NoCode Exits
Learn how NoCode makers went from 0 to $.
Here we are again with the November update. Every month I'm afraid that the growth will suddenly stop or the sponsors vanish, so very happy again with the new 835 subscribers this month and in total 2378 subscribers!
I did some cool experiments this month.
Instead of just sharing interview updates on Twitter, I have been repurposing the content in other ways. Examples are: a (summary)[https://www.linkedin.com/posts/katt-risen_no-code-job-board-in-4-steps-activity-7000749196647497728-G3Zu?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop], an amazing quote or relatable anecdote, a summary with the tools and some tweets with learnings from different interviews.
My plan is that after every interview I block some time to convert this one interview in 8 different tweets which I can schedule in the future. It sounds like a neat plan, but to be honest, I'm struggling to block time for this. I do it already but I should do it in a more consistent and scheduled way so that I don't need to think every day about creating content.
I have been playing with the idea to also interview makers who are running profitable businesses or side projects made with No-Code (this also got mentioned in the audience survey I did) . I did a tiny test on Twitter to see if people would be interested. The reactions seemed decent enough, so I did the interview, shared the story and the reactions were very positive (I did a poll). So from now on, it are No-Code Exit + Succes Stories. I'm in doubt what I should do with the name. I'm afraid to change it, as I think the name is now something that makes people click.
I also started an account on Linkedin and reposting content there. Until now, this resulted in 33 subscriptions. That's enough to keep trying and experimenting next month.
Next I want to start working on a website for No-Code Exits. I want to be able to post articles and set-up filters. The options seem to be:
- Webflow with Jetboost (steep learning curve)
- Softr (great filters but not ideal for posts)
- Wordpress (I have a trauma from a side hustle when I was still a student)
- Feather (limited filters but ideal for articles)
- Ghost (limited filters but ideal for newsletters).
I don't want to outsource this because I want to keep improving and extending without being dependent on someone. So this stack decision + the name (and logo) results in analysis paralysis... Not good! Hopefully I can get out of it in December.
It's official. No-Code Exits is generating revenue! 1025$ this month!
After crossing 1K subscribers, I tweeted that I was looking for advertisers. I was scared for crickets but I got a nice response and sold around 10 ad spots (1 classified ad spot = 50 USD).
Payments are done via Gumroad. One little tip I can give you is that you should try to upsell by offering multiple ad spots for a discounted price. For me, multiple sponsors went for the more expensive packages which made a huge difference.
I also reached out to No-Code builder Softr, which is one of my favorite tools and asked if they wanted to sponsor No-Code Exits. And they said yes. Very happy with this partnership!
Building No-Code Exits in Public has helped with so many things.
Validation: I had subscribers before sending out the first issue.
Sponsors: Helps with finding sponsors thanks to the visibility
Opportunities: People reach out for collabs, and I even got an acquisition offer.
Maker friends: Other newsletter writers DM me, and we share tips and advice. I absolutely love this.
FOMO: People see growth and want to be part of it (by subscribing or advertsing)
So don't be shy and build your learnings, experiments, and stats on Twitter. It will lead to many great things.
A weird side effect is that I start to get asked for interviews. I'm just figuring things out myself every day, so I don't have the feeling I can share that much wisdom. Especially not on Podcasts (Introvert, awkward talker and ehmmm'er for life 🙋♀️).
This month we are at 1.963 subscribers. I continue trying posting interviews on IH, HN and Reddit but still no huge results. My best source for subscribers is still Twitter. As long I keep tweeting about No-Code, indiehacking, solopreneurship it seems to result in subscribers for No-Code Exits.
Let's end with something very meta. I received a DM from someone that was interested in acquiring No-Code Exits. That's a nice compliment, right :) . I'm of course not interested because I'm enjoying this too much and I got big plans ahead!
September has been an amazing month.
I left on holiday the day after publishing the first issue. When I returned 2 weeks later, I had 610 subscribers. That's the best 'welcome home gift' I ever had.
But the absolute most amazing part is how people are sharing and talking about No-Code Exits. They send emails to thank me, they share positive shout-outs and they connect with me to ask my advice. It is so motivational. For the advice, it always feels a bit weird as I'm still a minimal/beginner No-Code builder and just figuring things out myself. But I love to connect and help where I can.
Some things I tried this month:
- I set up a welcome email that improves reply rate.
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I set up the custom domain.
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Before every issue, I share a little teaser on Twitter with CTA to subscribe.
- After every issue, I share a summary of the interview where I tag the tools, maker, and acquisition platform. This works really well as it gets sometimes retweeted by the tagged persons or companies.
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After every issue, I repost the interview to Indie Hackers and Reddit. So far not a great success. It only resulted in around 20 new subscribers. On Reddit posts get often removed because they contain a link and on IndieHackers I don't get initial traction so almost no visibility. I need to practice and improve :).
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I started doing some first cross promotions with other newsletters.
And oh yes, we crossed 1000 subscribers!
Well, well… Shiny Object Syndrome got me hard yesterday!
I was not planning on starting any new projects because I have enough going on: 4 side projects, 1 freelance gig, 2 tiny kids often at home due to summer break and leaving on holiday this weekend.
But when I announced that my No-Code Project got acquired, I received so many questions. I couldn’t get the idea to share stories from other makers who sold their No-Code Projects out of my head.
So yesterday evening I decided to go for it. Normally I like to create a logo, brainstorm about names for days and create a proper landing page.
This time, inspired by the amazing newsletter of Jakob Greenfeld, I decided to keep it simple.
- Simple Substack
- No logo
- No fancy landing page
- One story per newsletter
- And I went for the first name that popped in my head.
It took me around 30 minutes to get everything ready. I did one tweet (to my 600 followers) about my new newsletter. 12 hours later I woke up to 240 subscribers.
Idea validated! Let's write that first issue.
Because it all went so quickly, I will start with my story. After that, enough of me in the spotlight 😅. I contacted some incredible No-Code makers (found on IndieHackers) who sold their projects, and I will share their stories in the coming weeks.
1 Comment
I follow you on X too. This is highly inspirational to people new to no-code like me. Keep going , would love to more details on what the other founders tried - the no-code tools they loved and also the ones they gave up on.