u/babyturtlesoup123

Solo founder here, software engineering student building on the side. Just shipped the landing page for my first project and would value this community's eyes on it before I commit the next 2 weeks to building the MVP.

The product: MailGrade — a deliverability checker for cold emails. Paste your draft, get a score (0-100), AI rewrites the lines hurting deliverability. $9/mo unlimited, free tier 3 checks a day.

Landing page: mailgrade.app

A few specific questions I'd value honest answers on:

1. Is the value prop clear in the first few seconds, or do I need to rework the headline?
2. Does the pricing structure make sense? $9/mo unlimited + 3 free checks a day — too cheap, too expensive, wrong tier split?
3. Does the idea itself seem like something people would actually pay for, or is it a "nice to have" that won't convert?
4. Anything obviously missing on the page that you'd expect on a pre-launch SaaS site?

Honest takes appreciated more than polite ones — I'd rather hear the page is confusing now than find out after 100 hours of MVP work.

Hey all — first post here, glad to be in this community.

I'm Matt, a software engineering student with a full-time day job, building in public on the side. This weekend I shipped Day 1 of a new project and I want this community's eyes on it before I commit 100+ hours to the wrong thing.

THE TOOL: MailGrade (mailgrade.app)

What it does:

- Paste any cold email draft

- Get a deliverability score (spam triggers, link health,

sender reputation hints)

- AI rewrites the specific lines hurting the score

- Free tier: 3 checks/day. Pro: $9/mo unlimited.

WHERE I'M AT:

- Landing page is live (built it today)

- Collecting waitlist signups now

- MVP build sprint starts Tuesday

- Public launch in 14 days (May 24)

WHAT I NEED FROM YOU:

1. Brutal honesty on the pitch. Does the landing page make sense? Anything confusing?

2. Real talk on the problem. Do you actually battle deliverability, or is this a non-issue with current tools you use?

3. Pricing gut check. Does $9/mo for unlimited feel cheap, fair, or expensive given alternatives?

4. The killer feature question. If I could only build ONE thing perfectly, what would actually move the needle for you?

I'll be in the comments all day responding. Roast away —

real feedback > polite feedback, every time.

— Matt

Hey r/coldemail,

I'm a software engineer building a small tool for this community and want to validate before I waste 100 hours on the wrong thing.

The pitch:

- Paste your cold email draft

- Get a deliverability score (spam triggers, link health, sender reputation hints)

- AI suggests specific rewrites for flagged issues

- Free tier: 3 checks/day. Paid tier: unlimited at $9/mo

Three honest questions:

1. Do you currently use anything for this? (Mailmeteor? Glock Apps? Just sending and praying?)

2. What does your current process miss?

3. Would $9/mo feel cheap, fair, or expensive for unlimited checks?

I'm building in public — happy to share the journey here if that's useful. Trying to launch in 14 days.

Roast it. Real feedback > polite feedback.