Worklog with Shawn Hickman

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. 📺 Watch on YouTube 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 We...

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. 📺 Watch on YouTube Chapters 0:00 Intro 2:15 iOS 1...

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,...

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 h...

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 tr...

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 su...

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 chann...

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!...

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. Watch on YouTube Links Sofa's Website Download Sofa from the App Store Worklog Podcast Website Shawn's Blog Notion and spreadsheet templates Follow Me YouTube Threads Instagram Bluesky Share Feed...