from Hacker News

Show HN: Three Kind Words – Spread kindness one mysterious postcard at a time

by objcts on 4/8/25, 12:33 PM with 6 comments

Ever wish you could anonymously drip-feed kindness through the mail?

I tried answering that with Three Kind Words (https://threekindwords.com), a vending machine that sends three mysterious postcards over three weeks, slowly revealing a message.

Here’s how it works: you pick a three-word message (like "You are awesome" or "I love you"), and each word is printed on its own postcard, mailed one week apart to your unsuspecting recipient. You stay anonymous until the final card arrives, completing the message and revealing who sent it.

I made this because I love getting real mail and wanted a simple, meaningful way to help people feel more connected.

Under the hood, it's built with Cloudflare Workers and a Hugo static frontend hosted on Cloudflare Pages. Payments are processed via Stripe, and postcard printing and delivery are handled through the PostGrid API. Each set of three postcards costs $5 total, postage included. I store only what's essential to fulfill orders (no addresses are shared or sold) and identifying information is wiped 60 days after an order is completed.

Currently, it's available only in the US. I've received requests to expand internationally, but I'm still navigating the logistics, regulations, and costs involved.

My first experience with Hacker News was unexpectedly wild: a blog post I wrote [0] hit the front page in February [1], but my app broke spectacularly due to a caching issue, right in the middle of my kid's birthday party. I wrote about the experience here [2].

Fortunately, everything's running smoothly now! I've processed over 200 postcards already, and seeing them reach people's hands has been incredibly rewarding. Huge thanks to everyone who's tried it and shared their feedback to help iron out early wrinkles. You can learn more about my progress here [3].

Two recent feature additions:

- Mother's Day Button: Effortlessly send a thoughtful Mother's Day greeting with just a few clicks. We'll choose the right words, designs, and timing to ensure arrival by May 11th (don't forget!).

- Display Name Override: Personalize your greeting with nicknames or custom salutations, while still using the recipient’s formal name for postal delivery.

One of my goals with this project is learning how to grow something from nothing. I'd greatly appreciate insights on reaching potential customers, encouraging repeat visits, and spreading the word genuinely. I've started blogging, created a mailing list, and set up social media accounts with some basic SEO, but haven't ventured into paid ads yet. What's worked best for you when building an audience or gaining early traction for a product like this?

As a thank-you to the HN community, here are five coupon codes for a free postcard set (one per person, please):

GO0QPGCB

ZSYWMLRL

D2NYLIG4

77SN8PVC

W2PWA831

If you redeem one, please comment below sharing your thoughts: what you liked, what could be improved, and which code you used.

Check it out at https://threekindwords.com. Thanks for reading! I'm excited to hear your feedback!

Stay gold.

[0] https://threekindwords.com/blog/vending-machine-on-the-inter...

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43094895

[2] https://threekindwords.com/blog/how-not-to-launch-on-hackern...

[3] https://threekindwords.com/blog/2025q1-outcomes

  • by advertenciapara on 4/8/25, 1:06 PM

    I've used TKW a few times and it's such a joy to use. The delayed gratification of knowing that the first two cards have arrived (a week apart) and then waiting for that last one to land is quite fun. Then it's a joy to hear from the target that they just found out it was me.

    Almost everyone that receives one is on edge at first, thinking it is a scam or another "I'd like to buy your house in cash$$", so I've been working on ways to make it more personal. For example, addressing someone by a nickname or spelling variant that would only make sense to them.

    My wife just tried it out too and set the whole thing up in under 4 minutes. Their friend just received the final one and came up to us to talk about it a few days ago.

  • by matty_z367 on 4/9/25, 4:31 AM

    I learned about TKW from the blog post (2) above, how not to launch, and really liked the idea of an internet vending machine. I tried TKW and I have to say it really is a great vending machine. Put your money in, make your selection, and gratification happens (but not instantly). I found my anticipation of the postcard delivery even greater than the recipient's (which went from dread to enjoyment over three weeks). A win-win for both. Thanks for a great idea executed really well.

  • by dcgueguen on 4/8/25, 5:51 PM

    I heard of TKW and immediately wanted to try it so I sent to two dear friends. Loved this idea! Both recipients had no clue who it was coming from, but loved it and it is now hanging on their office backdrop and refrigerators!

    Thank you for believing in the good, always!