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Building Interview Bolt (for fun) and shipping a 30-day turnaround plan

Authors

A few weeks ago, we acquired a small product called Interview Bolt.

It started as a fun side bet: could we take an existing interview-prep product, tighten the positioning, simplify pricing, and turn it into something genuinely useful for job seekers in 30 days?

The answer so far: yes — but only if we stay ruthless about focus.

Why Interview Bolt?

Interview prep is crowded, but most tools still feel fragmented:

  • coding prep is separate from behavioral prep
  • users don’t know what to practice next
  • free trials are unclear or too generous to convert
  • paid tiers often fail to communicate real value

We think there’s room for a product that combines technical rehearsal + behavioral storytelling + fast iteration in one flow.

Day 0 changes: pricing + positioning

We made immediate product and GTM changes to clarify value:

  • Moved to a monthly subscription model.
  • Added a Free plan with 1–3 trial uses and intentionally slower performance.
  • Added a $20/mo plan with unlimited uses at standard speed.
  • Added a $50/mo premium plan with unlimited uses and fastest response time.
  • Rewrote landing page messaging to highlight speed and unlimited practice as clear upgrade drivers.

The core principle: users should quickly feel the benefit of better interview reps, then understand exactly why premium is worth it.

30-day execution plan

Week 1–2: product differentiation

  • Focus on technical interview prep first.
  • Keep sales/corporate interview prep as a later expansion.
  • Ship a behavioral prep module:
    • upload résumé or LinkedIn context
    • generate interview talking points
    • draft strong answers to common behavioral questions

Week 2–3: growth engine

  • Seed with interview-prep creators on YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
  • Produce practical (and sometimes provocative) content around interview outcomes and prep strategy.
  • Use a VA-supported content pipeline to keep short-form distribution consistent.

Week 3–4: integration + iteration

  • Launch an integrated mock flow: technical Q&A + behavioral coaching.
  • Optimize conversion across free → $20 → $50.
  • Tune trial limits and response-speed throttling based on churn and activation.
  • Track CAC, retention, and best channels (creator partnerships vs. owned content).

Longer-term bets

If the first month works, we expand into:

  • sales interview prep as a second vertical
  • AI coaching on tone, phrasing, and delivery
  • community loops (prep hacks, playbooks, and testimonials)

Build notes

A lot of this workflow is accelerated with AI coding/product tools:

  • rapid experiments on pricing and UX copy
  • faster feature scoping and task breakdowns
  • quick synthesis of user feedback into product decisions

That said, tools don’t replace distribution or judgment — they just compress cycles.

If you’re actively interviewing and want to test early versions, reach out — we’re shipping updates weekly.