Business
pins up the flyer- Does
- Posts a flyer, sets a price per scan, adds perks
- Gets
- Foot traffic from real people, paid only per verified scan
FlyerFlip
The guide
How FlyerFlip works.
FlyerFlip is the telephone-pole flyer, rebuilt for phones: local businesses pin up flyers, neighbors share them, and the business pays only when a real person scans one and claims the offer.
flyerflip.com/how-it-works
The idea in one minute
Every flyer is digital. A business never prints anything: it posts a flyer in the app or at flyerflip.com/business, and the flyer appears on the Board, a feed of live flyers near each user in the iPhone and Android apps and at flyerflip.com/board.
The old paper flyer had tear-off tabs with a phone number. In FlyerFlip, tearing off a tab gives you your own link and QR code for that flyer. When someone scans your tab and claims the offer, the business pays a few cents to a dollar from prepaid credit, and you earn points you spend on perks at local shops.
Sharer
app or web user- Does
- Tears off tabs and shares them
- Gets
- Points for every real scan, spent on local perks
Scanner
anyone who sees a tab- Does
- Scans a QR or taps a link, claims the offer
- Gets
- The deal itself, with no app or sign-up
FlyerFlip
Hottub, Inc.- Does
- Runs the board, checks every scan, moves credit and points
- Gets
- The money businesses pay for verified scans
How it works, step by step
One flyer goes from a business to a sharer to a scanner, and money and points move only at step 6, when FlyerFlip confirms a real claim.
swipe the diagram →
A scanner who liked the deal is invited to get FlyerFlip, which turns them into the next sharer.
- 1Post. A business buys credit, then posts a flyer: photo or poster style, offer, promo code, location and price per scan.
- 4Scan. Someone scans the QR or taps the link. The flyer opens in their browser.
- 5Claim. They tap Claim the offer and see the promo code and directions.
- 6Check. FlyerFlip confirms it is a real, first-time claim through a tab.
- 7Charge. The business's credit drops by its price per scan.
- 10Redeem. The business checks the ticket at the counter.
For businesses
Pay only when a real local person shows up
A business pays only for verified scans: a real person, not a bot, tapping Claim on its flyer. Views, clicks and impressions cost nothing.
- Results, not reach. A flyer that nobody claims costs $0. Repeat claims, bots and sharers scanning their own tabs are never charged.
- The business sets the price. It picks a price per scan from 25¢ to $5 and sees roughly how many scans its credit buys before posting.
- Locals do the distribution. Every sharer is a small, motivated promoter with a reason to pass the flyer to the right people.
- Two minutes to post, no designer needed. Upload a photo or pick a riso poster style, then add the offer, a promo code and the location.
- Perks turn scanners into regulars. The business decides what a perk costs in points and how many to give, and checks tickets at the counter.
- Easy to understand and to stop. Prepaid credit, no subscription. When credit runs out the flyer pauses ("out of staples") until topped up.
Versus the old ways: compared with paper flyers, a business finally knows which flyer worked. Compared with social or search ads, it pays only for a local person who claimed the offer, not for a view.
For scanners
The deal, with nothing in the way
A scanner gets the offer in two taps, with no app, account or email.
- Scanning a tab opens the flyer page at flyerflip.com in the phone's browser. It loads fast and works on any phone.
- Tapping Claim the offer reveals the promo code and directions to the place.
- The page shows who tore off the tab ("Tab torn off by Lucky Pushpin"), so the deal arrives as a recommendation from a person.
- If they like it, the same page invites them to get FlyerFlip and start earning points themselves. That is how a scanner becomes a sharer.
For FlyerFlip and the neighborhood
A loop that pays for itself
FlyerFlip (Hottub, Inc.) earns the money businesses spend on verified scans. Sharers are rewarded in points, which are spent on perks the businesses fund themselves.
- Revenue. Prepaid credit packs of $25, $100 or $500, paid by card through Stripe. Each verified scan draws down the business's price per scan.
- Cost of rewards. Points cost FlyerFlip nothing in cash. Their value comes from perks, which businesses offer because perks bring people back through the door.
- The growth loop. More flyers give sharers more to share; more sharing brings more scans; scans bring customers, so businesses post more and add perks; perks make points worth earning. Scanners who claim an offer are invited to become sharers.
- For the neighborhood. A living, local version of the corner bulletin board, where the community notices (a lost cat, a yoga class) sit next to the deals.
The hard part: the start. A board with no flyers gives sharers nothing to do. Launching means signing up a first set of real local businesses in one area, with perks, before inviting sharers there.
What counts as a real scan
A scan is paid only when a person taps Claim on the flyer page and passes every check below; opening the page alone is counted as a view, never charged.
| Check | Rule | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Known bots, link previews and scripts are ignored | Not charged |
| Came through a tab | The link carries a sharer's tab code | Counted, no one is paid |
| Not the sharer | Sharers can't claim through their own tab | Not charged |
| First claim today | One claim per visitor per flyer per day | Not charged |
| Not a burst | At most 3 claims per network per flyer per day | Not charged |
| Sharer daily cap | At most 100 paid scans per sharer per day | Not charged |
| Flyer is live | Paused, ended or removed flyers pay nothing | Not charged |
| Credit left | The business has credit for one more scan | Not charged; flyer pauses |
The claim button only works for a short window after the page loads and only from that page, so links can't be claimed by a script. Every visitor sees the same thank-you page and offer code either way.
The numbers
At the default price of 50¢ a scan, a business's $25 buys about 50 real scans, and each one earns the sharer 10 points.
$25
buys about 50 real scans at 50¢ each
+10
points to the sharer for each of those scans
$0
when nobody claims the offer
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Price per scan | 25¢ to $5, set by the business (default 50¢) |
| Sharer points per scan | 1 point per 5¢ of the price, minimum 5 (50¢ → 10 points) |
| Street Corner pack | $25 credit |
| Whole Block pack | $100 + $20 bulk bonus (20%) |
| Paint the Town pack | $500 + $150 bulk bonus (30%), best value |
| First-order bonus | +$25 free on a business's first pack of any size |
| Welcome bonus | 50 points on a new account |
| First tab bonus | 25 points the first time you tear off a tab |
| Perk prices | 10 to 100,000 points, set by the business |
Sharer levels, by lifetime points:
Fresh Ink0Pole Hopper250Corkboard Captain1,000Staple Gun5,000Street Legend20,000Flyer Royalty100,000
Where it runs
The same account works on iPhone, Android and the web; a link code joins them.
iPhone app
sharers and businesses on the go
In TestFlight now. On iPhone Duo, layouts split at the fold and Show mode puts the flyer on one page, the QR on the other.
Android app
sharers and businesses
Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold: Show mode can play on the outer screen while the inner one stays in use.
flyerflip.com/board and /me
browsing and sharing without the app
Built in Rust and WebAssembly; loads with no flicker.
flyerflip.com/business
businesses at a desk
Main place to buy credit by card, post flyers, add perks and check tickets.
flyerflip.com/f/…
scanners
The flyer page every QR opens; works on any phone, no app.
FAQ
Does a business need a printed flyer?
No. Flyers are digital and live on the Board, a feed of flyers near each user. Sharing happens by link, QR code or Show mode.
Is there a real paper tear-off tab?
Not yet. A tab is a digital personal link and QR code. Printable flyers with real tabs, each with its own QR, are a proposed next step.
What can I spend my points on?
Perks that local businesses list on FlyerFlip, such as a free coffee, a class pass or a tote bag. Each business sets its perk's price in points and how many it offers. FlyerFlip never funds perks or pays cash for points. Redeeming gives you a ticket code to show at the counter.
Do sharers get paid in cash?
No. Points buy perks from local businesses. FlyerFlip never pays cash for points; perks come only from the businesses that offer them.
What does a business pay if nobody claims?
Nothing. Credit is only drawn down by verified scans.
Can someone game it by scanning their own tab?
No. Self-scans, repeat claims, bursts from one network and bots are never paid (see What counts as a real scan).
Does a scanner need the app?
No. Every QR opens a normal web page.
What happens when a business runs out of credit?
Its flyers pause and drop off the board until it tops up. Tabs already shared still open, but claims pay no one.
Who runs FlyerFlip?
Hottub, Inc. Support, privacy and community rules are at flyerflip.com.
Pin it up. Pass it on.
Browse the board, tear off a tab, or post your first flyer.
FlyerFlip is made by Hottub, Inc. · flyerflip.com