How Hieu is making 1K MRR from his macOS application

Hieu Dinh is a 28-year-old iOS software engineer living in Singapore.

Below he’ll share his journey of building and launching CompressX, a macOS application designed to assist content creators and developers in compressing their video and image assets seamlessly.

The story told by Hieu Dinh

The birth of the idea

The adventure began in November 2023. I recognized a recurring problem among content creators and developers: managing large files efficiently without compromising quality. To address this, I started building CompressX, an app that compresses videos to simplify sharing and speeds up websites by compressing assets on landing pages.

By December 2023, the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) was ready, and I eagerly shared it on X (see below).

Initial reception and validation

The response was extraordinary. Users loved the app, with some likening it to bringing "Pied Piper" to life. Although the app was free, a few users chose to donate, which validated what I was trying to achieve.

I collect comments/testimonials from my X posts and Product Hunt launch and consolidate them here.

The reviews from Product Hunt can be seen here.

With this positive feedback, I refined CompressX by adding new features, fixing bugs, and improving its performance in preparation for a wider audience.

Product Hunt launch

January 2024 marked a significant milestone. I launched CompressX on Product Hunt, armed with marketing materials and resources to ensure a strong presence.

The support from my X audience was incredible. CompressX claimed the #1 spot within a few hours and ended the day as the #2 product with 592 upvotes.

Launching on Product Hunt is a challenge, especially with its evolving algorithm that favors upvotes to generate more views and traffic.

Key strategies

If I were to summarize my launch strategy, it would be:

• Grow an audience early
  By openly sharing my progress, I built a supportive community.
  

• Introduce early
  Engaging users early helped form valuable connections.
  

• Spread awareness
  Promoting the launch early ensured I garnered sufficient support.

My main challenge was reaching a broader audience beyond my initial X followers. While the community was supportive, expanding awareness was tough. My background is in mobile development, and I had literally no experience with digital marketing. Every part of the promotional journey was a fresh learning curve - from understanding the nuances of different social media platforms to figuring out how to engage potential users effectively.

I primarily used bootstrapped marketing. I leveraged social media platforms like X, and community sites like reddit and Hacker News for organic promotions - examples below:

• My FFmpeg wrapper for macOS made $8K in 3 months

• CompressX, my FFmpeg wrapper for macOS (compressx.app)

Each platform had its own learning curve, but through trial and error, I discovered what resonated with different audiences. The strategy included writing engaging posts, sharing behind-the-scenes updates, and actively participating in community discussions.

And yes, there are channels that didn't work.

Initially, paid ads on social media didn’t yield the desired results. They were costly and didn't bring in enough engagement or conversions to justify the expenditure.

This was a tough lesson, and I had to pivot back to focusing on organic reach and community engagement. The experience taught me the importance of understanding where your audience spends their time and how they prefer to engage with content.

Current stats and revenue

CompressX currently has around 1,000 monthly active users, with over 139,000 files compressed, reducing by more than 17 TB of data. It has been thrilling to see the impact and validation of the product.

I am currently offering the app at $19 for the Personal plan, which can be used on one device, and $29 for the Standard plan, which can be used on two devices.

CompressX is currently generating about $1K/month.

While working on CompressX, Hieu also developed other free apps to hone his skills. These include:

• Deeplink Buddy
  A personal deep-links manager.
  

• Eyes Buddy
  An app to remind you to relax your eyes after a set period.
  

• Dad Jokes
  A mobile app featuring a collection of dad jokes.
  

• IconX
  Helps you change app icons to your preference.
  

• ImageDiff
  Spots differences between two images.

If you have any questions about launching a product or working on an idea, feel free to email Hieu . He is always open to connect and share insights from his journey.