You've built an incredible course. You know it can transform lives. But now you're staring at two very different paths to launch it—and the internet can't seem to agree on which one actually works.
On one side, you've got the webinar evangelists swearing that a single 60-minute presentation generated six figures overnight. On the other, challenge advocates are showing off engaged communities of thousands who couldn't wait to buy.
So which is it? Which launch strategy will actually fill your course with eager students?
Here's the truth: both strategies work. But only one of them is right for you—right now, with your current audience, skills, and goals.
Let's break down exactly how each approach works, when to use them, and how to avoid the costly mistakes that tank otherwise great launches.
The Webinar Model: Selling in 60-90 Minutes
A webinar launch is exactly what it sounds like: you invite your audience to a live online presentation where you teach something valuable, then make an offer for your course at the end.
The typical structure looks like this:
- Pre-launch phase (7-14 days): Drive registrations through emails, social media, and ads
- The live event (60-90 minutes): Deliver transformational content and pitch your course
- Post-webinar sequence (3-7 days): Follow up with replay links and urgency-driven emails
The magic of webinars lies in compressed urgency. You're asking people to show up at a specific time, pay attention for an hour, and make a decision before the cart closes. This creates natural momentum that pushes people toward action.
Some of the biggest course launches in history—think Amy Porterfield, Russell Brunson, and countless others—have been powered by webinars.
Webinar Pros: Why They Work
Speed to launch. You can go from idea to live webinar in as little as two weeks. The content creation is minimal compared to a challenge—you're creating one presentation, not seven days of material.
Scalability from day one. Whether 50 people or 5,000 register, your workload stays essentially the same. You show up, present, and let the replay do the heavy lifting afterward.
High conversion potential. A well-crafted webinar can convert anywhere from 5-15% of live attendees—sometimes higher with warm audiences. That compressed, live experience creates real urgency.
Lower ongoing commitment. Once the webinar is done, it's done. You can even automate it later with evergreen webinar software, creating a hands-off sales machine.
Webinar Cons: The Hidden Challenges
You need presenting skills. There's no way around it—webinars require you to be engaging on camera for an hour or more. If you freeze up, ramble, or struggle with live Q&A, your conversions will suffer.
Show-up rates are dropping. Industry averages have fallen to 25-40% of registrants actually attending live. That means you need a much larger registration list than you might expect.
One-shot pressure. Your entire launch hinges on one event (or a few replays). If you have an off day, technical issues, or the content doesn't land, recovery is difficult.
Harder with cold audiences. Webinars work beautifully when people already know and trust you. With cold traffic from ads, you're asking strangers to commit 60+ minutes—a big ask.
The Challenge Model: Building Momentum Over Days
A challenge launch spreads the experience over multiple days—typically 5-7 days—where participants complete daily tasks while you deliver training, build community, and prime them for your offer.
The structure typically includes:
- Pre-challenge phase (7-21 days): Build anticipation and drive registrations
- The challenge itself (5-7 days): Daily live sessions, tasks, and community engagement
- The offer (days 5-7): Present your course as the natural next step
- Post-challenge sequence (3-7 days): Follow up with bonuses and cart-close urgency
The power of challenges is relationship depth. Over a week of daily interaction, participants start to see you as a mentor. They've invested time, gotten results, and feel connected to your community.
Creators like Pedro Adao, Marisa Murgatroyd, and Rachel Miller have built empires using challenge-based launches.
Challenge Pros: Why They Work
Community creates commitment. When people join a group challenge, they feel accountable—to you and to each other. This social proof and peer pressure naturally increases engagement and conversions.
Perfect for cold traffic. Challenges give strangers time to get to know you. By day seven, people who'd never heard of you before feel like they've been in your world for months.
Proof of concept built in. Participants actually do something during the challenge. Those quick wins become powerful testimonials and internal evidence that your methods work.
Higher perceived value. A free 5-day challenge feels like a gift. A free webinar? That's just marketing. The perceived value difference affects how people show up and engage.
Natural segmentation. You quickly see who's engaged and who's not. Your most active participants become your warmest leads—and often your best students.
Challenge Cons: The Real Costs
Massive time investment. You're essentially running a free mini-course. Five to seven days of live content, plus community management, plus answering questions, plus the actual launch. It's exhausting.
Content creation load. You need a week's worth of training material, challenge worksheets, email sequences, community posts, and more. The prep work is substantial.
Harder to automate. While pre-recorded challenges exist, they lose much of the magic. Live engagement is the engine that drives challenge conversions.
Burnout risk is real. Running multiple challenge launches per year can drain you completely. Many creators burn out within 18 months of starting challenge-based launches.
Lower conversion rates per participant. While overall revenue can be comparable, challenges typically convert at 2-8% of total participants—lower than webinar live-attendee rates.
Head-to-Head: The Numbers Comparison
Let's compare what a typical launch might look like with each strategy:
| Factor | Webinar | Challenge | |--------|---------|-----------| | Prep time | 1-2 weeks | 3-4 weeks | | Launch duration | 1-2 days | 7-10 days | | Daily time commitment | 2-3 hours on launch day | 2-4 hours per day | | Registration to buyer | 3-7% typical | 2-5% typical | | Live attendee to buyer | 8-15% typical | 5-10% of engaged participants | | Best for audience size | Any size | 500+ for momentum | | Cold traffic performance | Moderate | Excellent | | Automation potential | High (evergreen) | Low |
Neither is inherently "better." The right choice depends on your situation.
When to Choose Webinars
Go with webinars when:
- You're comfortable presenting live and can hold attention for 60+ minutes
- You want to launch quickly without massive prep work
- Your audience already knows and trusts you (warm traffic)
- You're launching a lower-priced course ($200-$500) where the buying decision is simpler
- You want something you can eventually automate for passive income
- You're testing a new offer and want fast feedback
The ideal webinar creator is someone who loves the spotlight, thinks well on their feet, and has an established email list of at least a few hundred engaged subscribers.
When to Choose Challenges
Go with challenges when:
- You're working primarily with cold traffic (ads, new audiences)
- Building community is central to your brand
- Your course topic benefits from "try before you buy" experiences
- You're selling a higher-ticket offer ($500+) that needs trust-building
- You have the capacity for a week of intensive work
- Your teaching style is more interactive than lecture-based
The ideal challenge creator is someone who thrives on daily interaction, loves community building, and has the energy reserves for an intensive launch period.
The Hybrid Approach: Best of Both Worlds
Here's what smart course creators are doing: combining both strategies.
The webinar-challenge combo looks like this:
- Run a 3-5 day mini-challenge to warm up your audience and build community
- End the challenge with a live "masterclass" or webinar where you make your offer
- Follow up with a standard cart-open sequence
This approach gives you:
- The trust-building of a challenge
- The conversion intensity of a live webinar
- A natural progression from free value to paid offer
Some creators run the challenge Monday through Thursday, then host the pitch webinar on Friday. Others extend to a full week with the webinar on day seven.
The hybrid takes more planning but often outperforms either strategy alone—especially for course price points between $500 and $2,000.
Common Mistakes That Kill Launch Results
Webinar mistakes to avoid:
- Too much teaching, not enough selling. If you spend 55 minutes teaching and 5 minutes pitching, you'll get applause but not sales. The pitch should be 15-25% of your webinar.
- No urgency. "The course is available whenever you're ready" kills conversions. Use bonuses, price increases, or enrollment windows to create real deadlines.
- Ignoring the replay sequence. Most sales happen after the live event. Your replay emails matter as much as the webinar itself.
Challenge mistakes to avoid:
- Making the challenge too complete. If participants get everything they need for free, why would they buy? Leave meaningful gaps that only the paid course fills.
- Weak community management. A dead Facebook group or Circle community kills momentum. You need to spark engagement constantly.
- Burying the offer. Some creators feel awkward pitching after giving so much. But participants expect an offer—and want to know how to keep working with you.
- Exhausting yourself before the pitch. If you're burned out by day five, your energy during the sales period will suffer.
The "Choose Your Path" Framework
Still not sure? Ask yourself these five questions:
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How much time do I have? Less than three weeks = webinar. A month or more = challenge is viable.
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How warm is my audience? Mostly strangers = challenge. Email list that opens your emails = webinar works.
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What's my energy style? Sprinter (intense bursts) = webinar. Marathon runner (steady consistency) = challenge.
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What's my price point? Under $500 = webinar often sufficient. Over $500 = challenge builds needed trust.
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Do I want to automate later? Yes = webinar. Automation isn't a priority = challenge is fine.
There's no wrong answer. But being honest about your resources, audience, and style will save you from choosing a strategy that fights against your strengths.
Your Action Steps
Ready to choose your launch strategy? Here's what to do next:
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Audit your audience warmth. Look at your email open rates, social engagement, and how long people have been following you. Cold audience = lean toward challenges.
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Assess your content capacity. Can you create a week's worth of material in the next month? If not, a webinar is more realistic.
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Test your presentation skills. Go live on social media for 15-20 minutes. Did you enjoy it? Could you do it for an hour? Your answer guides your choice.
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Choose one strategy for your next launch. Commit fully. Don't try to do a half-webinar, half-challenge hybrid on your first attempt.
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Build your launch calendar. Work backward from your desired launch date to map out every milestone.
The best launch strategy is the one you'll actually execute well. A great webinar beats a mediocre challenge—and vice versa.
Pick your path, go all in, and remember: your first launch is just data. You'll refine your approach with every launch that follows.
Next Step
Ready to build the email sequences that make either strategy work? Read our guide on Email Sequences That Convert: The Complete Course Creator's Playbook to craft follow-up emails that turn registrants into paying students.