A focused Meta ads system to acquire learnKonvo's first users, validate messaging, and build the data foundation needed to scale.
01 / The Situation
The product solves a real and well-known frustration. Flashcards are boring. Gamified streaks are shallow. Classroom formats don't hold attention. learnKonvo learns the words you're trying to acquire and turns them into podcasts, articles, and songs you actually want to consume. That is a genuinely different product with a clear message to lead with in ads.
A large competitor is an asset, not a threat. Millions of people already know they want to learn a language. Millions are already using Duolingo or similar apps. Meta knows who these people are. We can target them directly by interest, behaviour, and competitor affinity, and show them an alternative that keeps them engaged far longer.
The goal right now is learning, not scaling. The first six months aren't about maximising revenue. They're about acquiring real users, observing how they behave, understanding which audience segments retain better, and feeding that insight back into product development. Paid ads are the fastest and most controllable way to do that.
Focus is the only strategy that works at $2K/month. With a limited budget and a brand-new product, spreading spend across multiple channels or too many countries at once produces noise, not signal. One channel, a well-chosen geography, disciplined creative testing. That is how you find what works before you spend more.
02 / Our Approach
The first objective isn't installs at any cost. It's installs from the right people at a cost we understand, so we can iterate. We run two channels in parallel from day one: Meta (Facebook and Instagram) using the App Installs objective, which supports direct links to the App Store and Google Play with no intermediate landing page needed, and Google App Campaigns, which distribute across Search, Play Store, YouTube, and Display automatically. Both channels run iOS and Android as separate ad sets to understand which platform delivers at lower cost. The first month establishes what messaging resonates and which channel performs. Month two narrows it. Month three builds the foundation to scale.
Week 1
We study how your target users talk about language learning on Reddit, in communities, in app store reviews of competitors. We map the pain points: boredom, low retention, no real-world context, grammar-heavy teaching that doesn't stick. Campaign tracking is configured across both Meta and Google before launch, with iOS and Android tracked separately from day one.
Weeks 2 to 4
Campaigns go live with multiple creative angles tested simultaneously. Each angle targets a specific user frustration: boredom with flashcards, low tolerance for classroom formats, wanting to consume content not do homework. Video-first approach with demos of the app experience, podcasts and songs using target vocabulary, and creator-style UGC. ~$50 per creative before cutting underperformers.
Month 2
We now know which angles are driving installs and which audiences are actually activating. Winning combinations are scaled. We layer in retargeting for people who visited the landing page or app store listing but didn't install. Messaging shifts from awareness to comparison, showing learnKonvo versus what they're currently using, with specific feature differences and the $7 price point.
Month 3 onward
By month three we have real data on which audience segments convert to paying subscribers, which messaging angles drive the highest quality installs, and what cost-per-install looks like on each channel. We know whether Meta or Google is delivering better at this budget, and we reallocate accordingly. This isn't just marketing data. It's product research. Which users retain? Which churn? That feeds directly into development priorities and the decision of whether to increase spend.
03 / Funnel Strategy
Meta and Google placements in language learning, travel, and self-improvement audiences introduce learnKonvo to people already motivated to learn. Creative leads with the pain (the boredom of flashcards, the grind of streak-based apps) and immediately shows a different experience: learning Spanish through a podcast built from your own vocabulary list.
Retargeting for people who engaged with awareness content shifts to product demo formats. Screen recordings of the app in use, before/after comparisons with traditional methods, and user testimonials from early adopters. This is where we answer the question: "okay, but how does it actually work?": visually and concretely.
Bottom-of-funnel creative goes to a smart landing page that detects iOS or Android and routes to the correct app store. Messaging is direct: $7/month, start learning today, cancel anytime. Urgency or introductory offers can be layered in here once we understand what moves the needle for this audience.
04 / Creative Strategy
Message
"What if learning Spanish felt like listening to your favourite podcast, and it was actually built around the words you're trying to learn?"
Goal
Stop the scroll. Build the retargeting pool of people who engage with the concept. Video-first: app UX demo, content format walkthroughs, founder angle.
Message
"Most language apps keep you doing exercises. learnKonvo puts your vocabulary into real content (podcasts, articles, songs) so you actually remember it."
Goal
Build preference over competitors. Direct comparison messaging with specific feature differences. UGC testimonials from early users showing real retention outcomes.
Message
"$7/month. Your vocabulary, your content, your pace. Download learnKonvo and start your first AI-generated lesson today."
Goal
App install. Pixel fires on confirmed download. Algorithm trains on real installs from users with intent to use the product, not just curious clickers.
05 / Audiences and Targeting
Meta knows who uses language learning apps, who follows language creators, who travels frequently. Google knows who searches "learn Spanish app" and "best language learning app." Between the two channels, we cover intent-driven search traffic and interest-based social discovery. We run cold audiences, retargeting, and lookalikes across both, and compare results weekly to see where the budget is most efficient.
Language learning app users
Interest targeting around language learning apps, language education, and linguistics. People already motivated to learn. We just need to show them a better experience.
Travel and expat audience
People who travel frequently, live abroad, or have recently relocated. Language learning as a practical need rather than a hobby, which means strong motivation to stick with a product that actually works.
Content consumers and podcast listeners
People who already consume podcasts, articles, and music regularly. The learnKonvo format will feel natural and compelling to this audience in a way flashcard-based apps never could.
Video viewers and landing page visitors
Anyone who watched 25%+ of a video ad or visited the app store page without installing. Separate creative with stronger CTAs, pricing clarity, and social proof to close the loop.
Based on confirmed installs and paying subscribers
Once we have enough tracked installs, especially from users who convert to paid subscribers, we build lookalike audiences from that seed. This is typically where cost-per-install drops significantly and efficiency improves across the board.
06 / What Is Included
Full campaign management, copywriting, and creative briefs from week one. If you have a designer or can produce video, we brief them. If you need us to produce banners or source UGC, we price that separately and clearly.
07 / Investment
No hidden setup costs. Ad spend stays entirely in your account, separate from the retainer.
Monthly retainer
per month. Ad spend is separate and stays entirely with you. When monthly ad spend exceeds $10,000, we switch to a percentage of spend and agree the rate together.
08 / Why Oney
We have worked with mobile apps and understand the specific challenges of an early-stage product, from imperfect tracking and unpredictable review timelines to unclear ICP and the need to generate product insight alongside marketing results. We are set up to handle all of that.
We have run Meta campaigns for apps in the language and education space. We understand the audience, what motivates them, what language resonates, and why standard gamification messaging tends to underperform against authentic product demo formats. We are not learning this category from scratch.
No inflated install projections. At $2,000/month in ad spend, results build gradually and the first month is about data, not volume. We will tell you clearly what we expect at each stage, what we are testing, and why. The value in month one is the learning. The volume comes after.
We are ready to start the research and setup phase the moment learnKonvo clears the App Store and Google Play review process. Setup week runs first, campaigns go live in week two. No delays on our end. We just need the app to be downloadable and tracking to be in place.
Ready when you are
Once learnKonvo is live on the App Store and Google Play, we can have campaigns running within a week. Let us know when you're ready and we'll get the setup started.