Hi Reader,

Welcome to Hal9 Weekly — insights from our founder Javier on turning AI ideas into real products.

Javier's Insights:

The Biggest Mistake in AI Marketing Isn't What You Think

Most marketers trying to win in the AI era are asking the wrong question.

They're asking: How do I optimize harder?

The real question is: What am I actually optimizing for?

I recently sat down with Apurva Pawashe Luty from Optimly to dig into this — how LLMs actually work, why most AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) advice falls flat, and what actually moves the needle when you're creating content in an AI-first world.

The insight that stuck with me: information gain beats content volume. Every time.

Most AI content strategies are built around pumping out more — more blog posts, more answers, more pages optimized for AI search. But LLMs don't reward volume. They reward genuine signal. Content that adds something new to the conversation, that teaches the model something it couldn't infer from everything else already out there.

If your content is a repackaged version of what's already ranking, an AI will treat it that way — as noise, not signal.

The marketers and founders who win over the next few years won't be the ones who out-produce everyone else. They'll be the ones who out-think them — with content that has a genuine point of view, real specificity, and information that isn't already everywhere.

Stop optimizing harder. Start optimizing for the right thing.

What's one thing you've changed in your AI marketing strategy lately? Reply and let me know — I read every response.

Customer Success Story: TapIn

From Fuzzy Vision to Fashion Week MVP — In Weeks

TapIn is building something genuinely difficult: a social platform that connects people through local events and shared interests, bridging the gap between online connections and real-world engagement. Think finding a concert companion who's actually going to show up.

Founder James Kung had a prototype and a vision — but also an unclear roadmap and a build path that threatened to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars before a single user was onboarded.

The Challenge: Transform a complex social platform concept into a focused, testable MVP — fast enough to debut at New York Fashion Week, and lean enough to survive on a startup budget.

Hal9 helped TapIn:

🚀 Build a working AI-powered local event matching MVP in weeks, not months

💡 Simplify the product vision into a focused, testable core — matching users by proximity and shared interests

🌐 Launch a web-based MVP instead of an expensive mobile app, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in early development costs

🎪 Test live at New York Fashion Week, gathering real user feedback to sharpen the product

📱 Lay the technical groundwork for future mobile expansion and AI-driven automated matching

The result? TapIn went from a complicated mockup to a live, event-tested product — without burning through their runway on a build they didn't need yet. The platform is now positioned to scale, with Hal9 continuing as a long-term technical partner.

Let’s Talk

Got an AI idea/building something and want to chat about it?

Book a free consultation with Javier — he’ll help you validate it before you build, so you don’t lose time chasing the wrong version.

Talk soon,

—The Hal9 Team