Vidpops

After many people saying "why does your website about the power of video testimonials not have a video testimonial on it?" I finally got one from one of my beta users!

It definitely adds some legitimacy.

I also made an affilliates scheme after someone suggested it on Twitter. So now, instead of needing a brand to be signed up already, anyone can go to vidpops.com/affiliates and film a video testimonial for a brand or company they love, and then share it via a unique link. If the company signs up the person who referred them gets a percentage of the revenue.

It's still early days and usage is lower than I'd hoped, but I have a couple of good pivot ideas ready if things don't improve.

If any indiehacker does want to try it out (there's a 30 day free trial), please go ahead. Use the invite code letmein.

All my life I've regretted not being able to code, so last October when I discovered the no-code platform Bubble.io I was instantly hooked.

A few days after this revelation, I met a kind woman who runs a charity in the North of England which provides breaks, such as hotel stays, theatre tickets, or restaurant vouchers, for unpaid carers, usually those caring for sick family members.

She told me she often gets lovely messages from the carers about the experiences. We discussed how it would be amazing if they could send her short video testimonials which she could then share with the companies who donated the breaks.

Emboldened with my latest discovery, I told her I’d see what I could do.

Three months later, working on it evenings and weekends, I managed to overcome my feature-creep tendencies, and actually started asking friends to try it out.

Unfortunately I've broken the #1 rule of startups - validate before you build. I really didn't validate the idea beyond that one conversation. My personal belief is that video testimonials could be a powerful differentiator for many businesses, but that's just a theory.

So I'm adopting a scattergun approach to finding product-market fit. So far I've asked friends in the following markets to try it out:

• two wedding photographers
• a personal trainer
• an events organiser
• the original charity
• a childminder
• a yoga teacher
• an Airbnb hosting company
• an Instagram clothing business
• a beautician

Of these only the personal trainer has actually started using it, but it's still early days. My plan is to see which markets work well and double-down on them.

I'm also looking for other ideas of markets to try it in, so would be grateful for suggestions. Any beta testers get a free account of course!