It All Started Because I Needed A Screen Recorder
I do screen records all the time for my business J Computer Solutions LLC, especially in today’s remote work environment it is often the only way I can efficiently send my clients’ demos! I usually have to go through the same tedious process to get work done.
- Open QuickTime
- Record screen capture
- Save file
- Open up email
- Upload file
- Send to client
I eventually got very bored of it and wrote a progressive web app called Screen Recorder Pro to simplify the process and make it easier. Using the MediaRecorder API I capture the screen, save the output as a webm video file and from there I can take one of the following actions:
- Share direct link with client
- Download the file
- Email the file
- Upload the file to Google Drive
- Upload the file to YouTube
This was saving me precious time in getting work done as well as feedback. I started to ponder on how useful this would be for other users and decided to package it up. This PWA can be used on any Windows, Mac OSX or Linux desktop computer (mobile does not support MediaRecorder yet). I monetized the web app with Google Adsense and put it out to the world. To my surprise, it has gotten very positive feedback processing gigabytes worth of video data so far! This blog post isn’t so much about a screen recording software as it is about creating niche products of value.
Solve One Problem At A Time
I have been saying this ever since my first days of making app revenue. The apps that make the most money tend to be the simpliest. They solve one problem and solve that problem very well. It’s the Unix philosophy at scale! Also if you are struggling with coming up with a concept, create an app that solves a PERSONAL problem for you first! Chances are if it solved a problem for you, then there are 1000s of other people whose problems you just solved as well! Once you find that pain point and solve it, you can monetize. From there iterate and create more features that solve more problems in that realm. In regards to Screen Recorder Pro, the next features I plan on adding is the ability to stream to YouTube and Twitch directly in the browser. No need for any downloads, I have given streamers the ability to set up anywhere and get to work! I plan on keeping this web app free monetized with ads. I don’t believe people should have to pay service fees monthly for the vast majority of software (but that’s another blog article entirely). Due to the nature of the app, it’s feasible to believe there will be enough screen time on the app where I don’t have to monetize in other ways but we will see. Do me a favor and check out Screen Recorder Pro and while you are at it cop some #CodeLife swag!