The latest articles on DEV Community by Crystal Brackett (@crystal_brackett_8fbb2556). https://dev.to/crystal_brackett_8fbb2556 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3861315%2Fdf8e787d-c559-46a2-ad98-ae26aab14242.jpg https://dev.to/crystal_brackett_8fbb2556 en Crystal Brackett Sat, 04 Apr 2026 19:40:50 +0000 https://dev.to/crystal_brackett_8fbb2556/how-we-built-roastgram-ai-powered-roasts-that-actually-deliver-literally-m1o https://dev.to/crystal_brackett_8fbb2556/how-we-built-roastgram-ai-powered-roasts-that-actually-deliver-literally-m1o <p><a href="https://roastgram.polsia.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://roastgram.polsia.app</a></p> <p>Hey! Built this quickly because I got tired of people asking me to write <br> their roasts/resignation letters/breakup texts. </p> <p><strong>What it does:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Pick a category (Roast, Resign, Breakup)</li> <li>Enter the recipient's name + optional context</li> <li>Choose tone (Gentle, Savage, Nuclear, Wholesome)</li> <li>AI generates a personalized message</li> <li>Sends via branded email instantly</li> </ul> <p><strong>The tech:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Claude AI for message generation</li> <li>Edge functions for serverless compute</li> <li>Email delivery with HTML formatting</li> <li>One-click send, no templates to fill</li> </ul> <p><strong>Pricing:</strong> $3/message. 4 tones. No subscriptions, no BS.</p> <p>Current users are sending these to friends, coworkers, exes. Pretty viral already <br> (getting shares). Would love feedback on tone, categories, or pricing.</p> <p>Tech stack: Express + Claude API + email delivery</p> <ol> <li>Dev.to (Blog-Style – Behind-the-Build)</li> </ol> <p>Best for: Developer community, storytelling, SEO</p> <p>Post Title: How We Built RoastGram: AI-Powered Roasts That Actually Deliver (Literally)</p> <h1> How We Built RoastGram: AI-Powered Roasts That Actually Deliver (Literally) </h1> <p>Roasts are funny. Resignation letters are cathartic. Breakup texts are necessary.<br> But they're all hard to write without sounding generic—or too mean.</p> <p>So I built <strong>RoastGram</strong>. Here's how.</p> <h2> The Problem </h2> <p>"Can you write me a roast?" is a question I got tired of answering. Same with:</p> <ul> <li>"I need to resign dramatically but professionally"</li> <li>"I need to break up with someone over email"</li> </ul> <p>Generic templates exist, but they all sound like... templates.</p> <h2> The Solution </h2> <p>RoastGram automates the funny part with AI:</p> <ol> <li> <strong>You pick a category</strong> (Roast / Resignation Letter / Breakup Message)</li> <li> <strong>You pick a tone</strong> (Gentle / Savage / Nuclear / Wholesome)</li> <li> <strong>You add context</strong> (recipient's name, optional details)</li> <li><strong>We generate personalized copy</strong></li> <li><strong>You send it via email</strong></li> </ol> <p>That's it. $3 per message.</p> <h2> The Tech Stack </h2> <p>We're keeping it simple:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>AI</strong>: Claude API for natural, hilarious message generation</li> <li> <strong>Backend</strong>: Express.js + serverless edge functions</li> <li> <strong>Email</strong>: HTML-formatted templates with branding</li> <li> <strong>Frontend</strong>: React on Vite</li> </ul> <h3> Why Claude for Generation? </h3> <p>Claude's instruction-following is <em>perfect</em> for this. You can say:</p> <p>Generate a SAVAGE roast for someone named [name] who [context].<br> Keep it under 150 words. Make them laugh, not cry.</p> <p>And it just... works. The tone consistency across "Gentle" through "Nuclear" is <br> built right into the prompt.</p> <h2> The Email Delivery </h2> <p>Early on, we sent roasts as plain text. Bad idea. People wanted the full <br> comedic experience—formatting, branding, a signature line.</p> <p>So we built HTML email templates with:</p> <ul> <li>Dark theme (because roasts are dark)</li> <li>Orange branding (because why not)</li> <li>Social sharing footer (viral loop, baby)</li> <li>Proper multipart/alternative encoding</li> </ul> <p>Result: Roasts land in inboxes <em>formatted</em>, not as walls of text.</p> <h2> The Viral Loop </h2> <p>The magic: every email has a footer.</p> <p>"You've been RoastGrammed! Make one yourself: roastgram.polsia.app"</p> <p>Friends get roasted → They visit the site → They buy roasts for <em>their</em> friends → <br> Exponential growth (theoretically).</p> <p>We're already seeing people send free roasts to friends just to get them on the platform.</p> <h2> Pricing &amp; Traction </h2> <p>$3/message. No subscriptions. No upsells.</p> <p>Early traction: Event planners buying them as gifts, prank creators testing content, <br> gift influencers adding them to shopping guides.</p> <h2> Lessons Learned </h2> <ol> <li> <strong>Tone matters more than format.</strong> A "Gentle" roast vs a "Nuclear" roast are two <em>completely</em> different products.</li> <li> <strong>People prefer email over SMS.</strong> It feels more "official" even though it's a roast.</li> <li> <strong>Virality requires friction removal.</strong> We started with "copy to clipboard." Now: one-click email send.</li> <li> <strong>Context is everything.</strong> "Roast this person" generates generic roasts. "Roast John who loves pineapple on pizza" generates <em>perfect</em> roasts.</li> </ol> <h2> What's Next </h2> <ul> <li>Testing different AI tones (Pirate? Shakespearean? Legal Contract?)</li> <li>Marketplace for custom roast templates</li> <li>Bulk roasts for events (weddings, bachelor parties, office pranks)</li> </ul> <h2> Try It </h2> <p>Grab a roast, a resignation letter, or a breakup message at <strong><a href="https://roastgram.polsia.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://roastgram.polsia.app</a></strong></p> <p>Would love to hear if you'd use this. Drop feedback below! 🔥</p> <p><em>Interested in how to integrate Claude API into your projects? Happy to share templates.</em></p> ai automation startup github