Yesterday, I opened the waitlist for my upcoming AI Writing Accelerator course. What most subscribers didn't realize? I built that entire waitlist myself without writing a single line of code.
I've always been that person who avoided anything code-related. My eyes would glaze over at the mention of JavaScript or React. As a content creator and writer, I told myself coding was simply "not my thing" — another way of saying I was intimidated and didn't want to invest the time to learn.
But that changed last week when I finally dove into the "vibe coding" trend you've probably been hearing about.
For the uninitiated: vibe coding is essentially using AI to build software applications through natural language conversations. Instead of writing code, you describe what you want, and the AI handles the technical implementation. It's like having a developer on standby who can instantly translate your ideas into functioning applications.
The result? I created a professional-looking waitlist site with a real database that stores email addresses — all through conversation, zero coding required. The entire process took less than an hour, cost me less than $5, and I now have complete control over the design and functionality.
Why this matters if you create content or run a business
Here's why you should care about this development, even if you've never considered building your own web applications:
Freedom from dependency. How many times have you had a simple idea for a landing page, signup form, or customer portal but shelved it because you'd need to hire a developer or settle for the limitations of third-party platforms? That constraint just disappeared.
The cost difference is staggering. A basic custom waitlist built by a freelancer would cost a lot more. Even using a premium form builder with customization would run you monthly. I built mine for the cost of a fancy coffee.
Total control without the learning curve. Before this, your options were: 1) learn to code (months/years), 2) hire someone (expensive), or 3) use restrictive templates (limited). Now you can have full customization without either time investment or significant cost.
Speed to market. I had an idea for my course waitlist and launched it within 3 days. This kind of turnaround gives creators and small businesses a competitive edge that previously only tech-savvy teams enjoyed.
For content creators especially, this is a game-changer. Your ideas can now become functional digital experiences without technical barriers.
Replit walkthrough: the basics
The tool I used is called Replit, one of several "AI coding assistants" that have emerged in recent months. The interface doesn't scream "developer tool" at all – it's essentially a chat window with your AI helper on one side and a live preview of what you're building on the other.
Pricing is actually reasonable compared to hiring a developer or designer. Replit offers a free tier, but I opted for their Core plan at $25/month. This gives you unlimited apps, access to the AI agent, and $25 worth of "credits" each month. These credits are used whenever the AI makes significant changes (called "checkpoints") to your code, costing about $0.25 each time.
As the AI works, you can watch as it is creating files, writing code, and solving problems in real-time. It’s not just a black box that spits out a final product – you get to see the entire process unfold.
This transparency has an unexpected side effect. In my case, despite having no coding background, I started noticing patterns and understanding basic concepts just by observing. I'm certainly not claiming to be a developer now, but I've picked up enough to make simple edits and understand what's happening under the surface.
What impresses me most is the conversational nature of building. When something didn't work, I didn't need to figure out complex error codes or debugging tools – I just told the AI "that's not working" or "the logo isn't showing up" and it would investigate and fix the issue, explaining what went wrong along the way.
From idea to live waitlist in an afternoon
Creating my waitlist was remarkably straightforward – no complicated setup or technical hurdles. I started with a simple description: "Build a waitlist site with React for me, which collects emails and full names from users. Make the design modern and professional. Use a database to store the registrations." I added some context about my AI Writing Accelerator course and the price point – that's it.
The AI analyzed my request and proposed a plan, showing me what components it would create. After I approved, it got to work building the site while I watched. The initial version took only minutes to appear, complete with a form for collecting information.
From there, customization was as simple as asking. When I wanted to change text, I'd say something like "Change the subheading to 'Not another prompt course. A writing system course'" and it would update instantly. When I uploaded my logo and the colors didn't quite match my brand, I simply said, "The red isn't matching my brand color. Look at my logo and adjust it" – and it analyzed the logo's color palette and updated the site accordingly.
The most critical part was ensuring the database worked properly. When I first tested the form submission, I got an error. I just told the AI "When I entered my info, it gave an error message." It checked the logs, identified the database connection issue, and fixed it within minutes. I verified everything worked by submitting a test entry and confirming it appeared in the database view.
