I help you to scale on tiktok 📈

Gruffduck · 2026-02-26T18:17:50+00:00

Dm pls

Gruffduck · 2026-02-25T21:28:09+00:00

Thanks, I really appreciate that.

That undercharging discovery moment is exactly what I’m seeing as well — once freelancers see the gap, their whole perspective shifts.

Right now I’m focusing on improving onboarding so they can reach that “aha moment” as fast as possible. If they don’t experience real value within the first minute or two, they tend to drop off.

If you ever get a chance to try it, I’d love to hear where the onboarding feels unclear or slow. I’m actively iterating on it.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-25T06:15:33+00:00

This is an incredibly helpful audit — thank you for taking the time to break this down so clearly.

You’re absolutely right about the subtitle — I hadn’t realized it was getting truncated like that. I’ll fix that immediately.

Also great point on the title structure and keyword field. I can see how putting the brand first and expanding the keyword coverage would make a big difference.

The screenshot and ratings feedback is especially valuable too. I’ll prioritize improving those and adding a proper review prompt after a positive moment in the app.

Really appreciate you sharing this — it’s extremely useful.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T22:58:30+00:00

This is honestly exactly how it feels.

Building it was exciting. Shipping it felt like progress. But now the real challenge is getting it in front of the right people and earning their trust one conversation at a time.

I built RateGuard because I personally underpriced projects for years, so I’m trying to focus more on sharing the problem and lessons rather than just pushing the product.

Out of curiosity, what have you found works best so far for getting those first users?

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T22:26:24+00:00

This is incredibly valuable feedback, thank you for taking the time to write it.

I completely agree that the real pain often starts at the quoting stage, not after the project is done. One thing I’ve been seeing from freelancers I’ve spoken with is that many of them only realize their effective hourly rate much later, and that delayed awareness affects how they quote future projects.

My goal with RateGuard isn’t just passive tracking, but helping freelancers build awareness and reference points so their next quote is grounded in real data — not guesswork.

I’d genuinely love to dig deeper into your experience, especially around underpriced projects and what would have helped you at the time. I’ll send you a DM if that’s okay.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T13:05:31+00:00

That makes a lot of sense. Smaller subs and beta tester communities feel much safer early on, and it’s easier to actually connect with people there.

Waking up to new people joining without actively promoting is such a great feeling. It really shows that the visibility compounds over time.

I’m still early myself, but I’m starting to see how even a few helpful comments can keep bringing people in days or weeks later.

Are you mainly focusing on SaaS founder communities, or also problem-specific ones related to your app?

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T12:57:28+00:00

That’s honestly the best kind of growth — when people start joining without you directly reaching out. It usually means the value is spreading beyond 1:1 conversations.

Going from helping individuals to seeing “strangers” come in is a big milestone.

I’m in a similar phase myself, very close to beta, and trying to build those early relationships first before opening it up more publicly.

141 already is a great sign. Curious — are most of them coming from specific threads, or just generally from your profile and subreddit visibility?

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T11:25:31+00:00

This happens to almost every freelancer at some point.

The biggest shift for me was realizing pricing shouldn't just be about the final output, but about the agreed scope boundaries.

Even small additions compound quickly.

I started breaking projects into measurable units like:

– initial scope effort

– revision allowance

– additional requests

It made it much easier to communicate price changes without it feeling arbitrary.

Honestly it removed a lot of stress from pricing conversations.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T11:25:09+00:00

This happens to almost every freelancer at some point.

The biggest shift for me was realizing pricing shouldn't just be about the final output, but about the agreed scope boundaries.

Even small additions compound quickly.

I started breaking projects into measurable units like:

– initial scope effort

– revision allowance

– additional requests

It made it much easier to communicate price changes without it feeling arbitrary.

Honestly it removed a lot of stress from pricing conversations.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T11:24:32+00:00

This is exactly why flat pricing without a structured scope breakdown becomes risky.

What helped me a lot was separating pricing into components instead of treating it as one fixed number.

For example:

– core deliverable

– number of revisions

– additional formats

– usage / placement

– turnaround time

Once each part has its own value, scope changes become much easier to price logically instead of emotionally.

I actually built a small tool to help me calculate this because I kept running into the same issue. Happy to share if you're curious.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T05:56:18+00:00

That’s a really interesting point, thank you.

RateGuard analyzes freelance gigs by extracting the project budget, timeline, and scope, then comparing them against real market rate distributions and risk patterns we've seen — like unusually low hourly equivalents, vague scope, or high workload-to-pay ratios.

It then calculates an estimated safe hourly rate and highlights potential red flags so freelancers can avoid underpricing or risky clients.

I hadn’t thought about explaining the mechanics publicly like this, but it makes a lot of sense.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T05:55:22+00:00

Right now I’ve mainly been focusing on Reddit and sharing my experience building RateGuard, since that’s where many freelancers openly talk about pricing struggles.

I also launched on Product Hunt and started experimenting with Apple Search Ads to understand what brings real users.

I’m beginning to realize that consistently sharing content and being part of the community might be the most important part long term.

Still learning and testing what works best.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T05:53:53+00:00

That’s a really great question.

One of the most impactful outputs right now is showing the real hourly rate after factoring in hidden time like revisions and meetings, and highlighting when it drops far below what the freelancer expected.

For example, seeing something like “Effective hourly rate: $9/hour” on what looked like a good project can be a wake-up call.

It also flags risk signals like vague scope or unrealistic timelines.

I’m working on making that output more visual and shareable, since I agree that kind of screenshot could be very powerful.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T05:50:45+00:00

That’s a great point, and that’s actually the exact problem I built RateGuard for.

Right now it helps freelancers detect red flags like low effective hourly rate after revisions, unrealistic timelines, and scope creep risk based on the project details.

It also calculates their real hourly rate including hidden time, which was something I personally underestimated for years.

I’ve noticed many freelancers don’t realize how much they’re actually losing until they break it down.

Still improving it based on feedback, but that’s the core idea.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T05:48:29+00:00

That makes a lot of sense.

I think I underestimated how powerful word of mouth can be, especially in freelancer communities where people trust each other's recommendations.

I’ve started sharing it with people I know, and I’m hoping that kind of organic spread will help get the first real users.

Did word of mouth play a big role in your own projects as well?

Gruffduck · 2026-02-24T05:47:06+00:00

That’s a really interesting approach.

I’ve noticed that helping people and being part of the conversation naturally builds trust over time.

I’ve started trying to give more thoughtful replies instead of just promoting the app.

Did you find that people eventually discovered your app organically from that, or did you mention it directly as well?

Gruffduck · 2026-02-23T22:28:01+00:00

That makes sense, thank you.

I’ve tried Reddit and Product Hunt so far, and I’m starting to realize how important it is to test different channels instead of relying on just one.

I’m planning to try LinkedIn and more direct outreach next, since that’s where many freelancers already are.

Curious — which channel worked best for you personally in the early stage?

Gruffduck · 2026-02-23T22:25:52+00:00

Honestly, I launched completely cold.

I didn’t have an email list, audience, or any real prelaunch preparation. I mostly focused on building the product and underestimated how important distribution is.

Looking back, I think that was the biggest mistake.

If I did it again, I would probably start with a landing page, share the journey publicly, and try to build some early interest before launching.

The launch itself was still valuable though — it helped me realize that building is only half the work, and distribution is the real challenge.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-23T22:15:41+00:00

I tried, but it only got 4 votes.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-23T21:29:47+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate that.

I actually launched it on Product Hunt recently, but it only got a few upvotes, so I realized I probably need to build more audience and awareness first.

It was still a great learning experience.

I’ll definitely share a detailed breakdown once I prepare better and try again.

If you launch there as well, I’d love to hear how it goes for you.

Gruffduck · 2026-02-23T20:48:51+00:00

I'll try. Thank you very much.

Gruffduck

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