About

What is Howl?

Howl is a simple way for professors to reach their whole class, and for students to actually see what gets sent. It’s free for professors and students, and it works on iPhone, Android, and the web.

Why I’m building it

I’m a college student, and my school email is where important things go to get lost. Messages from professors land in the same inbox as club newsletters, campus announcements, and a steady stream of stuff I don’t need. A due date moves or a class gets cancelled, and I find out too late.

I’m not ignoring my classes. I just can’t find the one email that matters under all the ones that don’t, and I’m sick of it.

I know professors feel the same way, just from the other side. They send an update, then spend the week answering questions from students who never see it. Or they send it again and hope it sticks this time. Nobody is doing anything wrong here. Email just isn’t built to run a class.

What I want instead

Something easier. A professor writes a message once and it shows up on every student’s phone. Replies come back to one place instead of scattering across everybody’s inbox.

Professors can see who has read it and remind whoever hasn’t. Students can raise a hand when they’re stuck, or ask a question anonymously when they’d rather not be the one asking in front of everyone.

It also has to be free. Students already pay more than enough to be in school, and a professor shouldn’t need a budget approved just to talk to their own class. So Howl is free for professors and students. There’s no paid tier and no per-seat price.

Why I’m going straight to professors

The usual way to do this is to sell software to schools. That means contracts, security reviews, a committee or two, and often a year or more before anyone in a classroom actually uses the thing.

I don’t want to do it that way. Professors are the ones dealing with this every week, so I’m going straight to them. If a professor wants an easier way to reach their class, trying Howl should be as simple as signing up.

Where things are now

Howl isn’t open yet. Professors get access first. If you teach, join the waitlist below and I’ll email you when it opens.

And if you’ve got a question, or your own story about emails getting lost, I’d love to hear it. You can write to me at tyler@meethowl.com.