BriefNewsDaily

Laid-off Engineer Built an AI News Summarizer Reaching Thousands of Users

February 7th, 2025

Founded By

Jakub Wiśniewski

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2024

Customer

B2C

Founded By
Jakub Wiśniewski: Founders
1

Profitable
Yes: Year Started
2024

Customer
B2C

Who is Jakub Wiśniewski?

Jakub Wiśniewski, the founder of BriefNewsDaily, is a web developer from Poland with five years of experience, who created the platform after being laid off, driven by his interest in news and U.S. stock market investing.

What problem does BriefNewsDaily solve?

BriefNewsDaily solves the overwhelming clutter of traditional news by giving busy minimalists concise, ad-free updates, so they stay informed without wasting time.

BriefNewsDaily

How did Jakub come up with the idea for BriefNewsDaily?

After being laid off from his job as a frontend engineer, Jakub Wiśniewski found himself restless, yearning to build something new. His frustration with traditional news sites and their barrage of ads and distractions coupled with his need to stay updated on U.S. headlines for stock investments led him to identify a gap in the market. This gap was a straightforward, no-nonsense news source that cut through the noise.

Jakub noticed that existing AI solutions required too much manual interaction, which didn't align with his vision for simplicity and efficiency. He decided to create BriefNewsDaily, an AI-driven tool designed to summarize daily news in a concise 100-word format without ads or distractions. To validate his idea, Jakub relied on his own experiences and the absence of such a solution in the market.

Throughout the early ideation phase, Jakub learned the importance of focusing on a specific problem and refining his solution to meet the needs of similar minimalists seeking clear, ad-free news. His challenge was in ensuring the tool remained true to its minimalist ethos, which he overcame by persistently aligning each feature with the core goal of simplicity and clarity.

How did Jakub Wiśniewski build the initial version of BriefNewsDaily?

The development of BriefNewsDaily was driven by a straightforward tech stack with a focus on simplicity and efficiency. The founder, Jakub Wiśniewski, utilized Next.js with React and TypeScript for the frontend, ensuring robust server-side rendering. For the backend, DynamoDB and AWS Lambda were employed to handle task scheduling, optimizing for scalability and performance. The integration of the ChatGPT API was key in analyzing and summarizing daily news articles, sourced from multiple news APIs to maintain a comprehensive feed. Building this AI-driven summarization tool was overwhelming for a solo founder, especially when balancing coding with operational tasks. The initial version reportedly took a few months to build, filled with challenges such as refining summarization accuracy and developing a smooth user experience without the clutter typical of traditional news platforms.

What was the growth strategy for BriefNewsDaily and how did they scale?

Hacker News Launch

BriefNewsDaily gained some initial attention through their launch on Hacker News (HN). This platform is known for its community of developers, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts who appreciate new and innovative tech products. The engagement from the HN launch provided a boost in visibility and helped validate the product.

Why it worked: Hacker News is a place where tech-savvy individuals look for new, valuable tools. BriefNewsDaily's offering of concise, ad-free news summaries resonated with this audience, who often seek efficiency and minimalism in their news consumption.

Free and Premium Plans

BriefNewsDaily leveraged a freemium model by offering both free and premium subscription plans. The free plan allowed users to get a taste of the service with limited access to news briefs, while the premium plan offered more extensive access with a 30-day free trial. This approach likely helped to convert curious free users into paying subscribers.

Why it worked: By offering a free plan, BriefNewsDaily was able to attract users who were hesitant to pay upfront. The 30-day free trial for the premium plan provided an incentive for deeper engagement, which increased the likelihood of conversion to a paid plan once users experienced the full value of the service.

Feedback and Community Engagement

The founder actively sought feedback and engaged with the community on platforms like Indie Hackers. By sharing personal experiences and challenges, they built rapport with other entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts, creating a support network and source of advice.

Why it worked: Engaging with a community of like-minded individuals helped BriefNewsDaily refine its product based on real user input and the experiences of other founders. This approach also increased the founder's visibility and credibility in the startup community, indirectly promoting the product.

No Ad Distraction Approach

The service's unique selling proposition was the elimination of ads and distractions, focusing solely on delivering concise news summaries. This minimalist approach appealed to users tired of traditional news platforms laden with advertisements and unnecessary content.

Why it worked: Many news consumers are overwhelmed by the clutter and distractions on standard news websites. BriefNewsDaily's focus on minimalism resonated with users looking for a streamlined, efficient way to consume news, reinforcing user retention and loyalty.

What's the pricing strategy for BriefNewsDaily?

BriefNewsDaily offers a free plan with 8 daily news briefs, while their premium plan provides around 20 summaries daily, starting with a 30-day free trial.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building BriefNewsDaily?

Embrace Solo Challenges: Building a business alone can be overwhelming but also rewarding. It requires balancing multiple roles, from building the product to marketing and finding users.
Focus on Finding Users: Discovering the right audience can be more challenging than building the product itself. Be prepared to actively seek out and engage with your target market from the start.
Learn from Launches: Initial launches like on Hacker News may bring some engagement, but continuous effort and diverse strategies are needed to gain significant traction without relying on paid ads.
Prioritize Simplicity: Keeping the product simple and focused on addressing user needs effectively can differentiate you from ad-heavy, cluttered traditional options.

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