added marketing plan

plan.md

@@ -111,25 +111,63 @@ Default to Qwen3 4B. If the machine can't meet the RAM threshold (checked via Ta
 
 ---
 
-## Phase 3: Launch prep
+## Phase 3: Marketing & launch
 
-### Marketing assets
+### Target audiences (three distinct segments)
-- [ ] Compare page: "TalkEdit vs Descript" — focus on offline, no subscription, long file support
-- [ ] Demo video showing a 2hr podcast cleaned in 3 clicks
-- [ ] Tagline: *"The offline video editor that doesn't slow down on long files"*
-- [ ] Landing page at talked.it with clear pricing (one-time license)
 
-### Distribution
+| Segment | Pain point | TalkEdit's message |
-- [ ] Product Hunt launch
+|---------|-----------|-------------------|
-- [ ] Post in r/podcasting, r/VideoEditing, r/selfhosted
+| **Podcasters** | Editing a 1hr episode takes 4hrs in traditional editors. Descript is expensive and cloud-only. | *"Transcribe, clean, and export your podcast in minutes. One payment, forever."* |
-- [ ] GitHub release with binaries for Windows/macOS/Linux
+| **YouTube creators (long-form)** | CapCut chokes on 30min+ files. Need AI tools but don't want subscriptions. | *"Edit hour-long videos like a doc. AI chapters, filler removal, Smart Shorts — all local."* |
-- [ ] Offer free licenses to podcasters with public feedback in exchange for testimonials
+| **Privacy-conscious / enterprise** | Can't upload content to cloud editors (legal, compliance, NDAs). | *"100% offline. Your video never leaves your machine. No account required."* |
 
-### Pricing
+### Messaging pillars
-- [ ] **Free trial**: 30 days, full features (already done)
+
-- [ ] **Pro**: $39 one-time — permanent license, includes all current + future features
+1. **"The offline video editor that doesn't slow down on long files"** — core positioning
-- [ ] **Business**: $79 one-time — same but with priority support + volume licensing
+2. **"No subscription. One price, owned forever."** — pricing differentiator
-- [ ] No subscriptions, no recurring charges. One purchase = owned forever.
+3. **"Zero-setup AI"** — bundled Qwen3, no API keys, no Docker, no Ollama
+4. **"Your podcast → 10 TikToks in one click"** — Smart Shorts finder hook
+
+### Launch channels
+
+#### Creator communities (highest ROI)
+- [ ] **r/podcasting** — post a demo video: "I edited a 1hr podcast in 4 minutes with this free tool." Free trial link. Emphasize offline + no sub.
+- [ ] **r/VideoEditing** — comparison post: "TalkEdit vs Descript for long-form." Let the features speak. Include benchmarks (2hr file load time, export speed).
+- [ ] **r/selfhosted** — this audience cares deeply about offline/local. Post: "Fully offline Descript alternative I've been building. Built-in local AI, no cloud." Free license giveaways to top commenters.
+- [ ] **r/SaaS** — post the journey, get feedback. Good for building awareness among builders who might recommend it.
+- [ ] **Hacker News** — "Show HN: I built an offline video editor with bundled local AI." The technical audience will appreciate the Rust + llama.cpp + Whisper stack. Be ready for technical questions.
+
+#### Video demos (the product is visual — show it)
+- [ ] **Product Hunt launch** — video + GIF-heavy listing. Tagline: *"Descript for long-form content, 100% offline."* Give away 50 free Pro licenses on launch day.
+- [ ] **YouTube demo** — 3-5 min screencap: open 1hr file → auto-transcribe → Smart Clean → Smart Shorts finds 10 clips → export all. No cuts, real-time.
+- [ ] **TikTok/Shorts** — 30s clips of the Smart Shorts finder in action. "This tool turned my 1hr podcast into 10 TikToks automatically." Each short is itself a demo of the feature.
+
+#### Earned / low-cost
+- [ ] **Offer free Pro licenses** to 20 podcasters with >10K followers in exchange for a public review or mention. Target: Joe Rogan–style solo podcasters who edit their own content.
+- [ ] **GitHub release** — tag v1.0.0 with detailed release notes, screenshots, and binary downloads for all three platforms. Encourage issues/feature requests.
+- [ ] **Write a "why I built this" post** — submit to Indie Hackers, Medium, Dev.to. Focus on: frustration with Descript pricing, desire for offline tools, the technical challenge of bundling an LLM.
+- [ ] **Comparison landing page** — `talked.it/vs/descript` with a feature table, pricing comparison, and "privacy" as a highlighted column. SEO target: "Descript alternative"
+
+#### Paid (only after product-market fit is validated)
+- [ ] YouTube ads targeting "how to edit a podcast" and "Descript tutorial" search terms
+- [ ] Podcast sponsorship on indie podcasting shows (target audience overlap is perfect)
+
+### Free-to-paid funnel
+- [ ] 30-day full-feature trial — no credit card required, no account signup
+- [ ] After trial: locked editing + AI, but export still works (people can still get value from completed projects)
+- [ ] Pro license: $39 one-time. Business license: $79 one-time (priority support, volume licensing)
+- [ ] No subscriptions. Emphasize: *"Buy once, don't think about it again."*
+
+### Launch checklist
+- [ ] Landing page at talked.it with: feature list, screenshots, pricing, download buttons
+- [ ] Demo video (3-5 min walkthrough)
+- [ ] 30s Smart Shorts demo clip for TikTok/Shorts
+- [ ] Product Hunt listing ready (logo, description, GIFs, launch day plan)
+- [ ] Reddit drafts for r/podcasting, r/VideoEditing, r/selfhosted
+- [ ] HN Show HN draft
+- [ ] 20 free Pro licenses queued for influencers
+- [ ] GitHub v1.0.0 release with binaries
+- [ ] Compare page: TalkEdit vs Descript
 
 ---