justinjackson.ca/newsletter

Got stuck on this @statamic / @tailwindcss website; trying to figure out a few things https://www.pscp.tv/w/cEAHvTM4NTU1MXwxcm14UFhaZ05FYnhO46edAgo2qN4IPzDbk904nu9nl6vkrABQKsT6EXlIkik=

@marshal @JamesClear @Shpigford @LaserTweets 😂

👋 @Shpigford @CasJam @earthlingworks @delk

@shl Agreed.

You especially see this when you move to a new community!

BTW - targeting a good market doesn’t mean you’ll automatically win!

There are a TON of factors that influence a business’ success (or failure).

But choosing a market that has a lot of demand (and good channels) is essential for future success.

@dhh @jasonhickel Sounds like it’s up my alley. Ordered. 👍

@seanwes so true. ❤️

@joeworkman @reinink We learned to say it the right way. 💪

I’ve been reading @ScottHYoung’s book (Ultralearning) as well, and I’ve had tons of new insights about how I can change the way I do self-learning.

There are many products that folks will continue to use (for a long time!) but wouldn’t be “very disappointed” if it went away.

@louisnicholls_ @jasonfried @jonbuda @r00k Yup, that's a great tweet:

https://twitter.com/r00k/status/1147903699513204736

@deadcoder0904 @elonmusk @SpaceX “Need” is actually a bad word for what I’m describing.

“Desire” is probably better. The market has to have a preexisting hunger for it.

@developerjack @buildyoursaas Oh wow. That’d be tough. We just recorded a new episode tonight though!

Here are some other good options: http://podcast.gift

Really good piece by @webby2001 👌 https://twitter.com/webby2001/status/1152552173575856129

@Clew_less @iChris yup. if you don't have a moose on your front law there's something wrong with u

"Christmas in Japan, and how to celebrate it right" 🎅🇯🇵

https://soundcloud.com/tofugu/ep-2-japanese-christmas

@derrickreimer Had a few thoughts about this today while listening to @artofproductpod 👌

@nathanbarry @ConvertKit WAY TO GO! Party time! Excellent!🕺🔥💃

When's the last time you heard someone say "I had a delightful conversation with a chatbot?"

Even when they're "done well," chatbots don't generate word of mouth for your product (which is what you want, especially early on).

This kind of dark pattern is going to create more resentment against subscription-based businesses.

https://twitter.com/drbarnard/status/1145373770582056962?s=21

@r00k @tylertringas 👌 I've been adding "non-alcohol" (low alcohol) drink ideas here: https://justinjackson.ca/nobooze

One last morning at @philandseb in #yyc before I fly home to Vernon. 👌

@ugmonk We have lots of folks who click on this one in http://Transistor.fm.

It doesn't "pop up" automatically though. They only click it if they have questions and want a quick answer.

I try to answer them as quickly as I can.

@coreyhainesco I know that sounds counterintuitive – but there’s a danger in excluding customers too early.

(Even re-reading it now it sounds “wrong”)

But with Transistor, we chose our positioning too early, and excluded a lot of folks that *could* have been customers.

@coreyhainesco Historically, I’ve agreed with this.

But lately, I’ve been challenged on it. (Largely by @earthlingworks)

With certain products, I’m now seeing that it’s better to “launch first and see who shows up.”

Trying to create this tool that uses Apple Podcast Search API + uploading image in JS but I need help! https://www.pscp.tv/w/b9qVMDM4NTU1MXwxak1KZ3ZQck5lT0dMjGg1cwZ1Af8O56ADncXq3oXiHIMFbdbzcxUerSdlLD8=

Here’s a teaser: “at the beginning there is so much stress.”

Amazing customer support is @TransistorFM's secret weapon. 💪

👀 More podcast acquisitions on the horizon.

@coreyhainesco 1. Did market research https://saas.transistor.fm/episodes/pricing-transistor

2. Asked other founders https://saas.transistor.fm/episodes/saas-pricing-experts

3. Questioned the status quo https://saas.transistor.fm/episodes/the-charge-more-debate

@petebray Plenty of room in the right market.

ConvertKit competes with MailChimp and is doing well. 👍

Carrd competes with Squarespace and is doing well. 👍

Transistor competes with Libsyn and is doing well. 👍

@naval I’d be curious on your take on this:

“Though corporate profits are high, and the stock market is booming, most Americans are not sharing in the economic recovery.”

https://hbr.org/2014/09/profits-without-prosperity

@sunainak @hnshah https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/bullet/id1464117391?mt=8

@natekontny @shl There’s also a possible future where people abandon video because it’s too consuming.

Audio has an advantage here: you can listen to something mindfully. You can look at the world around you. You can be in nature. You can close your eyes.

@JordanGal I think Joe Rogan basically described “what it’s like to have kids” here. 😜

@Shpigford Carp

@andrewculver Dude, have you been watching my coding livestreams again? 😜

I met Nick at the "Future of Web Apps" conference in 2011.

For a long time, he was one of the most talented web developers I knew.

Then, he became a proficient teacher.

THEN he became a versatile AR, VR, and game developer!

You should hire him. 🎯 https://twitter.com/nickrp/status/1135898867403243521

Good quick episode from ⁦@valsopi⁩:

“When should you quit your SaaS?” https://overcast.fm/+RtfQMORXE

@JoeHughesDev Yes! @glenmccallumcan's been blogging about this a lot lately:

https://glenmccallum.com/2019/05/14/senior-developers-rejected-jobs/

@tylertringas A few more:

- A restaurant focusing on potatoes just closed in my hometown. Too narrow of a niche. Most folks don't want to eat a baked potato more than once a month.

- What killed barber shops in the 60s was the switch to long hair. Their market (short haircuts) was too small.

@tylertringas @earnestcapital Can you give me an example of the "niche" businesses you're talking about?

Note, that I didn't say that "you shouldn't target a niche" but rather "that niche has to be sufficiently large."

And...

Those niches need to be bigger than most people think.

@MoreWillie done! ❤️

Congrats to you and @codywanner.

@kerranm @TransistorFM In @clubhouse (our project mgmt software) we track how many support tickets have requested a specific feature / update.

This story had a lot of tickets attached to it. 😉