An online school reduced DRR from 30% to 13.75% and reached stable revenue of over 3 million rubles per month — this is not a promise, but a real case study from the Academy of Modern Psychology. In this article, we break down how changing the approach to promotion and restructuring the funnel made it possible to achieve these numbers without relying on launches.
Initial data and task
The client is the Academy of Modern Psychology, specializing in online courses for beginners and practicing professionals. Average check — 60,000–130,000 rubles, deal cycle — from 1 to 3 months. The task was to increase budget and revenue while maintaining advertising profitability.
We worked with the project for almost two years. During this time, we encountered several challenges: moving to a new advertising account, seasonal demand fluctuations, and the need for structural changes in campaigns.
Key changes in strategy
Transition to separate campaigns for each course
Previously, all courses were promoted with a single strategy and a shared budget. When the number of courses increased, this approach stopped working: each program has its own audience and its own decision-making cycle.
We split the campaigns so that each course is now managed separately. This allows us to disable ineffective areas and scale successful ones.
Dividing the funnel into three levels
All campaigns were divided into three directions: brand traffic, traffic for each course, and general traffic. Each level solves its own task:
- the top level fills the funnel with new people;
- the middle level converts those who have made a choice;
- the bottom level closes those ready to buy.
“Remove any level — the system will start to deplete,” notes Kristina Shev, managing partner of the Verga agency.
Results by direction
General traffic
From January to March, it attracted 16,063 clicks at 48 rubles each. This is not a direct sales channel, but it constantly brings new people into the funnel, who later return through brand search.
Traffic for courses
It consistently keeps DRR below 14% with budget and lead volume growth. Some March sales are not yet closed in CRM — we expect improved metrics.
Brand traffic
DRR has stayed below 14% for the entire quarter, and the conversion to leads grew from 3.4% in January to 5.2% in March. The best format is the extended snippet, which takes up the entire search results screen and leaves no room for competitors.
March: record indicators
In March, several factors came together: seasonal demand growth, budget redistribution after Telegram Ads restrictions, the start of new streams, and the maturation of leads with a long deal cycle.
The budget grew from 338,000 to 430,000 rubles, and the number of leads reached 136, which is 53% more than in February. The final DRR in March was 13.75% with revenue of 3.13 million rubles.
Plans for the future
April is traditionally weaker, but the next peak is June-July. We plan to increase the budget to 500,000 rubles, launch auto-funnels, and test free webinars as an entry point.
We are also expanding the list of advertised courses — the client is preparing about 35 new programs.
Frequently asked questions
What DRR is considered profitable for online schools?
In this case, a DRR of 13-14% with an average check of 60,000+ rubles provides good margins. But there is no universal value — it all depends on the product’s margin and the share of variable costs.
What is cheaper: banner or targeting?
In this case, a banner on Yandex partner sites for narrow audiences showed a CPA of 1,681 rubles, which is cheaper than many other formats. But for broad topics, search works better — there is more targeted traffic.
How much does 1 million banner impressions cost?
In our case, CPM was about 48 rubles per 1,000 impressions — this is within the norm for Yandex Display Network. But the main thing is not the cost of impressions, but the cost of the result.
Should AI be used for creating videos?
If you need to quickly test hypotheses, AI generation can be cheaper than ordering from a contractor. But for sales videos where expertise matters, it is better to involve professionals.
Conclusion
March’s record is not a coincidence, but the result of a built system: funnel separation, managing each course individually, constant communication with the sales department, and optimization by revenue rather than leads.
If you want predictable revenue and lower DRR, start with an audit of your current campaign structure. Maybe you also need to divide your funnel into levels.
Want the same result? Contact us for a consultation.
