Severin Hacker’s Post

Passive aggressive. Works for my mother, works for Duolingo. (С) Luis von Ahn Not so long ago, the founder of Duolingo spoke at TED Talks, where he discussed the main successes of the #product. There are a few points I'd like to discuss: 1️⃣ The main competitor of educational services is social networks and games. Therefore, education needs to be made easy, exciting, and interesting so that spending time in the app is not a waste of time. This leads to the main problem of Duolingo, as many respondents mentioned in LetMeSpeak #CustDevs — often the learning is overly simplified for the sake of ease, and you don't feel the effect. Yes, on the one hand, the simplicity effect works: the user does not suffer, so they have positive feedback, and they will definitely return to you instead of scrolling through their #Instagram feed. But on the other hand — in such a case, Duolingo cannot be called an educational service. It's just an assistant that creates a feeling of slight progress or forms a habit of studying a language. Or it creates the illusion that you are learning, which for the vast majority of learners — is more than enough. 2️⃣ Passive aggression in messages is normal when you're talking about education. Here I agree: the user does not want to feel ashamed for having stopped learning, so they will respond to the message “Well, if you don't want to learn, I won't bother you anymore”. It reminds me of the famous saying: "How to motivate yourself to do something? Not at all, stay in your rut!" 3️⃣ The hardest learners are in Belarus, Japan, Ukraine, and Russia. And the worst — in Latin America. This is related to a cultural characteristic — some strive to learn to get a ticket to a better life, while for others — education is always secondary. When we launched a charity project in the Favelas with LetMeSpeak, I observed that even free knowledge and money are not enough to motivate some people to learn. If money doesn't motivate — nothing else will… 4️⃣ The best monetization is the advertising model and subscription that disables ads. Ultimately, rich countries buy a #subscription, and poor countries watch ads. Yes, nowadays advertising is a poverty tax. If you don't want to watch — buy a subscription. I also integrated this model in LetMeSpeak and it beautifully combined with the subscriptions model. If you have time, I recommend to watch this short video: https://lnkd.in/d6iy2VCd

When I teach The Creative Way (to earn a living online), I tell you the rules and then I tell you why I break them. Because working online requires an open and curious mind and a readiness to change direction if needed. I teach you how to create content for Instagram, Substack and online courses that feels exciting. Because The Creative Way is about staying creative, while also making a living. No dry webinars to market your courses; no 12-month content plan (unless that’s what feels good for you). I’ve followed the ‘rules’ and done it the boring way but I’ve also worked more intuitively and found that works better. Now, I can enjoy my online work rather than feeling like a machine. I’d like to invite you to join my new course - The Creative Way. It will change the way you work. And how you feel about your work. You can be both the creative and the entrepreneur. I am. It’s taken me five years to work out how, but now I’m doing it. Sharing poetry and passages on Instagram - see above - and, off the back of it, gaining new paid subscribers on Substack who go on to join my courses. Some sign up for coaching, too. And I’m paid instantly - no hanging around waiting for an invoice. I feel liberated and empowered. If you’d like to learn The Creative Way (to earn a living online), join my course for just £99 (early-bird). We start on Monday 3rd June, and it’s self-paced but I’m here if you have questions. Annie x https://lnkd.in/dTdd33q2 #thecreativeway #onlinebusiness

I have a 478 day streak on Duolingo. Here's what they've taught me about building an audience and how to keep people engaged with your content: 1. Give everything away for free. There's a reason they have more than 21 million daily active users. You can go through multiple courses on Duolingo, never pay a single penny, and have a great experience. They show up with value, and people gladly keep giving their attention. And attention is more valuable than money in the long term. 2. Community learning doesn't have to look like DMs and discussion boards. I follow fewer than 20 people on Duolingo. They're all my family and friends. There would never be a scenario where I would even remotely care to be able to DM one of them in-app. But it's fun to be able to work on challenges together asynchronously, and to see & celebrate their progress. The result: Duolingo is a frequent topic at family gatherings and social events. It makes me think about what other powerful ways there are to facilitate community and connection that go beyond networking and discussion forums. 3. Play the long game. In a sea of apps that require a purchase just to get basic access and 3-day free trials that ask for a subscription fee immediately after-- Duolingo is giving everything away for free. They didn't get any money from me for over 6 months, even though I was using their app every day. But at some point, their free plan wasn't enough for me anymore. They didn't ask for my purchase. I sought it out on my own. When free content is valuable enough, people will eventually ask to pay to get more. 4. Give people something to lose (or gain). I would genuinely grieve if I lost my Duolingo streak. Daily language learning has become a discipline for me. Losing my streak would feel like falling off the wagon. And seeing my streak increase feels like a daily affirmation that I'm moving forward. It's a reminder of how small actions compound over time. As I work to build my own brand, and those of others, I'm constantly thinking about what Duolingo has built. They've inspired me to: • Show up with value for free as often as possible • Create a sense of community and belonging in out-of-the-box ways • Build with the long term in mind • Give people quick wins that compound into life-changing habits P.S.- I'm considering throwing myself a 500 days of Duolingo party. Will post pictures if it actually happens. 🤣 🎉

Um…how did Duolingo steal another 15 minutes of your day again? Let’s dive deeper into the Hook Model and how you can use it in your own product. 1) Trigger Every habitual action starts with a Trigger. The most obvious ones are the External Triggers, like an app notification. It can be a daily reminder to do some Italian lessons (bonus if it threatens that if you don’t take action today, you’ll lose that 22-day streak). Experiencing it time and time again, you no longer require an external trigger to take action. You develop your own — internal triggers. They develop over time, attaching to how we feel — to certain emotions and behaviors. Bored while commuting to work? Let’s do the next lesson on food vocabulary. Just about to start reading a book you’ve been procrastinating for 3 weeks? Let’s do one quick grammar challenge and I promise I’ll get through that book chapter. 2) Action You can’t develop any habit without doing the thing. But of course, we don’t respond to every trigger we get. For this to happen, you need two things: motivation and ability. That’s why Duolingo UX designers simplify the process as much as possible and try to boost your motivation to open the app by being very generous with giving out XP bonus multipliers and creating streak and competition mechanisms. 3) Reward A cleverly designed reward system should be variable. If the reward is predictable and fixed, you’ll just get a feedback loop. What actually gets us hooked is the excitement associated with the uncertainty of what you’re going to get this time. There’s a wide selection of daily Italian lessons, and each challenge is different from the previous one. It’s fun to solve new riddles and exercises. Doing the same thing over and over again is not. 4) Investment The goal of creating these habits is to get users through these cycles multiple times. To achieve this, users must regularly select your product over competitive alternatives. How do you create that moat then? Every social media platform and enterprise software business knows that creating some sort of lock-in and getting users invested in your product with their emotions and resources is one of the most effective strategies to do that. Duolingo puts you on learning paths with progress bars, leaderboards, and streaks to make you feel the “sunk costs.” It’ll be a major reason to stay if you ever consider any of Duolingo’s competitors. And every next trigger they send will be far more powerful. Takeaway: Analyze your product through the lens of the Hook Model. Do you have external triggers nudging users when they’re most likely to act? Is it easy for users to perform the action you want them to do? Tell your friend who’s unfamiliar with your product to do that. Does your product reward the user and leave them wanting more? Does using your product make the experience better each time? Do your users invest in the product, making it emotionally and practically harder for them to switch?

If you have valuable knowledge or expertise in a particular field, why not monetize it by sharing your insights with eager learners worldwide? And make huge money in return. Let me show you how you can make money with your knowledge. Check out this post!!! #blinkhustle #makemoneyonline

❓ Any of you want to make passive income and stop exchanging time for money? I surely do. One day, I made a post in our FB community, wondering how many of our teachers would love to make passive income. You know what? Within a few hours, the post reached over 4K people in the community and about 200 teachers commented, "Yes, I want it!" This got me thinking. It's not just about jumping on the 'passive income' buzzword. It's about the deeper quest for financial security and freedom for teachers. The freedom from the relentless need to work extra just to make ends meet each month. The liberation from the constant time-for-money exchange. That is why we hosted a workshop at the end of 2023: 🌟 The Four-Day Teacher Passive Income Workshop 🌟 Each day, we unraveled the secrets of passive income for teachers. ✅ Day 1: Unlocking Your Teaching Superpowers for Passive Income Explore over 10 practical ways to turn teaching talents into passive income and generate a steady revenue stream while teaching. ✅ Day 2: The Writer's Journey to Passive Earnings Learn the ins and outs of self-publishing on Amazon. Books, eBooks... and the best part? How to earn money without marketing your books yourself. ✅ Day 3: Creating and Selling Educational Resources Unleash your creativity by designing and selling lesson plans, curriculums, activity books, etc., on platforms like TeachersPayTeachers, Teacha!, etc. ✅ Day 4: The Digital Course Creator's Blueprint We covered everything from creating digital courses and memberships to promoting them on platforms like Udemy, Patreon, etc. Do you like it? 🚀 Comment with "Passive Income" and I will send you all the recordings. Connect | James Liu, PhD, MBA Follow | #JamesLiuBowei for my latest posts #Teachers #PassiveIncome

Hey there, "Teachers!" 🍎 It's that time of year again when we tip our hats to the unsung heroes, our teachers. 🎩 Happy Teachers Day, is coming folks! 📚 But this year, we're adding a twist to the celebration. We're not just celebrating your dedication and hard work; we're handing you the keys to financial independence! 🗝️💸 In my latest blog post, I spill the beans on some nifty, tech-savvy ways teachers in the United States, India, and around the world can build their wealth while making this Teachers Day extra memorable. 🌟 But before we dive into the money-making magic, let's talk real talk. Teaching is noble, but let's face it, sometimes the paycheck isn't. 💸 And retirement? Yeah, that's a puzzle that needs some solving. So, why not add some financial independence to the curriculum? I've got some cool ideas like online tutoring (because you're basically a genius), creating educational content (turn those lesson plans into cash!), and even freelance writing (who knew grammar could pay the bills, right?). 📝 Oh, and YouTube! Ever thought about having your channel? Monetization, my friends! 💰 But wait, there's more! 🎉 Affiliate marketing is the name of the game. You recommend stuff you love, like textbooks, tech gadgets, or those nifty online courses, and you earn a slice of the pie when people buy through your link. 🍰 So, let's make this Teachers Day extra special by not just celebrating your awesomeness but also giving you the tools to achieve financial freedom. Check out my blog to dive into the juicy details. 🚀 Here's the link to the financial enlightenment: https://lnkd.in/dZdF9srv Feel free to share your thoughts and celebrate the educators who've got their eyes on the financial prize! 🥳 #HappyTeachersDay #FinancialIndependence #TeacherMillionaires

I spotted a post about the Duolingo approach a few weeks ago, and have just had this in my inbox "Don’t make Duo angry 😡 learn a language in 2024".. Wow. And the final sentence - "A few minutes of daily practice can keep Duo smiling in 2024. And a happy Duo means a safe and happy you" - Safe?? The whole email is just a car crash (guessing as is the general campaign underpinning this). Ofcom, UK independent communications regulator - this might be of interest. My kids use the app, I'm now looking at alternatives. #marketingfail #communicationmatters ===================================================== Email content: Keep Duo happy, do your lessons.   Every year, learners say they’ll learn a new language and Duo gets excited. Then they *almost* forget their lessons, and Duo gets sad. That won’t happen this year, right?  START LEARNING  Duo’s 5 stages of New Year’s resolutions   1. False Hope This is going to be fun, I swear. Let’s start learning!    2. Desperate Bargaining Just 3 minutes a day to keep your streak! Easy, right? 3. Crushing Sadness Oh, they all gave up on me. I thought you were different… 4. Guilt-Tripping These reminders don’t seem to be working, huh?   5. Blind Rage I’m going to make you do your lessons…by any means necessary. No one wants to see Duo when he gets upset…   A few minutes of daily practice can keep Duo smiling in 2024. And a happy Duo means a safe and happy you! START A LESSON Grab:

Last week, I enrolled in a short course marketed as a mini-immersion program. The advertising piqued my interest, the instructor had incredible energy, the participant chat sounded enticing. I dove in. However, the experience turned out to be one of the worst I've encountered. Within two days, engagement in the chat dwindled, the excessive, repetitive talking of the course creator became maddening, the content was disappointingly basic, easily found with a quick Google search. There were some practical exercises, Structure? Non-existent. Inspiration was there, guidance was missing. Why am I sharing all this? It's because so many are encouraged to create their own courses. For variety of reasons. So, if you're designing a program or a course, I’d like to make some suggestions: Think of a structure, Think of a system, Think of a logical progression, Write a script for yourself, it will help you to maintain focus. Create a one-of-a-kind content, unique to you perspective, People are looking for your insights and expertise. If they can find the same content for free online, they will never come back. Your reputation as a professional and expert is on the line here. Your audience wants to learn from you. Yes, passion is important, but it needs to be supported by a strong, logical framework to be truly effective. Your success is just a well-structured course away. Happy course creating and sharing your expertise!