Today I’m trying something different with Eftilo, a blog. This first post explains why and what you might expect from it.

Eftilo recently turned one. I’ve learned a lot, just not how to sell plugins.

Don’t get me wrong, technically I’m very pleased with what I’ve achieved. But the sales just aren’t there, and they’re way lower than even my most pessimistic estimate :')

Why? I think I know.

If you don’t know me, I’m Jacopo. I’m 32 and I was born and raised in Italy. Right after my studies I moved to Sweden to work as a DSP developer for an audio plugin company. This was about seven years ago, and, since then, I always did DSP or audio development.

Growing up in a northern Italian province in the late '90s and early '00s wasn’t exactly La Dolce Vita. Maybe not Trainspotting either, but let’s say it wasn’t exactly a breeding ground for dreamers. Kids like me were told that hard work is all that matters, and that you should never, ever brag about your results. Complaining about how hard you worked for almost nothing? Totally fine, even encouraged. But if good results come, well that’s just your job.

That mindset is great when you clock past midnight for three years building something from nothing, but it’s terrible when, at the same time, you’re also the one in charge of marketing.

Marketing is about making noise, often from nothing. I was raised to keep my head down and work hard. You see the problem.

I can make the coolest and best sounding plugin, but at the end of the day, that’s just what it is. Some software that juggles numbers attempting some sonically pleasing result. That’s not exactly rocket science. How much can I really say about it before it starts feeling fake?

And as a developer, I know where every corner was cut, where things could have been better. So every time I try to talk about how cool my plugin is, my brain goes: Really? You’re gonna hype this like it’s the second coming of the 224? And then I cringe myself into silence.

What’s the solution then?

I have no idea. But maybe this blog might help.

Instead of trying to force myself into the “marketing mindset", I’ll just write about things I find interesting, technical deep dives, random thoughts, maybe even some existential dread to keep things spicy. And yeah, I’ll mention my plugins here and there. But no hype, no fake enthusiasm. Just me, talking about the stuff I care about.

So if that sounds interesting, stick around. Or don’t. I won’t beg. But if you do, expect tech, philosophy, and the occasional mid-life crisis.

And of course, if you want to support me, the best thing you can do is check out my plugins and spread the word.

Ciao!

    ~Jacopo