Worklog with Shawn Hickman

In this episode of Worklog, I talk about the launch of Sofa's new podcast player. Specifically, the marketing work I did before the launch, how the launch day/week went, and what I've been working on after the launch.

📺 Watch on YouTube

Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:46 Small Talk
1:05 CommunityKit
5:58 Framous
8:03 Camera Talk
15:32 Not Just a Goof
17:30 Podcast Player Launch
19:48 Making Videos
21:45 Website Updates
25:01 Podcast Ecosystem
29:45 Podcast Button Builder
35:07 Dealing with Bugs
36:33 API Server
38:11 Launch Day/Week
43:34 Post Launch
50:06 What's Next
55:30 Outro

Things Mentioned
CommunityKit
Framous: Screenshot Frames
Watch Not Just a Goof
The 5 Best Things in Sofa’s New Podcast Player
A Full Walkthrough of Sofa’s New Podcast Player
Sofa Podcast Player
Subscribe to Worklog with Shawn Hickman
Podcast Button Builder
Installer Newsletter
Indie App Spotlight: 'Sofa' keeps you organized during your downtime
Sofa Gains Podcast Playback
Sofa Roadmap

Links
Sofa's Website
Download Sofa from the App Store
Worklog Podcast Website
Shawn's Blog
Notion and spreadsheet templates

Follow Me
YouTube
Threads
Instagram
Bluesky

Share Feedback
Have feedback? Send me an email:
[email protected]

(00:00) - Intro

(00:46) - Small Talk

(01:05) - CommunityKit

(05:58) - Framous

(08:03) - Camera Talk

(15:32) - Not Just a Goof

(17:30) - Podcast Player Launch

(19:48) - Making Videos

(21:45) - Website Updates

(25:01) - Podcast Ecosystem

(29:45) - Podcast Button Builder

(35:07) - Dealing with Bugs

(36:33) - API Server

(38:11) - Launch Day/Week

(43:34) - Post Launch

(50:06) - What's Next

(55:30) - Outro

In this episode of Worklog, I chat about some exciting Apple rumors for iOS 19, dig into the home stretch of launching my new podcast player (including solving tricky audio issues with ChatGPT Deep Research), and share behind-the-scenes marketing prep, from creating landing pages to capturing relatable photos of podcast listening in everyday life.

📺 Watch on YouTube

Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:15 iOS 19 Rumors
7:59 Airpods 4
9:28 DJI Action 5 Pro
11:58 Severance
12:23 What I’ve been working on
31:11 Marketing prep
39:39 Outro

Things Mentioned
iOS 19 to Have Some of the 'Biggest' Design Changes in iPhone's History
Someday, by Spike Jonze | AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
Osmo Action 5 Pro - Be All In - DJI

Links
Sofa's Website
Download Sofa from the App Store
Worklog Podcast Website
Shawn's Blog
Notion and spreadsheet templates

Follow Me
YouTube
Threads
Instagram
Bluesky

Share Feedback
Have feedback? Send me an email:
[email protected]

(00:00) - Intro

(02:15) - iOS 19 Rumors

(07:59) - Airpods 4

(09:28) - DJI Action 5 Pro

(11:58) - Severance

(12:23) - What I’ve been working on

(31:11) - Marketing prep

(39:39) - Outro

In this episode of Worklog, I introduce my new podcast, where I share the journey of building Sofa, an app designed to help you be intentional with your downtime. I talk about why I'm branching into podcasts—both to better understand the podcasting experience I'm building into Sofa and to give listeners another way to enjoy my content. I also share updates on recent Sofa developments like CarPlay, Widgets, Shortcuts, and performance improvements. Lastly, I dive into "Launch Mode," explaining my strategy around deadlines, prioritizing tasks, and managing my workload leading up to a launch.

📺 Watch on YouTube

Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:24 Small talk
7:34 Worklog Podcast
21:19 What I’ve been working on
40:30 Launch Mode
58:48 Outro

Links
Sofa's Website
Download Sofa from the App Store
Worklog Podcast Website
Shawn's Blog
Notion and spreadsheet templates

Follow Me
YouTube
Threads
Instagram
Bluesky

Share Feedback
Have feedback? Send me an email:
[email protected]

(00:00) - Intro

(01:24) - Small Talk

(07:34) - Worklog Podcast

(21:19) - What I’ve been working on

(40:30) - Launch Mode

(58:48) - Outro

In this conversation, Shawn Hickman discusses the often-overlooked aspect of app development: the removal of features. He emphasizes that sometimes it's more beneficial to remove features rather than continuously add new ones. Through personal experiences and examples, he outlines the reasons for feature removal, including when features aren't working as expected, are broken, or when the product has evolved. He also shares best practices for effectively communicating these changes to users and managing feedback.

Chapters

Links
Sofa's Website
Download Sofa from the App Store
Worklog Podcast Website
Shawn's Blog
Notion and spreadsheet templates
Follow Me
YouTube
Threads
Instagram
Bluesky
Share Feedback
Have feedback? Send me an email:
[email protected]

In this video, I’m sharing why I don’t offer a free trial for my app, Sofa.
When I first launched the Super Sofa subscription, I struggled with decisions around pricing and whether or not to offer a free trial. Most advice said, “You should offer a free trial because that’s what everyone does.” But that never sat right with me.
Now, after a few years of running a subscription app without a free trial, I’ve gained clarity on why I don’t do it — and why Sofa’s freemium model works better without one.
I’m not against free trials! They can work great for certain products. But for Sofa, it doesn’t make sense. In this video, I’ll walk through my thought process and explain why.
📺 Watch on YouTube
Chapters

(00:00) - Intro

(00:15) - A little context

(02:05) - Camera car mount

(03:11) - In the car

(03:45) - Purpose of free trials

(05:16) - Sofa is a freemium product

(09:02) - What I've learned about Sofa

(13:09) - Some advice

LinksSofa's Website
Download Sofa from the App Store
Worklog Podcast Website
Shawn's Blog
Notion and spreadsheet templates
Follow Me
YouTube
Threads
Instagram
Bluesky
Share Feedback
Have feedback? Send me an email:
[email protected]