Lessons from Building an AI Meme Generator
Last summer, amidst the AI rush of 2024, I decided to create a simple AI wrapper SaaS product. My goal was twofold: to have a portfolio project showcasing a complete subscription model, and to launch with the hope that if I put it out there, users would come. I figured, with so many people online, surely someone would pay for almost anything—even if I personally found it pointless.
The idea I landed on was an AI meme generator. It seemed straightforward to build using OpenAI's APIs, and I thought memes could generate funny, engaging content to drive growth. A catch was that I wasn’t interested in memes at all. Still, I spent a couple of weeks building the platform and got it ready to launch.
When I began posting memes in Facebook groups and on X (formerly Twitter), the response was underwhelming. Generic-looking AI images paired with random text just didn’t resonate, even in niche communities. Engagement was minimal, and after a few rounds of posts, I lost motivation. The project stalled out.
Thankfully, the project wasn’t a total loss. It served its purpose as a portfolio piece and laid a foundation for future subscription-based projects. But as a side hustle? It flopped. Reflecting on it now, I see where I went wrong.
Key Takeaways
Research Before Building
I should have researched the market before writing a single line of code. Generating momentum and interest upfront would have saved me many hours spent building something no one wanted.
Build for an Audience You Understand
I had no insight into what meme enthusiasts cared about and no personal connection to the world of memes. Unsurprisingly, I ended up building something irrelevant to that audience. Plus, I lacked the motivation to grow the project—posting memes I didn’t care about felt like a chore.
Validate Before Development
One crucial lesson: validate the idea before building. For future projects, I’ve set a soft rule: I need to sell the product to at least one person in the target audience before I start developing. If I can’t sell the concept one-on-one, there’s no chance it will succeed at scale.
Moving Forward
This experience taught me the value of listening to your audience and ensuring there’s demand for your idea before pouring time and energy into building it. While the AI meme generator didn’t pan out, it left me with skills, insights, and clarity on how to approach my next project. The project is also revivable in case the meme generation capabilities of AI changes in the future, or if someone with a stronger connection to memes than me can push the project more efficiently to the market.