How I created MarkComb - a service for finding YouTube-bloggers to advertise with

Finding bloggers to promote is a headache for entrepreneurs, marketers and startups. I also faced this when I was trying to promote a project I was working on. Finding suitable YouTube channels turned out to be more difficult than it seemed.How I created MarkComb - a service for finding YouTube bloggers to advertise with.

I wanted to solve one problem - I had to develop a whole service.

What problems have I identified in finding the right YouTube channel:

• It is difficult to find channels with the right type of content
• It's even harder with the right audience
• It's especially hard to find the right one in terms of number of subscribers

And then came the idea: why not make a service that will simplify this process?

That's how MarkComb was born, a platform that helps you find the right bloggers and connect with them for advertising.

Project Technology Stack

Frontend :

• React + TypeScript

Backend :

• Node js + Express

Database :

• PostgreSQL

Third-party APIs :

• YouTube API

Difficulties in development

The project initially had no plan or technology stack. I just started doing things as I knew how.
The main pain is the constant change of the project structure and its stack, because at the very beginning of its creation there was no understanding of either development or business.
At first the project was written on pure HTML, CSS and JS, Then I realized that I wanted to make a full-fledged SPA - and started to moving everything to React.

What was difficult

With backend :

• Use nest or pure Node js?
• Should I use Node js at all? Very few hosts support it

And with databases :

• Which DBMS to choose?

And with hosting :

• What is NGINX?

• How to configure reverse proxying so that API is protected?

• How to work with the terminal? Where is GUI?

And with the payment system :

• Which one to choose, and to work conveniently?

• How to describe the idea of the service to the payment system correctly so that they don't refuse?

I had to learn it all as I was developing. I made mistakes, redesigned, made mistakes again, and so on and so forth. But now MarkComb works.

Who I created the product for

• Entrepreneurs

• Marketers

• Small business owners

• Startups

Plans

• Ability to send suggestions to bloggers directly from MarkComb

• Recommendation system

• Screening out “dead” channels

How you can help the project grow

The best support for me is your feedback and thoughts on the concept of the service, the quality of its work, and its convenience. Share all your thoughts about the service in the comments. Feel free to talk about its bugs and bugs, and to criticize its functionality. Such criticism is the most valuable currency in the development of the service.