A Mind-Opening Conversation with PMAI Developer David at EMoment

An insightful conversation with David, the developer of PMAI, at EMoment coffee shop in Hangzhou's BirdLand. From monetization strategies to iOS development insights, this exchange was packed with valuable lessons for indie developers.

•5 min read
indie developmententrepreneurshipiOS developmentproduct marketingearly-stage entrepreneurship

For the past two months, I've been working every Thursday at a coffee shop called EMoment in BirdLand, Liangzhu, Hangzhou.

Every Thursday, AI enthusiasts spontaneously gather here for work and networking, sharing insights and experiences about AI entrepreneurship. The community includes product managers, designers, programmers, as well as professionals from psychology consulting, English education, internet operations, and various other fields.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting David, the developer of PMAI. PMAI is a powerful web application that helps product managers or team members without product backgrounds quickly generate PRDs (Product Requirement Documents), prototypes, flowcharts, and more. It's particularly well-suited for startup teams building their product MVPs.

I occasionally use his product and had connected with him on WeChat before, so we quickly hit it off. I first showed him how I typically use PMAI, then shared my own side projects. After that, I asked him many questions about indie development. David was incredibly generous, sharing valuable insights without reservation:

Question 1: Monetization Strategy - Domestic or International Market First?

I asked him whether he'd recommend starting with the domestic Chinese market or international markets when considering paid monetization. David believes either approach can work, but the key is to deeply research your target audience and understand their willingness to pay.

Question 2: Quick Monetization for Indie Developers - Web App or iOS App?

Since I primarily build web apps, I was curious about which platform offers better advantages for indie developers seeking quick monetization. David's response was eye-opening: "iOS apps have the greatest potential for indie developers, are easier to gain traffic for, and have very clear monetization paths." He explained that web apps struggle to gain organic traffic (requiring promotion through platforms like Xiaohongshu, which takes a long time), while the iOS App Store automatically brings traffic.

Additionally, iOS apps can be launched globally - users can access them regardless of whether they use domestic or international Apple IDs.

Question 3: Pricing Strategy - Subsidize Users First or Charge Immediately?

I asked whether, when building iOS apps, it's better to subsidize users first to build a user base before charging, or to start charging immediately. David answered without hesitation: "Consider charging immediately," even saying "you should consider it even if users complain." For specific pricing models, he suggested being flexible - options include one-time purchases, in-app purchases, monthly subscriptions, or credit-based systems where users pay for usage tokens.

Question 4: iOS Development - Swift or Flutter?

I then asked whether iOS development should use Swift or Flutter. He recommended Swift. He explained that Flutter's main purpose is cross-platform compatibility for iOS and Android, but Android app development itself is quite complex, and he hasn't tried it himself. Moreover, iOS users typically have higher willingness to pay.

Question 5: How to Drive Traffic to Your Product?

When I asked about driving traffic to products, David jokingly said, "This is premium content now!" But what he shared next truly blew my mind:

  • Find a niche and use precise keywords to define and describe your product so that users searching for those terms can find your product.
  • On Xiaohongshu, you can view traffic data through the Dandelion backend (costs around 600 RMB).
  • Content from influencers with 1K followers performs similarly to those with 10K followers in terms of traffic.
  • You can work with micro-influencers for just a few dozen RMB per post, and you might create viral content that gets thousands of likes. The ROI is excellent.
  • He suggests not spending too much energy screening micro-influencers - as long as the account is actively used, it's fine since the cost is low anyway.
  • He shared a personal experience: several iOS apps he made last year had no traffic initially, but he gradually figured out how to gain more traffic from the iOS market. Before developing a product, you can search for related keywords to see how many people are working in that space and what the traffic looks like, giving you a market assessment upfront.

Question 6: What to Do When Your Product Gets Copied?

My final question was about dealing with copycats when you have a brilliant idea and build a successful product. David responded philosophically: "Being copied or seeing similar products emerge is normal because the need objectively exists. Different people will work on the same problems simultaneously, or someone will imitate your work. Being able to capture the early-mover advantage is already quite good." He's built several products himself, each bringing different streams of passive income.

Reflections and Takeaways

This conversation with David was incredibly valuable. I realized that in the indie development journey, it's not just about coding with your head down - it's equally important to look up and see the bigger picture, and to communicate with experienced people to avoid unnecessary detours.

I'll be starting work on my first iOS application in the coming period!

This article documents my in-depth conversation with David, the developer of PMAI, at EMoment coffee shop in BirdLand, Liangzhu, Hangzhou. Thanks to this creative and vibrant AI community where we could meet and share our experiences.