In right this moment’s fast-paced digital world, innovation usually comes from surprising locations. One instance is Rexon Wong, a highschool scholar who has already made a reputation for himself as a tech entrepreneur.
On this interview on the Area of interest Pursuits podcast, Rexon shares the story of how he created his app, Textual content Behind Picture, in simply three hours and efficiently launched it to hundreds of customers.
Let’s break down the journey, the technique behind his success, and what others can study from his expertise.
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From Thought to Actuality
Rexon’s app, Textual content Behind Picture, was born out of a private downside he encountered.
Whereas watching one in every of his entrepreneurial inspirations, Daniel Dalen, Rexon admired a design impact utilized in Dalen’s thumbnails the place the textual content appeared behind his face; nonetheless, Rexon struggled to recreate this impact with instruments like Photoshop.
He realized that there was no straightforward, accessible device for newbies to create such a textual content impact. This perception led him to construct his app, which simplifies the method of making this text-overlay impact on photographs.
Rexon leveraged his background in coding, notably his expertise in hackathons, to create a prototype of the app in simply three hours utilizing a mixture of AI instruments and coding platforms.
The Energy of Social Media and Viral Launch
As soon as the app was constructed, Rexon didn’t simply sit on his creation; he shared it with the world. He took to Twitter to showcase his app.
What was completely different about his launch?
He wasn’t simply selling an app; he was selling the story of a 17-year-old highschool scholar who constructed an app in mere hours. This “wow issue” resonated along with his viewers and helped his launch go viral, rapidly amassing 300k views.
Rexon attributes a lot of his success to the ability of documenting his journey on social media.
By overtly sharing the method of constructing his app, he cultivated a following of like-minded people, which contributed to the preliminary success of Textual content Behind Picture. His transparency and relatability made his story resonate with many, additional fueling his app’s virality.
A Week Later: Sprucing and Launching the App
What began as a viral put up was a severe enterprise alternative.
After receiving constructive suggestions and seeing the app’s potential, Rexon spent per week sharpening the app, enhancing the code, and refining the person interface.
The enhancements have been essential to making sure a easy person expertise because the app scaled. Every week after his preliminary launch, Textual content Behind Picture was formally reside, with customers flooding in to strive the app for themselves.
Product Hunt and Getting Seen
Rexon knew that getting the app in entrance of extra individuals was key to its progress.
After refining his app, he turned to Product Hunt, a preferred platform for locating new merchandise. Along with his earlier expertise on Product Hunt, Rexon launched his app there, and inside hours, it grew to become the primary product of the day.
The success on Product Hunt may be attributed to a number of components:
- Rexon had constructed a following on Twitter, which he leveraged to realize preliminary traction.
- He used a viral demo video that highlighted the distinctive options of the app.
- His age and the pace at which he constructed the app created an fascinating story that caught individuals’s consideration.
Due to his efforts on that platform, the app gained its first 1,000 customers inside a number of days, setting the stage for additional progress.
Natural Development: Leveraging Influencers and Phrase of Mouth
As soon as the app was launched, Rexon centered on natural progress by means of his private model.
He continued sharing his progress on Twitter, conserving his viewers engaged whereas showcasing new options and updates. Moreover, the app garnered consideration from influencers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which helped push the app to new customers.
By staying energetic on Twitter and providing worth to his viewers, Rexon continued to develop each his app and his private model.
Because the app gained traction, different influencers began selling it, and the word-of-mouth advertising and marketing grew to become a key consider Textual content Behind Picture reaching 300k customers.
Monetization: From Free to Professional
Rexon initially launched the app as a free device, however after receiving an surprising server invoice, he realized he wanted to monetize the app. The answer got here by means of a freemium mannequin, with a free plan permitting customers to create as much as two designs and a professional plan providing limitless designs for simply $4 a month.
The monetization technique was easy but efficient.
Moreover, Rexon secured sponsorships and advert placements from different tech entrepreneurs trying to promote their merchandise. This twin income stream — a mixture of subscription charges and advertisements — allowed Rexon to start out producing earnings from the app.
Overcoming Challenges and Specializing in the Future
Regardless of the preliminary success, Rexon has confronted challenges, notably when it got here to changing customers to paying prospects. He acknowledged that many customers hit the paywall and don’t convert to the professional plan, a standard hurdle for a lot of app creators. Nonetheless, he’s optimistic and is continually studying and iterating on his strategy.
Trying forward, Rexon plans to proceed rising his app, exploring new monetization methods, and probably promoting it down the highway.
He additionally stays centered on constructing his private model, which has been important to his progress. Along with his entrepreneurial spirit, Rexon can also be engaged on new tasks, like Bulletpen, an AI-powered app to assist college students write essays by merely talking.
Key Takeaways
Rexon’s journey is a testomony to the ability of creativity, perseverance, and leveraging social media. Listed here are a number of takeaways for these trying to comply with in his footsteps:
- Begin small however suppose massive: Rexon’s app was born out of a easy downside he confronted, but it surely scaled rapidly as a result of he centered on fixing that downside successfully.
- Construct a private model: Documenting your journey and sharing your progress might help construct an viewers that helps your tasks.
- Leverage viral moments: Typically, your work will converse for itself. You probably have an fascinating story to inform, don’t be afraid to share it.
- Study from suggestions: Whether or not it’s person suggestions or recommendation from different entrepreneurs, at all times be open to enhancing your product and your technique.
Rexon’s story is inspiring, not simply due to what he’s completed at such a younger age, however as a result of it reveals that with the appropriate mixture of expertise, timing, and energy, anybody can construct one thing impactful.
