Top Takeaways:
🛒 You should charge people — and you should charge them sooner
Settling on a generous freemium tier feels kind, but it quietly kills your ability to learn who converts, why they convert, and when they drop off.
📅 A lookback calendar turns launch chaos into a system
Work backwards from your launch date and assign every single day a strategic task — teasers, emails, press pitches — so nothing happens ad hoc the night before.
📧 Email is the single best revenue lever for indie apps
Run three emails per sale (launch day, a few days out, 24 hours left), segment by open behavior, and don't panic if the first two are quiet — the last one drives the most conversions.
🧪 Treat your beta like a production launch
Building export systems, handling migrations, and collecting real feedback during a TestFlight isn't wasted effort — it pays dividends when you ship for real and already have the infrastructure.
🧠 AI is superhuman, but it's not a mind reader
If your prompt wouldn't be enough for a human engineer to build from, it's not enough for AI either — most people are one lightbulb moment away from building real things.
About Joe Fabisevich:
🚀 Indie iOS developer and founder of Plinky, a thoughtfully designed link-saving app. Previously an engineer at Twitter, he also builds open-source developer tools and writes about AI, product development, and software craftsmanship.
👋 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/devjoe/
🌐 Learn more about Plinky - https://www.plinky.app/
Follow us on X:
Charlie Chapman - https://twitter.com/_chuckyc
RevenueCat - https://twitter.com/RevenueCat
Launched - https://twitter.com/LaunchedFM
Episode Highlights:
[00:00] Introducing Plinky and designing apps with care
[03:16] What Plinky does and why it exists
[04:34] Growing up in Queens and discovering programming
[07:21] Early iOS development and first jobs
[10:20] Lessons from working at Twitter
[16:15] The personal story behind Plinky
[19:51] From side project to indie business
[23:00] Building in public and earning trust
[27:26] Delaying the launch to build Boutique
[30:29] Why TestFlight should feel like production
[32:25] Finding the right product and pricing strategy
[35:17] Launch planning and go-to-market strategy
[39:17] Press outreach and launch momentum
[41:20] The Short Circuit AI app
[46:01] Launching Plinky and product philosophy
[47:32] Subscriptions, pricing, and paywalls
[50:42] Growing through email and seasonal sales
[56:55] Teaching developers to build with AI
[01:00:43] Embracing AI instead of fearing it
[01:04:41] Red Panda Club and creative inspiration