Building a new email onboarding strategy for Lingokids
Challenge
Lingokids is an educational app that helps children learn through interactive games, videos, and activities. The challenge was to design an onboarding strategy that would help new families quickly start playing (activation), build a habit of using the app regularly (retention), and gradually discover the added value of Lingokids Plus (conversion).
Solution
Working with the marketing and design teams, I helped design the content strategy and information structure for a five-email onboarding sequence in English and Spanish. Each email plays a specific role in the journey, from encouraging the first play session to building emotional connection and trust in the learning content, and showing how the app can support everyday routines.
Results
The sequence helped move families from sign-up to regular use by gradually expanding their understanding and connection to the app. As they discover different aspects of the experience, the sequence helps families start engaging more regularly, interact with Lingokids content across channels such as YouTube and Spotify, and become familiar with the added value of Lingokids Plus.
The project
Lingokids offers more than 1,600 activities designed to help children learn through play.
The company wanted to improve its activation, retention, and conversion metrics through a series of emails.
To help new users discover the value of the platform and encourage early engagement, we designed a five-email onboarding sequence.
I collaborated with marketing and design to define the content structure, messaging priorities, and narrative flow of the series across both English and Spanish versions.
Project team
Tatiana Pekolj – CRM Project Manager
Patricia Moreno – Design
Hana Gausfain – Content Design
Email strategy
The strategy that we adopted was to introduce different aspects of the Lingokids experience gradually.
Instead of explaining the entire product at once, we avoided cognitive overload by designing a sequence that guided parents through a discovery journey:
- Encourage the first play session
- Build emotional connection with the Lingokids characters
- Reinforce the educational value of the platform
- Show how Lingokids supports everyday parenting routines
- Expand the experience through additional content channels
Throughout the series, the messaging also highlights the difference between Basic access and Lingokids Plus, helping parents understand the additional content available with the subscription.
Email 1 : Welcome and first play session
After signing up, we wanted to send parents a clear invitation to start using the product. That’s why the first email focuses on activation by encouraging families to start playing with the app as soon as possible.
To address both audiences, kids and parents, the content balances playful language and visuals that appeal to children with reassuring messages for parents about the learning value of the experience.
The introduction sets the tone of Lingokids as a fun learning adventure, and it focuses on one clear message: start playing with the 10 free daily activities.
I used clear and engaging CTAs to prompt families to begin engaging with the app.
The first CTA, “Discover more,” encourages parents to learn more about the content without committing to using the app, while the second CTA is clearly focused on activation, “Play together now!”
The Lingokids Plus section introduces the premium subscription as a secondary element, highlighting key benefits such as unlimited activities and progress tracking without interrupting the main goal of activation.
The email also includes social proof through user reviews and ratings, reinforcing trust in the product and showing that Lingokids is already used and loved by millions of families.
Email 2: Meeting the characters
The goal of the second email is to build an emotional connection with the Lingokids universe. We did this by introducing the different characters children encounter inside the app.
To make the email visually appealing and the content easier to scan, we structured the email with short character cards combining illustration, name, and a brief description.
This helps children recognize the characters in the app while helping parents understand how Lingokids supports different aspects of their child’s development: creativity, curiosity, problem-solving, and exploration.
The two main CTAs follow the same strategy as in the first email: “Meet the team!” invites users to engage with the Lingokids universe, and “Play with them!” encourages parents to open the app and start an activity with their child.
As in the first email, the Lingokids Plus section appears as a secondary element this time to remind families of the larger content library available with the subscription.
Email 3: Discover learning categories
Once families have already engaged with the app and learned about the Lingokids universe, the third email focuses on the learning value behind the activities.
The email introduces key categories such as math, literacy, and books through visual cards that help parents quickly understand that Lingokids is not just entertainment but a structured learning experience.
As in the other emails, the CTAs move from low-commitment exploration to opening the app and playing together.
The Lingokids Plus section aligns with the focus on educational value, highlighting English activities developed with Oxford University Press, a trusted academic partner that reinforces the quality of the content.
Email 4: Engaging in daily routines
At the stage in the lifecycle strategy, we move from product discovery to habit formation. Instead of talking about learning content, the fourth email focuses on everyday parenting challenges.
Many parents struggle to establish routines such as brushing teeth, bedtime, or getting ready in the morning. This email introduces Lingokids as a tool that can help turn these moments into playful learning experiences.
The content highlights a routine-based game and a short article from the Parents Playground newsletter, showing that the platform also provides guidance and resources for parents.
The Lingokids Plus section remains a secondary element, aligned with the email’s focus on daily routines and parenting support.
Email 5: Engaging beyond the app
Once parents understand the value of the app for learning and parenting support, this email shows how children can watch, sing, and explore Lingokids content across different formats.
It’s a way to keep families connected with the brand. Instead of asking them to return to the app, the email meets them where they already consume content. This helps keep Lingokids present in everyday moments, even when the app is not being used.
The wording keeps the tone playful and action-oriented, using verbs such as play, learn, dance, and sing to reflect the musical and video-based content introduced in the email.
Aligned with the focus on engaging with Lingokids content anywhere, the Plus banner highlights offline access to content with the premium subscription.
Conclusion
The onboarding sequence accompanies parents as they discover Lingokids step by step, from their first interaction with the app to understanding its educational value and how it can support their day-to-day routines.
The strategy focuses on gradually introducing the experience through play, characters, learning content, and everyday use cases.
This progression helps increase activation by encouraging families to start playing early, supports retention by building the habit of returning to the app, and contributes to conversion by introducing the value of Lingokids Plus over time without pushing for an immediate upgrade.
Client feedback
Results
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