#027 - Luca Restagno (@ikoichi) - Twitter DMs FTW

Hey there!

Before we get into this weeks issue, I want to share something with you! I put together a Twitter list of all 27 makers who have been featured on Maker of Habit so far (and it's awesome). I've been checking it everyday because it helps me feel more connected to the maker community than my normal timeline. I highly recommend giving it a follow.

Alright, now let's get into it!

Luca Restagno (@ikoichi) - Twitter DMs FTW

WHY HE'S FEATURED:

• Building Hivoe.com in public, a tool to help you kickstart new Twitter conversations, which got over 360 upvotes and 5th Product of the Day on Product Hunt

• Leverages his 10+ years of experience as a software engineer to share JavaScript & React tips on Twitter

• Sold a SaaS, iterspace, in 2021

I came across Luca's Twitter a couple weeks ago. After seeing he was sharing some JavaScript and React tips for free, I decided to follow. Shortly after, I got a DM from him:

And that was the start of a great conversation! We shared what we were working on and how we were doing with marketing. When he showed me Hivoe, I realized that his first message was actually an automated welcome message. Well, contrary to what I may have originally thought, it worked! Without that message, we wouldn't have had this conversation.

I decided to try it myself, and set up an automated welcome message where I ask people what they are working on. I've had dozens of awesome conversations with other makers this way–some like Luca who I end up learning a lot from, and others who I end up helping in some way. I even sold a few copies of my book through these new connections!

It's a great product, with other features besides just automated messaging. If you're like me and are realizing how Twitter DMs can be used as a marketing tool, you should definitely check it out.

So far he'd off to a great start with over 300 users and 20 customers. Here are 3 strategies and 2 habits contributing to his success 👇

3 Strategies that Luca leverages in his work:

• 📣 Marketing in Public - Marketing in public is the new build in public. Most of us know how to get a basic MVP together, but we're lost when it comes to marketing. Luca is sharing all his learnings as he goes, for instance, this post about his Google Ads campaign:

• 📹 Sharing video demos of new features - Because Luca is a software engineer by trade, he can build some really cool features relatively quickly. He always records a video of the new feature which allows us to learn more about the product at a glance.

• 🔎 Multi-platform marketing - Luca isn't relying too much on one channel. He's already shared his product on HackerNews, Product Hunt, BetaList and more.

In terms of habits, I asked Luca what 3 habits changed his trajectory as a maker.

3 Habits that Changed Luca's trajectory:

• 🔨 1-Hour of building every morning - By building new stuff every morning, and having a well defined routine, helped me being able to constantly work on my product, even if I have a 9-5 job.

• 📖 Reading before bed - I read business / bootstrapping books, or famous people's biographies. This activity inspires me, and gives me new perspectives.

• 💪 Taking care of my body - This includes workouts, running, good food, and sleeping 7-8 hours per night. Anything that helps me feel stronger, energized and rested.

Thanks for sharing with us, Luca! A great reminder that we don't always need to reinvent the wheel when building new habits.

Follow Luca on Twitter here 👉 @ikoichi to stay updated on the launch!

And be sure to follow the Maker of Habit Twitter list to stay updated on all the cool work of our past makers too.

Build new habits + stick with them

Looking to build some new habits? Harold is a quirky text-messaging bot that helps you build new habits with one text message a day. 

You can use Harold to build habits like Luca for example:

• Did you build for 1 hour this morning?

• Did you get 8 hours of sleep?

You'll be surprised what can happen with just 1 text message each day.

Psst. I wrote a book!

The Honest Guide to Indie Making is everything I learned when I went full-time on my side project.

You can check it out here.