🎯 Stranger-only revenue (no friends/family asks)

Goal: money from people you don’t know — free tool traffic → $5 Family Scam Defense Kit or on-site tip. Full cold-launch pack: hub/launch.html · Shop: /tools/shop/

1. Show HN + Product Hunt — largest free stranger spikes for tools. Copy is pre-written in launch pack.
2. Tool directories — Uneed, SaaSHub, AlternativeTo, ToolFinder (backlinks + browsers who buy utilities).
3. Reddit value replies — r/Scams etc. Help first, link ScamCheck second. Kit sells on-site after they get a score — never pitch $ in the comment.
4. SEO landings — /scams/* + shop in sitemap/IndexNow. Strangers searching “is this USPS text a scam”.
4b. Finance cross-link — when rates / mortgage / “is the market crazy?” come up, send people to finance.yoyosup.com (dashboard today; topic pages later).
5. When a stranger pays — PayPal note Family-Scam-Defense-Kit or Mochi tip → log in admin treats + video notes.

Income ladder (turn on in order)

Now — $1 / $5 Mochi treats · PayPal + Venmo on every tool after value. $5 = “week of treats.” Frame as optional gratitude, not a paywall.
At ~500 visits/mo — AdSense · Only on blog/guides, not ScamCheck results. Scam victims + ads = bad vibe.
At ~1k visits/mo — Affiliates · Bitwarden, Aura, or YNAB links on password/subscription tools. Sign up at their partner programs.
At ~5k visits/mo — Sponsored embed · Credit unions pay $50–200/mo for co-branded ScamCheck button on their site.

What works on free-tool sites (research snapshot)

Reddit (highest ROI for ScamCheck traffic)

Post as helpful comment when someone shares a suspicious text. Subs: r/Scams · r/personalfinance · r/agingparents · r/technology

I paste suspicious texts into this free checker before clicking anything — gives you a 0–99 risk score in seconds, no signup: https://www.yoyosup.com/tools/scamcheck/?ref=reddit Not perfect, but faster than guessing. Forward it to parents — they're the main target for smishing.

Rates / mortgage / markets threads (r/personalfinance, r/RealEstate, etc.) — help first, then optional dashboard:

If you want a simple free snapshot of mortgage + Treasury yields + major FX/crypto (delayed, not a trading terminal): https://finance.yoyosup.com/?ref=reddit No signup. I use it as a quick “what are rates roughly doing” glance, not advice.

Facebook / family group chat

Post in family group, Nextdoor, or church newsletter.

Hey family — if you get a weird text about a package, bank alert, or IRS problem: DON'T tap the link. Paste the whole message here first (free, 10 seconds): https://www.yoyosup.com/tools/scamcheck/?ref=facebook Please forward to Mom and Dad 💛

Nextdoor (local scams spike traffic)

Heads up neighbors — package delivery scam texts are going around again (fake USPS $1.99 fee links). Free tool to check any suspicious text before you click: https://www.yoyosup.com/tools/scamcheck/?ref=nextdoor No app, no signup. Stay safe out there.

Show HN / Product Hunt (one-time spike)

Show HN: ScamCheck – paste suspicious texts, get instant 0–99 scam score (free, no signup) Built after my parents almost fell for a USPS smishing text. Runs client-side pattern matching + action plan. Also: subscription audit, password crack-time, public IP. https://www.yoyosup.com/tools/scamcheck/?ref=hackernews

Product Hunt: submit at producthunt.com/posts/new · category: Developer Tools or Productivity

Free tool directories (submit once)

Embed on community sites

Email libraries, senior centers, credit unions. Use embed page. Offer custom ?ref=theirname tracking.

Mochi angle (pet Twitter / Instagram / TikTok)

My cat Mochi supervises a free scam text checker so strangers don't get robbed. Paste any suspicious SMS → instant risk score: https://www.yoyosup.com/tools/scamcheck/?ref=mochi He accepts treats. 🐾 [attach surprise mochi photo]

Track what works

Every link uses ?ref= — check sources in admin dashboard. Double down on whatever ref grows.