Pingo AI · B2C · AI language speaking app
Only build an app whose main feature looks interesting on video
Talking to the AI became the core of every video; app reached ~$500K/month
Workedproduct-viralitypositioning-niche
What they did
Co-founder Michael's rule after a food app that didn't do well: don't build a consumer app that can't go viral. They combined their own problem (practicing spoken Chinese without a native partner) with an AI feature that is interesting to watch: holding to speak and having a real conversation with an AI. The 'hold to speak' screen and Pingo's minimal four-colored sound-wave 'character' are what appear in marketing.
What happened
The conversation screen is the basis of all winning content; app at ~$450-500K/month.
- Stage
- Pre-launch (idea)
In their words
The Superwall Podcast · Morrie Schonfeld - How I built a $500k/mo ai app (so you can just copy me)“I don't want to build an app that's not going to go viral. Like right now, virality is like just such like, by far, the best growth lever.”
“it was like, what AI feature like seems like it would be inherently viral? It's like, well, talking to an AI is kind of really interesting.”
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More from Pingo AI
All 20 Pingo AI tacticsMore from this episode
- 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: Make viral videos for learners of RussianAbout half of new users came from Russia and couldn't pay; Russian content killed
- 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