Typefully

How Fabrizio Rinaldi Grew a Twitter Tool to $1.4M ARR

Monthly Revenue

$113K

Built in

90 days

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Days To Build

Year Started

2021

Customer

B2B & B2C

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Days To Build

Year Started

2021

Customer

B2B & B2C

Who is Francesco Di Lorenzo?

Fabrizio Rinaldi and Francesco Di Lorenzo, both from Italy, co-founded Typefully. They met through Twitter in 2011 and have a background in technology and app development, having previously collaborated on various projects including Mailbrew.

What problem does Typefully solve?

Typefully solves the problem of cluttered and inefficient Twitter content creation by providing a simple, distraction-free platform that helps users write, schedule, and analyze engaging threads. This is crucial for content creators who want to enhance their Twitter presence without the hassle of juggling multiple tools, making Typefully a go-to option for those who value streamlined, creative efficiency.

How did Francesco come up with the idea for Typefully?

Fabrizio Rinaldi and Francesco Di Lorenzo, the founders of Typefully, first founded Mailbrew together (now acquired) - a product to help people create beautiful and automated personal email newsletters based on content from the sites and apps they love.

Typefully was born as marketing side project to promote Mailbrew because they noticed there wasn't a good writing tool for Twitter threads (at the time, the format was exploding). They wanted to write and schedule amazing threads but couldn't, so they built something for it.

The “aha” moment happened when the side project tool they built (Typefully) became more popular than the main project they were trying to promote (Mailbrew). It was crystal clear from their analytics that the traction for Typefully was much higher.

Proceeding with Typefully made a lot of sense not only due to the market pull they felt but also because the founders were both long-time Twitter users. They were very much inside the bubble and could see the trend shifting towards Twitter threads, so they hopped on it.

Other startup founders were the initial niche of users first using Typefully which gave them a perfect founder-product fit because they were both also founders/makers building in public. This dogfooding process helped them a lot in the beggining and it still does to this day as they continue to use their own product.

How did Francesco build the initial version of Typefully?

Typefully was built using a modern tech stack, including Next.js and Django, which enabled them to quickly develop and iterate on their product. This approach facilitated the rapid deployment of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) within just a few months.

To get starter, since the founders are both developers, it didn’t require too much funding as they coded it themselves. The main cost were server costs and to save on them we co-hosted the project together with our other project (Mailbrew) to save on server costs and avoid having to spin up separate costly infrastructure.

It took 3-4 weeks to build a fully functioning MVP. The founders constrained themselves because they didn’t want to invest too much on a non validated idea.

The initial prototype was designed to enhance the Twitter thread writing experience, focusing on a distraction-free interface. Fabrizio and Francesco actually first launched Typefully as a free tool which made it explode due to how crazy word of mouth got. Everyone was telling their friends about it!

The process of refining the product involved incorporating user feedback and updating features as the user base expanded, which helped to iterate on features like analytics and cross-posting abilities to LinkedIn. Twitter analytics was their first paid feature which they only introduced 6 months after the launch.

Photo 1: working in Vietnam while nomading https://share.cleanshot.com/W0qk1M75

Photo 2: first office https://share.cleanshot.com/v31RD1vj

How did Francesco launch Typefully and get initial traction?

Product Hunt Launch

Typefully used Product Hunt as a platform to introduce their product to a broader audience. They partnered with a friend who had significant followers on Product Hunt, and together, they promoted the launch. This collaboration helped Typefully achieve a significant presence on the Product Hunt front page, which contributed to early visibility and interest in the product.

Why it worked: Product Hunt is a popular platform for makers and tech enthusiasts to discover new products. The exposure from being on the front page drove a meaningful number of signups and created initial momentum for Typefully.

Hacker News Promotion

The founders managed to get Typefully featured on the front page of Hacker News multiple times. They crafted engaging posts that fit the interests of the Hacker News community, which is largely made up of entrepreneurial hackers and tech-savvy individuals. This strategy generated thousands of visits to their site and over 1,400 signups on the launch day alone.

Why it worked: Hacker News is known for its active community of early adopters who love to try out new technologies. The honest and straightforward approach in their posts appealed to this audience, resulting in high engagement and signups.

Leveraging Twitter

Both co-founders had previously built and sold a product called Mailbrew, which they had been building in public on Twitter, fueling the growth of their own audiences. When launching Typefully, they utilized their existing Twitter followers to spread the word about it. They published timely and well-crafted tweets that caught the attention of their audience, generating over 2,000 visitors from Twitter alone.

embed:tweet

Why it worked: Twitter was not just a marketing tool but also a platform Typefully was built to enhance. Their understanding of the platform and existing presence helped in effectively communicating their value proposition, leading to word-of-mouth growth.

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

Product Hunt and Hacker News

Typefully capitalized on Product Hunt and Hacker News to capture the attention of a tech-savvy audience. Launching on these platforms resulted in substantial traffic and adoption, bringing thousands of signups on their launch day. They perfected their Hacker News strategy by submitting topics that resonated with the community, such as entrepreneurial insights and technical showcases, which consistently made it to the front page.

Why it worked: Both platforms are ideal for introducing new tech tools to an audience eager for innovation. On Product Hunt, partnering with an established user who could "hunt" their product was key to gaining visibility. Hacker News provided a platform where tech enthusiasts could discuss and explore Typefully’s offering, increasing organic reach without costly advertising.

Twitter

As a tool designed specifically for Twitter thread creation, the founders effectively leveraged their established presence on Twitter to market Typefully. They had built significant followers over the years due to their involvement in tech communities and previous projects like Mailbrew. Engaging tweets about Typefully’s features and updates tapped into this network, encouraging retweets and discussions.

Why it worked: By utilizing a platform that was central to their product, they managed to reach a pre-engaged audience who immediately understood the tool’s value. Their existing reputation and active engagement on Twitter created trust and drove adoption from followers who were already interested in maximizing their Twitter experience.

Word-of-Mouth and Community Engagement

Word-of-mouth promotion within creator communities played a significant role in Typefully's growth. The simplicity and effectiveness of the tool prompted users to recommend it organically, further enhanced by engaging frequently with the community for feedback and refinements. This approach of treating users as partners and advocates helped foster an enthusiastic user base that supports product development and dissemination.

Why it worked: Their focus on active community engagement created a loyal user base that willingly shared praise and feedback, fueling organic growth. Honest communication and quickly implementing suggested improvements helped solidify user trust and advocacy, making it more than just a tool but a user-endorsed product.

What's the pricing strategy for Typefully?

Typefully offers a freemium pricing model with a free basic plan, while advanced features are unlocked through paid plans like the Creator Plan and Team Plan, which include enhanced scheduling and analytics tools.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building Typefully?

Build a product for yourself: Building a product that solves a problem you personally have is one of the greatest hacks. It helps tremendously in delivering something of quality that actually works and resonates because you know what is and what is not.
Consider ideas with network effects: Typefully has mainly grown via word of mouth because it's a social media too people love to share with others. My advice is to build something people want to grab about using or that is so good people need to tell others about it.
Leverage Existing Networks: Typefully gained rapid traction by utilizing its founders' existing Twitter network and launching on Product Hunt and Hacker News. This strategy highlights the importance of leveraging existing networks and platforms for visibility.
Focus on Core Features First: In a competitive market of social media management tools, Typefully succeeded by focusing on specialized features like thread creation and scheduling. This emphasis on a core function allowed them to stand out and build a dedicated user base before expanding feature sets.
Rapid Iteration with User Feedback: Typefully’s development heavily relied on user feedback, allowing for quick iterations and improvements. This approach ensured the product remained aligned with user needs, exemplifying the importance of an iterative development process.
Building a Strong Founding Partnership: The collaboration between the founders was vital to Typefully’s success. Their history of previous projects gave them a strong foundation, emphasizing the importance of a good team dynamic and complementary skills in building a business.
Adapt and Expand Thoughtfully: Initially focused on Twitter, Typefully expanded to LinkedIn, demonstrating adaptability based on market demands and user feedback. This strategic expansion highlights the need for businesses to be flexible and responsive to opportunities for growth.

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