Worklog with Shawn Hickman

The Day Nintendo Crashed Sofa's Podcast Player Launch

Shawn Hickman — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 13:36:11 -0400

In this episode of Worklog, I talk about the launch of Sofa's new podcast player. Specifically, the marketing work I did before the launch, how the launch day/week went, and what I've been working on after the launch.

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Chapters

0:00 Intro

0:46 Small Talk

1:05 CommunityKit

5:58 Framous

8:03 Camera Talk

15:32 Not Just a Goof

17:30 Podcast Player Launch

19:48 Making Videos

21:45 Website Updates

25:01 Podcast Ecosystem

29:45 Podcast Button Builder

35:07 Dealing with Bugs

36:33 API Server

38:11 Launch Day/Week

43:34 Post Launch

50:06 What's Next

55:30 Outro

Things Mentioned

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hey@shawnhickman.me

(00:00) - Intro
(00:46) - Small Talk
(01:05) - CommunityKit
(05:58) - Framous
(08:03) - Camera Talk
(15:32) - Not Just a Goof
(17:30) - Podcast Player Launch
(19:48) - Making Videos
(21:45) - Website Updates
(25:01) - Podcast Ecosystem
(29:45) - Podcast Button Builder
(35:07) - Dealing with Bugs
(36:33) - API Server
(38:11) - Launch Day/Week
(43:34) - Post Launch
(50:06) - What's Next
(55:30) - Outro

The Final Push: App Launch, Marketing Prep, and iOS 19 Rumors

Shawn Hickman — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 21:22:23 -0400

In this episode of Worklog, I chat about some exciting Apple rumors for iOS 19, dig into the home stretch of launching my new podcast player (including solving tricky audio issues with ChatGPT Deep Research), and share behind-the-scenes marketing prep, from creating landing pages to capturing relatable photos of podcast listening in everyday life.

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Chapters

0:00 Intro

2:15 iOS 19 Rumors

7:59 Airpods 4

9:28 DJI Action 5 Pro

11:58 Severance

12:23 What I’ve been working on

31:11 Marketing prep

39:39 Outro

Things Mentioned

Links

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hey@shawnhickman.me

(00:00) - Intro
(02:15) - iOS 19 Rumors
(07:59) - Airpods 4
(09:28) - DJI Action 5 Pro
(11:58) - Severance
(12:23) - What I’ve been working on
(31:11) - Marketing prep
(39:39) - Outro

Deadlines, Launch Mode, and Knowing When to Ship

Shawn Hickman — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:51:13 -0400

In this episode of Worklog, I introduce my new podcast, where I share the journey of building Sofa, an app designed to help you be intentional with your downtime. I talk about why I'm branching into podcasts—both to better understand the podcasting experience I'm building into Sofa and to give listeners another way to enjoy my content. I also share updates on recent Sofa developments like CarPlay, Widgets, Shortcuts, and performance improvements. Lastly, I dive into "Launch Mode," explaining my strategy around deadlines, prioritizing tasks, and managing my workload leading up to a launch.

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Chapters

0:00 Intro

1:24 Small talk

7:34 Worklog Podcast

21:19 What I’ve been working on

40:30 Launch Mode

58:48 Outro

Links

Follow Me

Share Feedback

Have feedback? Send me an email:

hey@shawnhickman.me

(00:00) - Intro
(01:24) - Small Talk
(07:34) - Worklog Podcast
(21:19) - What I’ve been working on
(40:30) - Launch Mode
(58:48) - Outro

When to Remove Features from Your App

Shawn Hickman — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 12:29:39 -0500

In this conversation, Shawn Hickman discusses the often-overlooked aspect of app development: the removal of features. He emphasizes that sometimes it's more beneficial to remove features rather than continuously add new ones. Through personal experiences and examples, he outlines the reasons for feature removal, including when features aren't working as expected, are broken, or when the product has evolved. He also shares best practices for effectively communicating these changes to users and managing feedback.

Chapters

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hey@shawnhickman.me

Should You Offer a Free Trial? Here’s Why I Said “No” for My App

Shawn Hickman — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 10:11:00 -0500

In this video, I’m sharing why I don’t offer a free trial for my app, Sofa.

When I first launched the Super Sofa subscription, I struggled with decisions around pricing and whether or not to offer a free trial. Most advice said, “You should offer a free trial because that’s what everyone does.” But that never sat right with me.

Now, after a few years of running a subscription app without a free trial, I’ve gained clarity on why I don’t do it — and why Sofa’s freemium model works better without one.

I’m not against free trials! They can work great for certain products. But for Sofa, it doesn’t make sense. In this video, I’ll walk through my thought process and explain why.

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Chapters

(00:00) - Intro
(00:15) - A little context
(02:05) - Camera car mount
(03:11) - In the car
(03:45) - Purpose of free trials
(05:16) - Sofa is a freemium product
(09:02) - What I've learned about Sofa
(13:09) - Some advice

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hey@shawnhickman.me

Making an App Is Easy (Well, at First!)

Shawn Hickman — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 10:01:00 -0500

In this video, I dive into the realities of building an app: why starting is the easy (and fun) part, and why the real challenge lies in growing and maintaining it over time.

I’ll talk about the excitement of launching a new project, the hurdles you’ll face when life gets busy or progress feels slow, and how setting the right expectations can make all the difference. I’ll share tips on building sustainable systems, celebrating small wins, and staying motivated when you hit technical, emotional, or mental roadblocks.

Whether you’re creating your first app or struggling to keep going, this video is here to remind you to enjoy the process and keep moving forward.

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Chapters

(00:00) - Intro
(00:32) - Starting is easy
(03:19) - Setting expectations
(04:20) - Patience
(05:17) - Work nights
(08:26) - You're going to hit walls
(09:45) - Celebrate the wins
(12:05) - Supportive people
(13:31) - Have fun
(14:52) - Outro

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hey@shawnhickman.me

What I learned spending $30,000 marketing my indie app

Shawn Hickman — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 09:45:00 -0500

In this video, I share the lessons I’ve learned after investing $30,000 into marketing my app over the past three years. For an indie app developer, it’s a significant amount, and I dive into why I chose to spend it, where it went, and what came out of it.

I discuss the challenges of getting attention in today’s competitive market and why I decided to focus on sponsoring podcasts and YouTube channels in the Apple and tech world. I also explain my goals for this marketing effort—building brand awareness rather than immediate conversions—and the results I’ve seen, including increased sales, recognition from Apple, and turning this into my full-time job.

If you’re an indie developer or just curious about the business side of app development, this is for you!

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Chapters

(00:00) - Intro
(01:41) - Why spend money for marketing?
(03:54) - Where did I market?
(04:30) - Why I chose those channels
(08:17) - My goals
(12:23) - The results
(18:06) - Some advice
(19:55) - Outro

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hey@shawnhickman.me

Marketing an Indie App When You’re Starting with Zero Budget

Shawn Hickman — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 23:24:00 -0500

In this video, I answer a great question I got on YouTube: How did you approach marketing in the beginning of making an app?

I’ll share what I did when starting out, how my approach evolved over time, and what I’d do differently if I could go back. Whether you’re just starting your indie app journey or looking to improve your marketing strategy, I hope this video gives you some helpful insights!

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Chapters

(00:00) - Intro
(01:32) - What I did in the beginning
(06:17) - How it evolved
(10:16) - What I would do differently
(14:15) - Outro

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Should Indie Developers Start with One App or Multiple Apps?

Shawn Hickman — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 09:22:00 -0500

When starting out as an indie app developer, should you make one app or multiple apps? While there are many way to answer that question, I think focusing on one app is a better approach when starting out.

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hey@shawnhickman.me