Maildown
Web and SaaS
email marketing
SHOW HN2019
How HN took it
1 positive, 6 neutral or asking, 7 mixed, 11 critical, out of 25 comments about the project. Thread score -0.29.
Execution: 0 for, 7 againstIdea: 0 for, 2 againstPricing: 0 for, 2 againstDesign: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Markdown approach and CLI/API appeal to developers
From 2 comments
Thank you for making your CLI a first class citizen. I have been growing tired of typical web app interfaces and am glad to see something that just gets straight to the point…
veryworried on HNI would use this. I'm so fed up with rendering HTML (even with MJML) or dealing with WYSIWYG editors in web UI's. However, the concerns would be: 1. Deliverability and everything…
tnolet on HN
Objections
Mailchimp-style market is crowded and hard to compete in
From 2 comments
So the value prop is markdown. Besides that, you have to compete equally with Mailchimp, etc which is impossible. Why not offer your markdown parsing as a service layer on top of…
dplgk on HNReliable mail deliverability is no small problem, however, and one that by and large has already been solved by other providers. If a new competitor enters this market that…
BjoernKW on HN
Signup and email validation reject plus signs
From 2 comments
It looks like your email validation doesn't allow "+" signs. I was able to circumvent (the validation is client side only), but it would be nice if it were allowed. Edit: I am…
si1entstill on HNSignup doesn't allow '+' in the email address, which is sometimes used in Gmail email addresses. Edit: Plus `## Creating contact lists` in the docs doesn't seem to have rendered…
mbanerjeepalmer on HN
Onboarding and email verification flow is confusing
From 2 comments
I got the link. It just took me to the marketing site. The "Check status" thing worked, just clunky. Including some of the docs inline in the editor would be very useful...…
tln on HNI had the same issue. I clicked the verification link, but it redirected me to the main site and I still have "You cannot create any emails yet because you have not verified any…
bemmu on HN
Requests
Allow plus signs in email addresses
From 2 comments
It looks like your email validation doesn't allow "+" signs. I was able to circumvent (the validation is client side only), but it would be nice if it were allowed. Edit: I am…
si1entstill on HNSignup doesn't allow '+' in the email address, which is sometimes used in Gmail email addresses. Edit: Plus `## Creating contact lists` in the docs doesn't seem to have rendered…
mbanerjeepalmer on HN
Support HTML and responsive layouts
From 2 comments
It really looks like a nice backend! I have substantial experience in creating email campains for clients.i must admit that an important features for mailings is a possibility to…
la_fayette on HNThanks. Its theoretically possible to insert HTML into mails in Maildown, opening all sorts of possibilities in terms of layouts, but this is not something I've actively explored…
chris140957 on HN
Pricing page and starter templates
From 2 comments
Looks like you're using undraw svgs with the default color. You can change the color by clicking the color button in the upper right corner of the undraw site. I'd add some…
ccleve on HNThanks, have been meaning to add a pricing page, as well as a tutorial video, to the landing page. Your feedback on monthly vs daily is also interesting. Will consider that -…
chris140957 on HN
Questions
How does deliverability and spam avoidance work
From 3 comments
https://docs.maildown.app describes your model, 7 pound for 1000 emails. However, it's hard to find. I also miss a lot of information. How do you prevent ending up in spam boxes?…
MrQuincle on HNI would use this. I'm so fed up with rendering HTML (even with MJML) or dealing with WYSIWYG editors in web UI's. However, the concerns would be: 1. Deliverability and everything…
tnolet on HNNeat! I like Markdown. Out of curiosity, have you tackled email deliverability yet? If so, may I ask if you have any recommended reading sources. I recently found myself…
PopeDotNinja on HN
Does it support SPF, DKIM and DMARC
From 2 comments
My first question for e-mail service providers is always, do you support SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for mail delivery?
dguido on HNSorry for the slow response. Yes we support all of those. We can send you the appropriate records to set this up on request
chris140957 on HN
Alternatives named
Buttondown
From 3 comments
I like that this exists, as someone who writes everything in Markdown. (I should note that there is a platform that offers something similar to this already:…
shortformblog on HNSeems eerily similar to Buttondown(https://buttondown.email)
josep2 on HNFor anyone who's interested in this but wants to check out various services: https://buttondown.email/ uses Markdown. I've had a great experience with it so far.
exolymph on HN
Mailchimp
From 2 comments
So the value prop is markdown. Besides that, you have to compete equally with Mailchimp, etc which is impossible. Why not offer your markdown parsing as a service layer on top of…
dplgk on HNMailChimp is crazy expensive for mailing lists of size.
bhouston on HN
EmailOctopus
From 2 comments
If this is a problem you're having, I recommend checking out a service that integrates with Amazon SES. This is what we do (EmailOctopus.com) but there are plenty others out…
jonathanbull on HNSpeaking as a direct competitor of Mailchimp (CEO of EmailOctopus.com), I strongly disagree. It's an enormous market and there are plenty of ways to differentiate yourself.
jonathanbull on HN
MJML
From 2 comments
It really looks like a nice backend! I have substantial experience in creating email campains for clients.i must admit that an important features for mailings is a possibility to…
la_fayette on HNI would use this. I'm so fed up with rendering HTML (even with MJML) or dealing with WYSIWYG editors in web UI's. However, the concerns would be: 1. Deliverability and everything…
tnolet on HN