Duolingo · B2C · language learning app
Tell users to 'tap here to start a quick lesson' in reminders
Underperformed; read as an ad rather than the mascot talking
Failednotifications
What they did
Goal: get users to tap the notification itself, since it deep-links into a lesson and raises lesson completion. Tested copy templates explicitly instructing users to tap, e.g. 'Tap here to start a quick lesson.'
What happened
That tone didn't work well; the team concluded it sounded like an ad or discount from a brand rather than a character.
- Effort
- Copy templates tested in the notification A/B framework
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · Why You Should Test Everything and How To Do It — Osman Mansur, Duolingo“So we wanted to test copy templates that explicitly instructed users to do that, things that said, "Tap here to start a quick lesson." As it so happens, that sort of tone doesn't work really well”
Related topics
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All 61 Duolingo tactics- Cut the free trial from 14 days to 7More conversions overall and experiment results twice as fast
- Sell a one-time ad-free month at $3, $5 or $10 to test demandUptake far above expectations; led to the subscription
- Tell users on the paywall you'll remind them on day 5 of a 7-day trialWon A/B tests by easing fear of subscription traps
- Change the buy button to say 'Try for $0.00'Beat 'Try for free' on both trial starts and trial-to-paid
- Send tomorrow's reminder 23.5 hours after today's lesson, not at a time users pickBeat every other scheduling strategy tested, including user-chosen times
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- Duolingo: Keep each test running 3-4 weeks, even if results look clear the next day
- Duolingo: After a big launch, keep 1-2% of users on the old version for 3-4 months
- Duolingo: Have every employee use the app and post feedback in one Slack channelA key source of test ideas; no numbers
- Duolingo: Let an algorithm pick from 250 reminder messages, and A/B test adding new onesNotifications called a top retention driver; no numbers shared
- Duolingo: Send a calm daily reminder, then an urgent 10 PM 'save your streak' messageGuest calls distinct purposes 'really important'; no numbers
- Duolingo: Mix cheerful and passive-aggressive reminders in the mascot's voice over 7 daysA quirky day-4 message can win back users who ignored the first three
- Duolingo: Keep reminders to about three words for newer users; say more to loyal onesThree-word messages 'worked really well'; no numbers shared
- Duolingo: Put an emoji at the start of the notification title, not in the bodyTitle-leading emoji beat emoji in the body in tests
- Duolingo: Let users skip a day without losing their streak, up to two days'Amazing for retention'; later tweaks kept adding retention gains
- Duolingo: Let users buy back a lost streak, or get it free with the subscription
- Duolingo: Add a home screen widget where the mascot looks more worried until you practiceBeat expectations as a retention lever; no numbers shared
- Duolingo: After a finished lesson, show a card asking users to add the widgetSurprisingly many installs; widget DAU went 'hockey stick'
- Elevate: Send reminders as local notifications that users can't switch off