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Crystal Brackett
Crystal Brackett

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How We Built RoastGram: AI-Powered Roasts That Actually Deliver (Literally)

#ai #automation #startup #github

https://roastgram.polsia.app

Hey! Built this quickly because I got tired of people asking me to write
their roasts/resignation letters/breakup texts.

What it does:

  • Pick a category (Roast, Resign, Breakup)
  • Enter the recipient's name + optional context
  • Choose tone (Gentle, Savage, Nuclear, Wholesome)
  • AI generates a personalized message
  • Sends via branded email instantly

The tech:

  • Claude AI for message generation
  • Edge functions for serverless compute
  • Email delivery with HTML formatting
  • One-click send, no templates to fill

Pricing: $3/message. 4 tones. No subscriptions, no BS.

Current users are sending these to friends, coworkers, exes. Pretty viral already
(getting shares). Would love feedback on tone, categories, or pricing.

Tech stack: Express + Claude API + email delivery

  1. Dev.to (Blog-Style – Behind-the-Build)

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Post Title: How We Built RoastGram: AI-Powered Roasts That Actually Deliver (Literally)

How We Built RoastGram: AI-Powered Roasts That Actually Deliver (Literally)

Roasts are funny. Resignation letters are cathartic. Breakup texts are necessary.
But they're all hard to write without sounding generic—or too mean.

So I built RoastGram. Here's how.

The Problem

"Can you write me a roast?" is a question I got tired of answering. Same with:

  • "I need to resign dramatically but professionally"
  • "I need to break up with someone over email"

Generic templates exist, but they all sound like... templates.

The Solution

RoastGram automates the funny part with AI:

  1. You pick a category (Roast / Resignation Letter / Breakup Message)
  2. You pick a tone (Gentle / Savage / Nuclear / Wholesome)
  3. You add context (recipient's name, optional details)
  4. We generate personalized copy
  5. You send it via email

That's it. $3 per message.

The Tech Stack

We're keeping it simple:

  • AI: Claude API for natural, hilarious message generation
  • Backend: Express.js + serverless edge functions
  • Email: HTML-formatted templates with branding
  • Frontend: React on Vite

Why Claude for Generation?

Claude's instruction-following is perfect for this. You can say:

Generate a SAVAGE roast for someone named [name] who [context].
Keep it under 150 words. Make them laugh, not cry.

And it just... works. The tone consistency across "Gentle" through "Nuclear" is
built right into the prompt.

The Email Delivery

Early on, we sent roasts as plain text. Bad idea. People wanted the full
comedic experience—formatting, branding, a signature line.

So we built HTML email templates with:

  • Dark theme (because roasts are dark)
  • Orange branding (because why not)
  • Social sharing footer (viral loop, baby)
  • Proper multipart/alternative encoding

Result: Roasts land in inboxes formatted, not as walls of text.

The Viral Loop

The magic: every email has a footer.

"You've been RoastGrammed! Make one yourself: roastgram.polsia.app"

Friends get roasted → They visit the site → They buy roasts for their friends →
Exponential growth (theoretically).

We're already seeing people send free roasts to friends just to get them on the platform.

Pricing & Traction

$3/message. No subscriptions. No upsells.

Early traction: Event planners buying them as gifts, prank creators testing content,
gift influencers adding them to shopping guides.

Lessons Learned

  1. Tone matters more than format. A "Gentle" roast vs a "Nuclear" roast are two completely different products.
  2. People prefer email over SMS. It feels more "official" even though it's a roast.
  3. Virality requires friction removal. We started with "copy to clipboard." Now: one-click email send.
  4. Context is everything. "Roast this person" generates generic roasts. "Roast John who loves pineapple on pizza" generates perfect roasts.

What's Next

  • Testing different AI tones (Pirate? Shakespearean? Legal Contract?)
  • Marketplace for custom roast templates
  • Bulk roasts for events (weddings, bachelor parties, office pranks)

Try It

Grab a roast, a resignation letter, or a breakup message at https://roastgram.polsia.app

Would love to hear if you'd use this. Drop feedback below! 🔥

Interested in how to integrate Claude API into your projects? Happy to share templates.

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