I Made a Note-Generating App to Free My Brain
Because I Want to Stay Lazy and Stay Connected — And You Can Too!
Because I Want to Stay Lazy and Stay Connected — And You Can Too!
Published: January 23, 2025 URL: https://buildtolaunch.ai/p/substack-note-generator-app-tutorial Engagement: 115 likes, 64 comments, 16 restacks Word count: 981
Have you ever struggled to post short-form notes on LinkedIn, Substack, X, or Bluesky?
Did it feel tedious knowing you already had long-form content, but extracting ideas from it felt like too much work?
I felt the same way over the past couple of months while exploring these platforms. I kept thinking — there has to be an easier way to repurpose my heartfelt ideas without all the extra effort.
The Spark That Started It All
After building the laziest possible inspirational quotes generator, it sparked something amazing in me.
This project simply pulls random quotes from an AI model's database. But imagine if it could generate insights based on your own work — your articles, newsletters, or blog posts.
Wouldn't that be more authentic and personal, creating content that truly resonates?
With this app, you can now turn your content into engaging short-form notes for LinkedIn, Substack, and beyond — without breaking a sweat.
The Desired Features
Here's what I want from the note-generating app:
- 📚 Turn articles into inspirational quotes: Just paste a link and get instant bite-sized content.
- 📰 Substack integration: Paste your publication link, fetch the latest articles, pick the best ones.
- ✂️ Copy-paste content generation: Simply drop in text, and let the app do its magic.
The Development Journey
The Smooth Path to MVP
Without writing a single line of code, I asked AI to pull my Substack articles and generate engaging notes using pre-defined templates.
The results? Fantastic.
I realized that with the right prompts, AI could effortlessly handle content generation through APIs. From there, it was just a matter of building a simple interface to visualize the output.
The Twists and Turns for Improved UI
From my first MVP, I received plenty of feedback about improving the UI presentation.
Initially, the design was… well, let's just say uninspiring. No logo, no styling, just a plain, functional site.
So, I created a logo (with a little help from AI) and added introduction and more structure. But something still felt off — I realized the missing piece: color themes!
Aligning the color scheme with the brand made all the difference. My simple, functional site became visually appealing with a cohesive theme!
Affordable Challenges in Launching
This time, I wanted a simpler and more affordable setup. But, of course, things didn't go as planned.
The Great Timeout Struggles: Battled with gunicorn timeout configuration.
File Location Hide-and-Seek: Files ended up in unexpected locations during deployment.
After battling timeouts, async requests, and deployment hurdles, I finally made it work. And it hasn't crashed in the last 24 hours! 🎉
What the App Can Do (So Far)
- 🚀 Generate 18 engaging notes per post
- 🎯 Categorize them as Provoking, Educational, or Entertaining
- 📂 Handle multiple posts simultaneously
- 📬 Process entire Substack feeds effortlessly
- 💳 Manage credits purchasing and gift options
The Growing Feature Checklist
- ✅ Basic note generation
- ✅ Multiple note categories
- ✅ Substack integration
- ✅ User authentication
- ✅ Async processing
- ✅ Error handling
- ☐ World domination (coming soon!)
What This Project Taught Me
Compared to my first MVP launch, this experience has been much smoother.
- Keeping everything within a single website made debugging and testing far easier.
- Setting up Oracle Cloud was surprisingly straightforward, thanks to AI-guided instructions.
- The feedback from early users was encouraging.
One major win? The creator behind the major note-generation formulas loved the idea and fully supported the project!
Beyond the technical side, this journey introduced me to amazing people who are just as excited about the app's potential.
A Little House Keeping
Why charge for credits after 20 free trials when my last product was one-time purchase?
- The previous product had an integrated LLM, meaning there were no recurring costs.
- This app uses API tokens for every request, which can add up quickly.
- Offering paid credits keeps things sustainable.
Why mention Substack with Medium?
Substack and Medium are not enemies — in some way, they complement each other. They serve different audiences and needs, and leveraging both can be powerful for content creators.
Want to Try It Out?
Check out Quick Viral Notes at quickviralnotes.xyz
I'd love to hear what you think! Your feedback will help improve the app.
P.S. Yes, the app has a 5-minute timeout now — because sometimes, even AI needs a coffee break! ☕️