Pingo AI · B2C · AI language speaking app
Make viral videos for learners of Russian
About half of new users came from Russia and couldn't pay; Russian content killed
Failedmarket-selectionorganic-short-video
What they did
Russian-language creator content went very viral, but mostly among native Russians (one UK-based creator had 90%+ Russian viewers). Apple, Google Play and web payments are blocked in Russia by sanctions. Now checking creators' language and viewer geography when recruiting, and working on making videos viral among learners rather than native speakers.
What happened
Around half of new users (e.g. ~12,500 of ~23,000 new Android users) were Russian and couldn't pay: spend on views that never monetized.
In their words
The Superwall Podcast · Morrie Schonfeld - How I built a $500k/mo ai app (so you can just copy me)“But our Russian content was working really well, and so we got half our user base from Russia.”
“and we completely forgot that you can't transact in Russia. Google Play blocks it. Apple blocks it. You're not allowed to do web payments.”
“Like it was just a lot of spend on views that did not monetize at all.”
Related topics
Get tactics like this every Monday
New tactics from the week's founder interviews, each linked to where it was said.
More from Pingo AI
All 20 Pingo AI tacticsMore from this episode
- Pingo AI: Only build an app whose main feature looks interesting on videoTalking to the AI became the core of every video; app reached ~$500K/month
- Pingo AI: Film yourselves talking to the app on TikTok, one account per languageReached $20K MRR in about 3 months with almost no outside creators
- Pingo AI: Show people using the app in every video, not just talk about the topicLanguage-topic videos without the app flopped; app-demo videos went viral and converted
- Pingo AI: Tie videos to beginner lessons and culture moments, like K-dramas or the TikTok banA 'basic Korean quiz' got 77K views; a TikTok-ban/RedNote video got 1M
- Pingo AI: Film the AI tutor roasting a learner until they cry on cameraTop video hit 52M views; the format has worked in every language since September
- Pingo AI: Let users write their own scenes for the AI so creators can script funny videosCreators found the viral 'mean Pingo' format with it; users now ask for a mean mode
- Pingo AI: Post language-tip slideshows that end with a pitch for the appSome hit 1M views, but accounts burned out fast; weak-CTA slides converted far worse
- Pingo AI: Have assistants DM small creators learning the language, then move them to emailBuilt a roster of ~100 creators across ~20 languages
- Pingo AI: Pay creators a base per video plus bonuses at 50K to 1M viewsKeeps creators paid for their time and chasing viral hits; no numbers
- Pingo AI: Treat creators like investments: drop the weakest, keep the stars, train the middleTop 20-30% of ~100 creators drive most views; cut 30-50 who drove none
- Pingo AI: Coach creators on lighting, camera angle, sound and doing something on cameraJust started; small tweaks tend to help good creators, no numbers yet
- Pingo AI: Scale winning formats through a pay-per-view creator network; test ideas with core creatorsWinning variations get scaled quickly; spend is easy to flex; no numbers
- Pingo AI: Show a timeline on the paywall: free today, reminder before billing, cancel anytimeBeat social-proof and yearly-vs-monthly paywall versions; no numbers given
- Pingo AI: Offer the free trial only on the yearly plan and hide the monthly one
- Pingo AI: Test a 3-day against a 7-day free trial, US and abroad separatelyNear-even in the US; 7-day converted ~2% better internationally (early data)
- Pingo AI: When someone backs out of a 3-day trial, offer 7 free days at a lower priceConverts better than showing the 7-day trial first; exact lift not given
- Pingo AI: Bill US users through web checkout to keep more of each sale
- Pingo AI: Join Y Combinator, then raise quickly on strong revenue and CAC/LTV~100 investor meetings booked; round closed in about 3 days