Live Challenge vs Evergreen Challenge: What's the Best Fit for You?

Challenges have become a popular way to attract new leads, engage audiences, build excitement, and drive sales, especially in the online courses and coaching communities.

If you’re a course creator or coach considering using a challenge to promote your offerings, you might be thinking about whether to use a live challenge or an evergreen challenge. Both have their benefits and the best choice will depend on your goals, resources, and audience.

In this article, we’ll break down the differences between live and evergreen challenges to help you decide which one is best fit for you.

What is a Live Challenge?

A live challenge is a limited-time event where your participants join at a specific date and go through the challenge together.

These programs typically run on a set duration such as 5, 7, or 30 days, and offer a structured curriculum with daily or weekly tasks.

As every participant starts and goes through the challenge together, there is a sense of community and excitement.

Pros of a Live Challenge

1. Sense of Urgency

The fixed start and end dates create a sense of urgency for the potential participants, encouraging them to sign up and participate.

2. Community Building

Being surrounded by motivated people working towards the same goal fosters a sense of community and accountability.

The daily tasks and deadlines keep participants on track, while interactions provide support and inspiration.

3. Real-time Engagement

Live challenges often include live Q&A sessions with you (as the host) and experts in the field.

This allows you to get feedback and address questions from your participants in real time.

Cons of a Live Challenge

1. Time and Effort

Live challenges demand a huge time investment.

Aside from giving out tasks and lessons, you also have to be available to interact with the participants which can be time-consuming and may not be ideal for everyone.

2. Limited Enrollment

Due to the fixed time of the event, not all the interested people will be able to join the program.

Some may be in different time zones or have unpredictable schedules that make it impossible for them to sign up.

What is an Evergreen Challenge?

On the other hand, an evergreen challenge is a self-paced event where participants can join anytime they want.

The content and materials are pre-recorded and readily available for the participants whenever it is convenient for them to start.

Pros of an Evergreen Challenge

1. Flexibility

Participants can complete the challenge whenever it suits them, making it accessible to a wider audience.

2. Scalability

As everything is set up, you can accommodate a large number of participants without additional time investment from you.

3. Continuous Enrollment

There is no fixed set date with evergreen challenges. You can continuously promote your program and enroll new participants without waiting for a specific time period.

4. Lower Time Commitment

As you create your content upfront and your participants take it at their own pace, an evergreen challenge allows you to work on other things while it runs in the background.

Cons of an Evergreen Challenge

1. Lower Engagement

Without the shared timeline, your participants may feel less connected to each other (and most of the time, they aren’t able to connect at all), reducing the sense of community.

2. Reduced Urgency

The absence of a fixed schedule can lead to participants procrastinating, as they may not feel the sense of urgency to complete the challenge.

3. Content Upgrade

The information in your content needs to stay current, so you have to make an update periodically.

Choosing the Right Challenge

When deciding between a live challenge and an evergreen challenge, consider the following factors:

1. Your Goal

If your goal is to create buzz and excitement around your new offer launch, then a live challenge is the way to go. The limited-time nature of a live challenge creates a sense of urgency and encourages people to participate before the window closes. This can be a great way to generate interest and get people talking about your new product.

If you aim to build a long-term lead-generation strategy, an evergreen challenge could be more suitable. The flexibility and automation allow you to continually attract new leads with minimal ongoing effort on your part.

2. Your Resources

If you have time and energy to dedicate to a live event, you can gain significant benefits like increased participant engagement, community, and immediate feedback. Just be prepared for the planning and commitment required.

If you prefer a more hands-off approach, go with an evergreen challenge. It allows you to create content once and let it run on autopilot, freeing up your time for other activities.

3. Your Audience

If your audience thrives on community and live interaction, then a live challenge is the ideal choice. The live format fosters connection and friendly competition, building a strong community around your brand.

If your audience values flexibility and self-paced learning, an evergreen challenge might better meet their needs, allowing them to participate on their own terms.

Combining Live and Evergreen Elements

Can’t choose between the two? Why not consider using a hybrid approach where you leverage the strengths of both formats.

You could host a live launch session for an evergreen challenge to build excitement and community, then provide pre-recorded content for the rest of the challenge.

Alternatively, you could offer a live challenge element in an evergreen one by hosting a live Q&A weekly to address questions and maintain engagement.

Remember, the best challenge is the one that best serves your audience and your goals.

By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of live and evergreen formats, you can create an engaging experience that helps your participants achieve real results.

Ready to implement what you've learned and run your own successful challenge?

Make the process even easier with my Kajabi Challenge Template!

Whether you're planning a live challenge to create buzz for your upcoming launch or an evergreen challenge to generate more leads, this template has you covered. Designed to work seamlessly with both models, this template offers everything you need to set up, run, and promote your challenge efficiently.

With my Kajabi Challenge Template, you’ll get:

A professionally designed template with the entire page mapped out so you don’t have to second-guess where the sections should go.
An Opt-in Page, a ‘Thank You’ Page, and 5 Watch Pages.
Video tutorials to help you set up and customize the page to match your brand.

If you want to learn more, click here.