Apptisan #004 - Jingle Bio
Build your brand with Jingle Bio. Showcase links, collections, skills, and achievements. Connect with your audience and leave a lasting impression.
Name: Jingle Bio
Developer / Team: Luo Baishun
Platforms: Web
Read this newsletter issue in Chinese (中文) .
Please describe your app.
Jingle Bio is a user-friendly personal website builder, designed for individuals without programming skills. It enables users to showcase their portfolio, skills, experiences, achievements, and hobbies, fostering the development of a personal brand.
Was there a pivotal moment that inspired your app’s creation?
The idea for Jingle Bio originated when I encountered growth challenges with my previous venture, EarlyBird. I aimed to create a subsidiary product that could boost EarlyBird’s growth.
After evaluating various ideas, I settled on the “link in bio” niche, which promised the quickest turnaround. I explored nearly every tool in this market, including Linktree, Bio Link, Beacons, and Bento. Recognizing their individual strengths and weaknesses, I aspired to amalgamate these features into Jingle Bio.
What makes your app unique compared to others in the market?
Unlike traditional link in bio tools, Jingle Bio transcends mere link aggregation. It’s a versatile multimedia business card, incorporating over ten types of components like link cards, social profiles, skill showcases, experience timelines, and even multimedia elements like audio, video, and maps.
In comparison to Bento, Jingle Bio offers personalized domain usage and detailed tracking of each component’s engagement on the site. This allows for deeper audience insights. Additionally, it integrates email collection and payment features, offering direct monetization opportunities for influencers with substantial followings.
How have you marketed your app, and what key lessons have you learned?
Jingle Bio made its grand debut on Product Hunt during Christmas, clinching the #2 Product of the Day. This milestone garnered us significant initial traction.
Following this, we showcased Jingle Bio on various directory sites, which further boosted our direct traffic and visibility.
On Twitter, where I’m quite active, I frequently recommend Jingle Bio to those who could leverage it to enhance their personal brand.
Our long-term vision hinges on SEO. Jingle Bio’s Domain Rating (DR), currently at 25, signifies our growing presence in organic search results. We’re committed to a sustained investment in SEO, both financially and in terms of effort, to bolster our online footprint.
What has been some memorable feedback since your app’s release?
One of the most straightforward criticisms we’ve faced is the perception that Jingle Bio is a copy of Bento. While I don’t seek to contest this viewpoint, it’s important to note that Jingle Bio and Bento have distinct differences and cater to somewhat different audiences.
On a positive note, users have been exceptionally creative with Jingle Bio, devising use cases that exceeded my initial expectations. These range from formalism document generators and hotel homepages to product changelog. Such innovations have not only broadened my perspective but also deepened my understanding of how Jingle Bio can empower diverse individuals and entities to elevate their brand value.
Are there any products out there that you feel deserve more recognition?
Haha, I’d like to give a shoutout to my previous project, EarlyBird. The reason is that the concept of validating ideas is crucial, yet often overlooked. In our developer community, it’s common to see independent creators deeply engrossed in their projects, only to realize later that there’s no user interest. EarlyBird addresses this gap by emphasizing a key principle: while your idea might hold immense potential, without proper validation, it essentially holds no real value.
What’s the pivotal lesson you’ve learned in internationalizing your product?
The critical insight is the prioritization of marketing over development. This doesn’t diminish the role of development but highlights that, particularly in a product’s nascent stage, marketing vastly outweighs technological aspects. This consensus among indie hackers, myself included, emerged from hard lessons learned. By dedicating 80% of efforts to marketing and 20% to development, the goal is to increase product visibility and brand recall. Achieving this broad awareness is essential for gathering substantial user feedback, which is the cornerstone for refining and advancing product development.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you envision for the future.
As a grassroots entrepreneur and a “dadpreneur” (a dad who’s an entrepreneur), I enjoy developing independent projects. My portfolio includes Jingle Bio, EarlyBird, HeyForm, and TinySnap. Additionally, I co-founded “Go Global,” China’s largest community for independent hackers seeking international exposure.
Looking ahead, I plan to continue my journey as an independent hacker while investing in and mentoring other passionate and innovative hackers, helping them to achieve rapid growth.
About Apptisan
Apptisan is a portmanteau of “application” and “artisan”, signifying “a weekly exploration into the world of apps and the passionate artisans who create them.” Each issue is a conversation with global creators, aiming to uncover and present intriguing products to a wider audience.
For those who prefer Chinese, you can subscribe via Quail. Creators interested in featuring their products are encouraged to submit them through our form, and we’ll be in touch promptly.
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