An online English school for children aged 6-12 in 3 markets: Ukraine, Poland (the Ukrainian diaspora) and Germany (Ukrainian and Russian-speaking communities). The goal: scale leads while lowering CPL and keeping conversion to payment above 22%. Budget: $52,000 over 10 months. Result: 9,200 leads, an average CPL of €5.6, 26% conversion to payment, a €280 average course ticket, €650 LTV and a ROAS of 380%. The funnel: video ads with real children → a free level assessment → a trial lesson with a curriculum lead → a call to the parent → a course sale with a 48-hour discount.
About the client and the goal
An online English school for children aged 6-12 with one-on-one lessons. Format: 45-minute lessons on Zoom, with a curriculum adapted to Ukrainian school textbooks and the Cambridge system. Average ticket: €280 for a 16-lesson module or €60/month on a subscription.
Before working with us, the client operated only in Ukraine, with a CPL of €8-11 and 18-22% conversion to payment. The goals:
- Cut CPL to €6 or less
- Lift conversion to payment to 25%+
- Expand to the Ukrainian diaspora in Poland and Germany
- Reach 500+ paid courses a month by month 6
Final numbers after 10 months
The key decision: a level assessment BEFORE the trial lesson
Before us, a trial lesson = getting acquainted. After us, a trial lesson = solving a specific problem. A simple change, but it added 8% to conversion to payment:
- The parent submits a request → the bot sends a questionnaire (7 questions about the child: age, grade, school textbook, weak topics, learning goal)
- 24 hours later the parent receives a PDF level report covering 4 skills (reading, speaking, writing, listening)
- The report lists 3 specific problems the child has and how the school solves them
- Only then is a trial lesson with a curriculum lead scheduled
Parents come to the trial lesson already aware of the problem, not with a vague “maybe we'll try.” Selling the course becomes a plan for a solution rather than persuasion.
The funnel from ad to payment
- Reels video ads with a real child in class lead to a landing page with a form
- The parent fills in the request (name, child's age, phone, WhatsApp)
- The WhatsApp bot sends the assessment questionnaire: 7 questions, 3 minutes
- The curriculum lead prepares a PDF report and sends it within 24 hours
- The bot offers 3 convenient time slots for the trial lesson
- A 30-minute trial lesson with a curriculum lead (not a regular teacher), focused on 1-2 problems from the report
- A call to the parent within 24 hours of the lesson with a personalized learning plan
- The offer: 15% off + a free month of the bonus program for paying within 48 hours
- A reminder sequence via WhatsApp: 24 hours, 48 hours, 7 days, 14 days with a new offer
Creatives: what worked with moms aged 28-42
Top 1: a mom shares her child's experience
An ordinary mom on a phone camera says: “At 9, my Artem was afraid to answer in English at school. After 3 months at school X, he raises his hand on his own. Here's his notebook.” Vertical 9:16, 30-45 sec, NO studio editing. Trust +200%, the lowest CPL (€3.8-4.5).
Top 2: a real child in class
A screen recording of a lesson: a child aged 8-10 talking with the teacher, playing games in English, laughing. You can hear the teacher's voice. Parents see the atmosphere and realize English is NOT a boring lesson. Booking conversion +140%.
Top 3: tackling a school pain point
“Why your child doesn't get the Present Perfect a month before the test.” A curriculum lead explains a typical mistake from a school textbook + offers a free assessment. Average CTR, but top lead conversion: parents clearly see the benefit.
What DIDN'T work
- Bright cartoonish creatives with actors: they got clicks, but conversion to payment was 3 times lower
- Promises of “fluent English in 3 months”: they get quick clicks, but people leave after the assessment
- Stock photos of children with books: CTR 5 times lower than real videos
Working with 3 age segments
One campaign for “children aged 6-12” is the most common mistake. We split it into 3 segments, each with its own creatives and landing pages:
Ages 6-7 (first grade + preparation)
The parents' pain point: “English starts at school and my child isn't ready.” Creative: “Your child starts first grade in X months; we'll help them keep up.” A lower average ticket (€180-220), but high conversion: parents want to get ahead of the problem.
Ages 8-10 (primary school)
The pain point: “grades are dropping and my child doesn't understand grammar.” Creative: “Master the Present Perfect in 3 lessons, results guaranteed.” Average ticket €280-320, the highest-margin segment.
Ages 11-12 (preparing for secondary school)
The pain point: “they're moving up to 5th grade, the level is tougher and they need a solid foundation.” Creative: “We prepare kids for secondary school and take away the fear of tests.” Average ticket €300-350, but lower conversion (parents compare us with 5 competitors).
“In children's education, a paid social specialist doesn't sell to the child; they sell to the mom. Moms aged 30-42 are the toughest audience in marketing: they decide emotionally but justify the decision with numbers. Our job was to build a system where emotion (a caring mom's testimonial) meets rational proof (a PDF report on 4 skills). That's exactly where the 26% conversion to payment comes from.” — Natalia Maslakova, founder of MAS Project
Working with the diaspora in Poland and Germany
A separate strategy for the diaspora:
- The insight: Ukrainian children in Polish/German schools learn English the local way (with Polish or German as L1). Parents want to “keep the Ukrainian approach + the local curriculum”
- Creatives: Ukrainian moms in Poland and Germany talk about how the school helped their kids adapt
- Locations: Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne
- Targeting languages: Russian and Ukrainian (German and Polish were deliberately NOT used, as a filter)
- The promo: “A free trial lesson + a free program to help your child adapt to the local school”
The diaspora delivered 38% of all paying clients and the lowest CPL (€4.1 vs €6.5 in Ukraine).
3 key takeaways
- The assessment BEFORE the trial lesson added 8% to conversion to payment: parents come not “to try” but “to solve a specific problem”
- Moms' testimonials beat any studio creative: +200% trust and a CPL 1.5-2 times lower
- Age segmentation (6-7, 8-10, 11-12) is a must: a single campaign has a 40-50% higher CPL
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Get a free consultationFrequently asked questions
What's a normal cost per lead for a kids' online English school?
Ukraine €3-6, Poland €5-9, Germany €8-15, US/Canada €12-25. We reached €5.6 thanks to: 1) video ads with real children; 2) targeting moms aged 28-42; 3) a free assessment + trial lesson offer; 4) segmentation into 3 age groups. Without segmentation, CPL would have been 40-50% higher.
What's a normal trial-lesson-to-payment conversion rate?
20-32% is normal. Our 26% came from: 1) a level assessment BEFORE the trial (parents understand the problem); 2) the trial is taught by a curriculum lead, not a junior teacher; 3) a call to the parent within 24 hours; 4) a 15% discount for paying within 48 hours; 5) interest-free installments.
Which creatives work best?
Top 3: 1) a mom sharing her child's experience on a phone camera: +200% trust; 2) a real child in class (a screen recording of game-based learning): +140% conversion; 3) tackling a school pain point (“Why your child doesn't get the Present Perfect”). Worst: cartoonish creatives with actors and stock photos.
How do you reach parents with paid social for kids' schools?
5 strategies: 1) the core is moms aged 28-42 (dads decide in only 15-20% of cases); 2) interests: parents of children 6-8, primary school, Duolingo, Skyeng; 3) life events: recently moved, recently married; 4) language-related job titles; 5) a 1-3% lookalike. Top insight: run ads 8-10 pm, after mom has put the child to bed.