Denys Pavliuchenko

Solo founder building ClevroLab in public.
English learning platform for Ukrainian speakers.
Goal: 100,000 monthly users.
71 users → let's see where this goes.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

I've already created everything I wanted for the initial stage on the website. Now the marketing phase begins. I plan to release 4-5 videos a week for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and I'm also considering advertising with small bloggers with audiences of 100 to 2,000 followers

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

This one is really crucial: the user immediately gets familiar with the product and gets a clear plan for how to use it, instead of landing on an empty dashboard and leaving.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

Since I added this, more users have been connecting notifications and daily usage has gone up.

Second: build an onboarding flow for users right after they register.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

First: build notifications and surface them everywhere — after every practice session or test. That way users connect them and don't forget to come back.

After each test I show: "Connect notifications and I'll remind you to review your weak topics and words."

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

Based on everything I've learned while building and launching the site, here are a couple of pieces of advice for people who are just starting to build their own.

They might seem obvious.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

It's been almost three months since my last post, and I've shipped dozens of updates, big and small.

The last post was on 17 May, when there were 18 users. Now there are 71 registered users, 12 of them have connected Telegram notifications, and around 10–15 come back every day.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

21 days without posting.

Spent that time rebuilding the product and talking to people learning English to understand their real struggles.

Messaged users directly, got feedback, improved the site.

Initial goal was 10 users.

Now there are 18 users.

Momentum growing.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

In 4 days I messaged 158 people learning English.

Results:

20 conversations
4 signups
the rest didn’t reply

Conversion is low — but the signal is real.

Most people won’t answer.
Some will talk.
A few will convert.
6 more users to go.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

Stopped posting for 2 weeks.

Focused on fixing the product.

New version is live.

Now back to talking to users — that’s where the real signal is.

Early data is noisy (bots, previews, etc),
so focusing on real conversations instead.

Goal: first 10 real users.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

Day 2 of direct outreach.

Messaged 59 people learning English in Telegram.

Results:
- 14 conversations
- others didn’t reply or didn’t see the message

Most responses came from people aged ~16–21.

Still going after the first 10 real users.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

@johnsonbuilds Also noticed that most replies come from younger students preparing for exams — they seem more motivated to engage.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

The goal was simple:
start real conversations, not sell.

Results:
- 18 messages sent
- 5 replies
- 1 real conversation

That one person shared valuable insights about their struggles and learning methods.

Only then I showed my product.

Day 1 of trying to get my first users.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

@johnsonbuilds Yeah, that’s something I started noticing.

The one person who engaged more didn’t just give a short answer — they actually shared their experience and problems in detail

I think it comes down to:
-how relevant the problem is for them right now
-and how open they are to talking

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

Lesson:

People don’t care about your product
until you understand their problem.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

After yesterday’s realization, I decided to try direct outreach

I found 6 Telegram channels with Ukrainian learners and messaged 18 people

I didn’t start by sharing my product

Instead, I asked:
“What’s the most difficult part of learning English?”

→ results in the next post

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

I was focusing on reach.

Posting on TikTok, getting views — but 0 users.

Then I realized:
for first users, reach doesn’t matter — conversations do.

So instead of posting into the void,
I’m starting direct outreach to people learning English.

Goal: get first 10 users

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

@johnsonbuilds That’s really helpful, especially the “conversations > reach” point.

I’ll try reaching out to a few people and see what kind of feedback I get.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

Still at 0 users.

Tried TikTok — a few hundred views, but no real traction.

Realizing that reach ≠ users.

Time to try direct outreach and find people already learning English.

Going after the first 10.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

@johnsonbuilds That’s interesting.

If you had to get the first 10 users for something like this, where would you start specifically — Reddit, communities, or direct outreach?

Curious what tends to give the fastest signal in your experience.

[Denys Pavliuchenko @denpavliuchenko]

@johnsonbuilds Good point.

I see TikTok as a way to test distribution, but I agree it can be noisy for early validation.

I haven’t done direct outreach yet — probably the fastest way to get the first real users and feedback.

Might start combining both and see which gives signal faster.