Hey, Ty here. I built whatayarn to make it easier for listeners to leave a voice message and become part of a show.
There’s now a home for the updates along the way. I’ll use this changelog to share new features, improvements, and the occasional look at what it’s like building the product. For this first entry, I wanted to tell you how it started.
The very first whatayarn sticker drop.
The story so far
A couple of years ago, I was listening to one of my favourite Aussie podcasts, Alpha Blokes Podcast (opens in a new tab). They had a segment where listeners would call a voicemail line, leave a message, and hear the boys react to it on the show. It was one of my favourite parts.
Getting a message to them sounded like a bit of a job, though.
There was a phone number, an email address, and a list of instructions. Keep it under 60 seconds. Leave your name. Record it on your phone and email it through. It worked, but it felt harder than it needed to be.
whatayarn started as a small side project to make that process easier. The first version came together in Bali, at the end of a holiday while I was waiting for my flight home. It was clunky, but it was a start.
Working on the first version in Bali, before the flight home.
Building around a day job has its ups and downs. Some weeks you ship something you’re proud of. Other weeks you spend a whole weekend on something and wonder whether anyone will use it.
There were stretches in that first year where I thought, “maybe nobody wants this”. Some of the feedback was blunt, and there were days it really got to me. I’ve wanted to quit more than once.
After one big push, things went quiet. No signups, no messages, and not much reason to open the laptop again. So I parked the project.
About six months later, a couple of creators found it and started using it. Seeing the first real messages come through felt ridiculous in the best way. That was the spark again.
Since then, it’s been a lot of small improvements and conversations with the people using it. Seeing a whatayarn link in someone’s socials or show notes still feels pretty special.
If you’ve tried it already, thank you. There’s no big team here, just me building from Australia, and your feedback has shaped what the product is.
A few things that have changed
whatayarn has come a fair way from that first version. A few of the bigger pieces are:
- Your own voicemail page. A shareable link, page personalisation, and controls for asking listeners for their name and email.
- Recording in the browser. Listeners can record a message or upload audio, with recordings converted to MP3 for your workflow.
- A clearer editor and inbox. Better navigation, more readable message details, and improvements to how the app works on a phone.
- Sharing and embedding. QR codes and embed code give you more places to invite people to leave a message.
- Email notifications. Welcome emails, new message notifications, and reminders as you approach your plan’s message limit.
- Free and paid options. A place to get started, with more control and room for messages as your needs grow.
The website has had plenty of iterations too, with clearer explanations, examples, and a blog for ideas about bringing listeners into your show.
What’s next
There’s still a lot I want to improve. Creator analytics, proper docs, and more ways to customise and embed a page are high on the list. I also want to make onboarding smoother and help you find the right recording when your inbox gets busy.
I’ve got a couple of other podcasting projects taking shape as well. I’ll share more as they come together.
Startup HQ, otherwise known as whatever table I can find.
If there’s something you’d like to see, email me at hello@whatayarn.com. I’d love to hear what you’re making and where whatayarn could help.
Thanks for being here. I’m glad I opened the laptop again.
