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A subscriber, an inquiry and a paid enrollment are different outcomes. Compare campaigns at the same stage, then connect that stage to course margin. The figures below come from eight WEBNOSTRA cases, as published in the Russian guide on 11 October 2026. They are historical project results, not a market average or a quote for your school.
Eight cases, with a source for every row
| Project | Entry to the funnel | Payment conversion | Cost per sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children’s programming school | 4,345 leads at $3.17 | 12% after a trial lesson | Not disclosed |
| Transformational coaching | 818 leads at $2.93 | 6% | About $49, calculated |
| Beauty school | 1,521 inquiries at RUB 311 | 8% | About RUB 3,890, calculated |
| Krasnodar driving school | 126 inquiries at RUB 889 | 34 sales | About RUB 3,290, calculated |
| Sommelier school | Qualified inquiry: RUB 1,038 | 158 sales | About RUB 3,480, calculated |
| Language school | Trial lesson: RUB 287 | 19.5% of trials | About RUB 1,470, calculated |
| AI course | Bot subscriber: RUB 105 | 10% of subscribers | RUB 1,063 |
| School-readiness course | Subscriber: $0.81 on Meta, RUB 73 on VK | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
Calculated values use published lead cost divided by payment conversion, or campaign budget divided by sales. Rounding in the original figures carries through. We do not estimate missing results.
Work backward from a paid enrollment
Start with course price, gross margin and the share available for acquisition. If the allowable acquisition cost is RUB 3,000 and 10% of qualified inquiries pay, the allowable inquiry cost is RUB 300. This is an illustrative calculation, not a forecast.
A trial lesson, consultation or webinar changes the conversion path. The language school’s trial was tied to the student’s specific goal; the beauty school used identifiable graduate stories. Their conversion rates belong to those offers and periods. A different course needs its own test.
Give the campaign a payment signal
Agree what qualifies as a lead before launch. Keep subscriptions, trials and payments separate in reporting. Connect paid enrollments from the CRM or course platform to the campaign so that a low-cost audience is assessed on revenue as well as form volume.
For a narrow niche, test adjacent offers before increasing bids indefinitely. The sommelier school expanded the course range and packages when search demand limited volume.
Education marketing explains the funnel work. Agency fees are separate from advertising spend.