Unrealshot AI

I checked out 5+ affiliate platforms. Each one was either overpriced ($49/mo? seriously?) or bloated with stuff I didn’t need.

Way more complexity than needed (multi-level referrals, team management, payout automation, tax reports, CRM integrations... seriously?)

I didn’t need all that. Neither i had budget to use them. I just wanted to:

1. Let someone sign up as an affiliate

2. Give them a personal referral link

3. Track clicks + signups + commissions

4. Let them see their stats

5. Manually pay them out at the end of the month

That’s it.

So I did what every indie dev with too much pride and access to Grok would do... I built my own.

I opened up Grok and typed something like:

"Hey, Can You help me Build a simple affiliate dashboard with referral links, tracking conversions, and storing commissions. Use Supabase as backend."

No joke — Grok realy helped me in building this, and within a weekend, I had a working version.

Here’s what affiliates get:

• A link like unrealshot.com?ref=geek

• A personal dashboard

• Real-time updates of clicks and earnings

• Ability to set PayPal email for payouts

Zero monthly fees. Zero third-party lock-ins. Just good ol’ DIY.

Here’s how it looks:

Built this in a weekend because... why not?

Why I love this more than any $49/mo solution

• I control everything. No shady analytics, no overcomplicated dashboards, no monthly surprises.

• Supabase is blazing fast. Realtime updates feel smooth, and the schema is dead simple.

• It’s personal. Every user feels like they’re part of the project. No bloated “enterprise” nonsense.

Bonus: If I ever want to scale it up—like add referral tiers or automate payouts—I can do it my way.

Final Thoughts

This affiliate system took me about a weekend to build, and now it works exactly how I want it to.

If you’re running your own product and want to reward users for sharing it—but hate overpaying for tools—you might want to just build your own too.

If you’re curious, happy to share more behind the scenes.

Until then, you can grab your referral link here: https://unrealshot.com

The Origin Story

Last year, while researching AI trends for my blog, I fell into a LinkedIn rabbit hole. Everyone’s profiles looked like they’d hired Hollywood photographers — crisp headshots, perfect lighting, zero awkwardness.

Turns out, they had hired someone… an AI tool (I’ll keep its name secret, but let’s just say it rhymes with “justgone” 💸).

• Prices started at $30/ for 40 headshots.

• Users were paying a lot just to look “professional” on LinkedIn.

The Spark

I reverse-engineered the costs. Built a rough prototype.

As a broke student, I thought: “Why pay $30 for something that costs pennies? This is daylight robbery.”

"Mean While another side of me"

At this time, I was blogging about AI and designing small websites for clients — without writing a single line of code using ChatGPT and Claude(seriously, I didn’t even know what a terminal was 🚫💻).

Then came the game-changers like v0.dev.

Suddenly, I could build entire platforms just by describing ideas in plain English (May be I was good at prompting ).

It felt like magic. I started experimenting — turning blog concepts into actual tools — until one day, staring at my zombie selfie, I thought:

What if AI could turn my awkward selfie into a polished headshot?

Fast-forward to today: I built Unrealshot AI — same magic, 80% cheaper. Unrealshot AI processing 500+ photos monthly at early stage, helping freelancers, students, and CEOs look pro in seconds.

How Unrealshot AI Works?

• Upload a selfie → Get studio-quality headshots in 15 seconds.

• No photographers, no Photoshop, no "smize like Tyra Banks" coaching.

• Costs 90% less than traditional shoots.

Early Traction

• $400/month (mostly from subscriptions + one-time purchases).

• 1.2k users (70% organic via Youtube/SEO).

• Avg. rating: 4.8/5 ("Saved me $250 before my job interview!").

Current Status

Despite early traction, growth has stalled due to a critical roadblock: payment processing.

• Revenue: Stuck at ~300/month (downfrom400).

• Users: 2k (Struggling to convert to paid even 5% of them).

• Avg. Rating: 4.7/5 (“Life-saving tool, but why can’t I pay?!”).

The Problem

Why Growth Declined:

1. Payment Gateway Hell:

   Stripe doesn’t accept Indian businesses for SaaS tools like mine since 2023.

   • Result: Approx 50% of users abandon checkout.

2. Trust Gap:
   Users hesitate to pay via bank transfers or UPI (“Is this a scam?”).

Now, I know this market is saturated, But I won't give up &

My Next Goal: Hit $1k/month (Didn't think yet, how?)

Finally, Need Your Wisdom

1. Monetizing Free Users:
   40% of my users can’t pay. How would YOU monetize them?

   • Ads? Affiliate offers? “Pay what you want”?

   • Or just focus on the 30% who can pay?

2. Growth Lifelines:
   “What’s one growth tactic you’d try if you were in my shoes?”

   • Cold outreach? Micro-influencers? Reddit AMAs?

Try the Tool: Unrealshot AI

Roast My Strategy: Be brutal — I can take it. 🔥