Refinery - modify your web app without writing code

[corbinlady18]

TL;DR built refinery.so - make changes to your React/Angular/Vue/whatever app without writing code.

Hey /r/roastmystartup,

Backstory: A few months back, we were building our React-based shopify app and noticed how annoying it was to make a change as simple as a quick typo fix or copy change. Things like Webflow worked okay for landing pages, but nothing really worked well for making quick changes inside our NextJS/React app. We also had a couple apps that were not on a CMS and would take too much effort to migrate.

As we talked to more peers, we noticed we weren’t the only ones facing this problem. It was even worse for teams lacking in engineering resources (who really isn’t though?).

Our product: refinery.so, a chrome extension + JS library that allows you to push minor changes to your app without writing any code.

Currently it allows for copy changes, but things in the pipeline are:

• Style / css support.
• Copy recommendations.
• Lightweight A/B testing. Test multiple variants and automatically choose the winner.
• Code generation - get your changes reviewed in a Github PR and live in code permanently.

Initial target audience: non-technical founders, product managers, and marketers (and lazy engineers) at early stage startups who want to move faster but are constrained by engineering resources.

Why us: Our 3 co-founders have a combined 25+ years of experience building web apps at startups and large companies like FB/Uber/Twitter. One of our co-founders also is an ML expert, which will allow us to do novel things in terms of recommending the best converting copy. All three of us are also great at making coffee to power us through the long nights.

Competition:

• CMS’s like Webflow - no need to migrate your landing pages to a CMS, keep your stack consistent. Our tech is also agnostic to type of web app/stack, so we work with dynamic apps.
• Chrome extensions - a few have some nice WYSIWYG editors, but not much in the department of actually pushing these changes to prod.

Stage: Have some companies beta testing currently.

Roast away!

 

[odile]

@corbinlady18 Cool idea! What would happen if you try and edit text generated from code, for example "Try it for $10 per month" if the code looks like this

Try it for {{currency}}{{price}} per month

?

 

[corbinlady18]

@odile Thanks! Good question - we should be able to override it, whether that code is made client-side or server-side. However, as we're implementing code generation, that's a lot trickier to handle if that was made server-side (say, from a Jinja or rails template). In any worst case scenario, your original text will just show up.

 

[1johnboy1]

@corbinlady18

Backstory: A few months back, we were building our React-based shopify app and noticed how annoying it was to make a change as simple as a quick typo fix

This is not a normal phrase. Fixing a typo quickly?

or copy change. A typo fix is a copy change, maybe you meant: "... A quick copy change, such as fixing a typo."

Things like Webflow worked okay for landing pages, but nothing really worked well

I am a bit cautious making such a strong statement. All it takes is one example and you will appear to not be so well informed. It's ok if other people are doing the same things as you, but not knowing this indicates under-informed decision making.

for making quick changes inside our NextJS/React app.

Changes inside our app implies that these are changes you wanted to make WITHIN the application, not TO the application. Change "inside" to "to."

We also had a couple apps that were not on a CMS and would take too much effort to migrate.

I am alarmed because this sounds like reinventing the wheel, to me, and I would avoid any implication of this. What sounds to you like a logical reason has an unintended effect of making it seem like you are Hal from Malcom in the Middle.

(who really isn’t though?)

Rhetorical questions need to be clear to avoid confusion. I would drop this sentence!

Our product: refinery.so, a chrome extension + JS library that allows you to push minor changes to your app without writing any code.
Fix: "Our product is a Chrome extension" ... Capitalize Chrome, call it Java Script. Jargon is bad, formality is good! If it's Node.JS call it Node.JS, if it's Java Script, call it that. You don't want to allow people to think they don't understand (at which point they lose interest) if they really do understand. Since these phrases change so fast and often, it is best to use actual names when discussing technology with outsiders.

Currently it allows for copy changes, but things in the pipeline are:

Style / css support.

Copy recommendations.

Not clear what Copy means without context!

Lightweight A/B testing. Test multiple variants and automatically choose the winner.

Ok.

Code generation - get your changes reviewed in a Github PR and live in code permanently.

Is there a realistic timetable for when we will we see this or are these just ideas still?

Initial target audience: non-technical founders, product managers, and marketers (and lazy engineers) at early stage startups who want to move faster but are constrained by engineering resources.

Ok, so, you? Lol

Drop the word lazy. You are selling "increased productivity" and lazy is the last word you need to use. (Even if it's true!)

Why us: Our 3 co-founders have a combined 25+ years of experience building web apps at startups and large companies like FB/Uber/Twitter.

This sounds good.

One of our co-founders also is an ML expert, which will allow us to do novel things in terms of recommending the best converting copy. All three of us are also great at making coffee to power us through the long nights.

The lightheartedness in the second bit is a little bit out of place. When you change ML to Machine Learning, the choice between an and a becomes vague. To me it is: a machine learning export, an ML expert. I suggest you use the phrase "machine learning (ML)" to start off with, and explain what kind of machine learning you are talking about. Saying what kind you mean is important, since this is a relatively hot subject. Maybe it's just a tiny part of your Chrome extension but promote it as best you can while remaining honest. I do know is machine learning is now seen as a marketing term which might be going out of fashion so beware.

Competition:

CMS’s like Webflow - no need to migrate your landing pages to a CMS, keep your stack consistent. Our tech is also agnostic to type of web app/stack, so we work with dynamic apps.

You need to remove the apostrophe from CMS since it's Content Management System(s). There are lots of ways of writing this, but 's is wrong, because it's the possessive (it implies something named Webflow belongs to something called CMS). CMSes might be another way to make sure the plural is apparent but I would just say "Content management systems (CMS) such as Webflow."

Chrome extensions - a few have some nice WYSIWYG editors, but not much in the department of actually pushing these changes to prod.

A few such as whom? Also, spell out "What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG)" in quotes. Not as many people are familiar with this phrase since Word took hold.

Stage: Have some companies beta testing currently.

Good. Ok so takeaways are: only use an initialism after you have established what the meaning is, don't let jargon and phrases that go in and out of fashion define you. Go more after the emotion - you struggled in the past, and so did others. Open up more about that and what it would have meant to have the tools you have now. Talk to your friends again, and show them this. If they think it would have helped, ask if you can cite their experience. Talk about how your frustration with Webflow is still not met despite the updates since that time. Maybe find online discussion of this issue. Finally, hire a real copy editor for your written work and website, it needs help that a professional can provide. Right away, I can see the first two lines of text (title and subtitle?) are repetitive. Don't take that personally! The best websites, companies, authors, scientists, etc. all rely on copy-editors. That's how so many websites and ads manage to perpetually maintain crystal-clear and helpful communications. These editors will also keep your written style "in style" and will keep you sounding consistent. Keep up the good work!

 

[corbinlady18]

@1johnboy1 Great feedback, especially on the grammar side. Agree we could definitely use some copy expertise. Thank you!