We needed every free transaction to do more.

We were building Faxi, an AI service for elderly users. Every transaction cost us 10–20 cents. A free tier or trial could rack up real costs before anyone became a paying customer.

And getting people to try it required more than awareness. In elderly care, testimonials and trust are prerequisites. We needed people to hear from someone who had actually used it.

Our acquisition costs were heading toward B2B territory. Our customers were consumers. We had to make those economics work.

Our audience shared a situation, not just an age bracket: an elderly parent struggling with digital services, a family trying to help from a distance, a desire to preserve independence.

Those circumstances were difficult to target precisely. But someone describing their own experience could make another person stop and think: That’s us.

A customer’s story could explain the need, make the product credible, and introduce it to someone who hadn’t known to look for it.

We connected the cost of giving people access with the need to earn attention and trust.

What if users could earn more access by sharing their experiences or referring someone who might benefit? The access would still cost us money, but that spend could contribute to acquiring the next customer, too.

Users would get more of a product they valued. Their contributions could help the business grow.

We started Earnesty to make that exchange possible for other software companies. It’s the idea we’re building around: