How two developers made $100K in 90 days with a simple AI app

Executive overview

Nikita and Evgeniy, based in Europe, built an AI text humaniser called Natural Write and grew it from zero to $100K in three months. They did it with a single TikTok account, no paid influencers, and server costs under $60/month.

Their edge was a replication-first TikTok strategy: copy proven viral formats before inventing your own. Once organic content hit millions of views, sales followed immediately.

Viral distribution built on proven formats beats original content when launching cold.

The product

• Natural Write converts AI-generated text into human-sounding output that bypasses most AI detectors
• Primary users: students submitting essays; secondary: marketers
• Idea came from noticing a high volume of TikTok videos about AI humanisers — a demand signal, not a passion project
• Tech stack: Next.js, Postgres, Coolify, NextAuth, Resend
• Total running costs: ~$60/month (server $35, Resend $20, VPN $5)

The 7-step TikTok playbook

1. Niche research — search TikTok before writing a line of code; confirm competitors exist and have viral videos
2. Account setup — VPN, US phone number, new email and Apple ID if outside target location; first account must be registered on a phone number
3. Warm up — spend 30–50 minutes/day for 3–5 days liking, commenting, and following creators in your niche
4. Recreate what works — make one-to-one copies of proven viral videos; add captions in the TikTok editor
5. Post daily — one video per day, posted in the second half of the day for your target audience
6. Innovate — once videos gain traction, begin experimenting with your own formats
7. Scale — create additional accounts and hire creators once the model is proven

Viral video examples

• First hit: a Jim Carrey comedy clip format showing a student with five minutes before a deadline — reached 4 million views
• Second example: a before/after demo (100% AI text → 100% human text) — the original had 150K views; their copy reached 1.5 million
• Key insight: the original format proved demand; the copy captured it

Numbers

• Total TikTok views across all accounts: ~9 million
• Website visits: ~300K
• Signups: 250K
• Conversion rate (visit to signup): ~80%
• Revenue: $100K across three months ($41K, $32K, $27K)

Key lessons

• Start TikTok yourself — understand what works before delegating
• Skip inventing formats; replicate what is already going viral
• Paid influencers did not convert; owned accounts did
• Growth-first product selection: pick a niche with proven TikTok demand, then build