Reading.com · B2C · learn-to-read app for kids
Find a way to give a book-like moment in the first lesson
Unknownproduct-activationonboarding
What they did
Users who read a first storybook retain far better, but the first book comes at lesson 10. Working on a book-like experience early, ideally in lesson 1, so parents see what their child will be able to do.
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More from this episode
- Reading.com: Test monthly prices from $4.99 to $19.99 and keep checking LTV for years$12.49 won (vs $6.99 launch); still winning after multi-year look-backs
- Reading.com: Drop the free trial on the monthly plan to push people to annualMore annual picks, but realized LTV fell 17%; not rolled out
- Reading.com: On web funnels, charge upfront with a 30-day money-back guarantee instead of a trialLower conversion but better Meta signal and longer-staying users; few refunds; no numbers
- Reading.com: Point each ad set at one web funnel, and split campaigns by tracking method
- Reading.com: Copy the app's onboarding exactly onto a web page and send ad traffic thereTrial conversion up 50% and paid conversion up 30% vs the same flow in the app
- Teaching.com: Buy plain category domains like Reading.com to earn trust and search trafficPeople skip the ad and type the domain directly; credited for web funnel success
- Reading.com: Build the reading app so a parent sits with the child every lessonSmaller audience, but those parents pay more and stay longer; no numbers
- Reading.com: Add onboarding slides and parent guides explaining why parents must join inStill many cancellations from parents who won't take part
- Reading.com: Right after purchase, offer all the printable worksheets at once for $9.99About 20% of web trial starters and buyers take it
- Reading.com: Sell printed sets of the app's storybooks on Amazon
- Reading.com: Extend lessons to third-grade level and plan more apps for later reading stages
- Reading.com: Build your own analytics, clean the data, then send it to AmplitudeGot needed insight while passing Apple's kids-app review; no numbers
- Teaching.com: Hire outside experts for each ad channel instead of in-house marketersFaster and cheaper than in-house hires; little management needed
- Teaching.com: Turn off Basecamp alerts and use Slack only for urgent blockersGuest says it improved the quality of work; no numbers
- Teaching.com: Drop Scrum and let developers change or kill features late in the buildScrum turned engineers into ticket-takers; dropped for late-change freedom