I've been hosting live challenges for seven years, and with conversion rates averaging between 5% to 7%, and the average 1% to 3%, it's clear they are impactful.

I’ve honed a process that consistently drives results with my live challenge, and with everyone talking about webinars, I want to offer a different perspective.

Live challenges allow you to give massive value to your community during a designated time frame, but give you the space to go deeper, something a 60-90 minute webinar can not.

Plus, in a short time, your audience can follow your challenge and instantly see results, which builds connection and trust quickly.

It's an amazing strategy and tool to not only grow your community, but also nurture and develop your community so they are ready to invest in your offer.

So whether you're launching a new program, live launching an existing one, or wanting to fill your 1:1 program, a well-executed challenge can be a game-changer.

Today, I am excited to share with you not only why these challenges work so well but also walk you through the step-by-step process for setting up your online challenge.

Inside today’s episode of the Authentic Brand Builders podcast, we’ll dive into:

The exact process you need to get your online challenge ready and deliver insane value to your audience.
My top tips for structuring your videos for higher conversions, and how to increase show-up rates.
A little insider secret I use to support my challenge participants in feeling great about joining my offer.

**I’ve included the main points below, but I encourage you to dive into the full episode via audio or video!

For the full content, and all the insider tips, listen to Episode 123 here or watch it here.

Why Online Challenges Convert Better Than Webinars

Many entrepreneurs prioritize webinars as the core of their launching or promotional efforts.

Yet, for me, live challenges have occupied this sweet spot. Why? They offer more flexibility and a deeper connection with my audience.

A webinar often limits you to 60-90 minutes where you need to cover the why, what, how, build authority, and promote your offer. I don’t know about you but I struggle with not only the timeframe but also like I’m cheating my audience out of value.

A live challenge, however, gives me up to two hours of interaction over several days. This longer format allows me to fully unpack the why, what, and how of my topics, leading to higher engagement and ultimately, better conversion rates.

If you’re like me and have never found your groove with webinars it might be time to try this completely underutilized launching technique.

How to Host Your Online Challenge {step-by-step}

I’ve broken down all of these steps in a bonus training, which you can watch for free on my YouTube channel.

STEP ONE: Define Your End Goal and Topic

Before diving into the logistics of your challenge, the crucial first step is defining what you're ultimately selling.

The end product or service influences the topic of your challenge significantly. Specific topics aligned with your offerings tend to convert better. For instance, in the past, I’ve used a challenge to promote my branding course, so I used a challenge to help them identify their brand story. This not only aligns perfectly with my topic but paves the way for participants to confidently join the course as the next step.

Think about pre-work or a first step someone might need to join your offer as the starting place for your challenge topic.

When it comes to choosing your topic, the more specific you can be with the outcome of the challenge, the easier it will be for someone to take time out of their busy schedule to participate.

The more specific you are with the title, benefits and outcome for your audience the better.

Here are 3 things to be super specific about:

The problem you solve with the challenge. This will help you title your challenge and promote it.
The title. This needs to be clear. Many people will decide if your challenge is for them or not based on your title. Remember you’re solving a problem, tell them the problem and what they will get from the challenge in a single sentence.
List out the benefits. Each of the days of the challenge you should be focusing on one small thing. The more specific you are with the lessons each day, the faster your audience will get results. Get clear on the benefit each day to help you plan your content.

Example titles from some of my past challenges include: The Specify Your Niche Challenge, The Brand Story Challenge, and The Content Gamechanger Challenge.

STEP 2: Design Your Challenge Structure

After choosing your specific topic, map out what you’ll deliver, the intended outcomes, and the timeframe.

I've experimented with multiple challenge durations and found that a four-day structure hits the sweet spot. It’s long enough to deliver meaningful content without overwhelming participants or losing their engagement.

Once you’ve determined your schedule you can map out the specific talking points and structure of your challenge topics. This will be helpful when we create all of your promotional materials.

Below, is a sample structure for a four-day live challenge that yields me the best results.

Structuring Your Live Online Challenge for Success

Day One: Setting the Foundation

The first day of a challenge is crucial. It's dedicated to laying a solid foundation and getting participants invested in what you are sharing. This is where the 'why' comes in.

I recently conducted a challenge focusing on the customer journey, vital for successful marketing. This setup not only sets the stage for the following days but also builds excitement and aligns with my upcoming offers.

Day Two: Diving Into Content

By the second day, I transition into the 'what'. What do they need to do to get results?

For my recent challenge, I guided participants in mapping out where they would show up and what content they would share. This practical focus helps participants see immediate results from their efforts.

Day Three and Beyond: Engagement and Depth

On the third day, we want to start to give specifics around the how. Don’t be afraid to give specifics here, even if it’s something you offer inside of your course. This provides value and trust with your audience.

This approach ensures participants are informed and prepared to join your offer when you present it.

Step 3: Delivery Method and Support

Your challenge content can be live or prerecorded. I personally favor live challenges due to their higher conversion rates. I host my challenges in either a Facebook Group or a community forum like Kajabi.

You’ll want to deliver either a live or pre-recorded video, typically live videos will be around 30 minutes in length and offer Q&A. If you’re going the pre-recorded route, then you’ll want to include a bonus Q&A call to support this element.

As I’ve said, I love live challenges and the key advantage of live challenges is showcasing the support aspect inherent in my programs. Whether it's one-on-one guidance or group support, the live format lets potential clients experience firsthand what it means to be part of my community.

I also include a replay page for those unable to join live or aren’t able to join the group. This ensures they don't miss out on the value and move into my paid offer. Coupling live sessions with accessible replays have consistently driven success in my business, including conversion rates of up to 10%.

Step 4: Set Up Your Challenge Collateral

Before promoting your challenge, you want to create all of your collateral materials.

This includes crafting a lead capture page to collect email addresses, a thank-you page, and a confirmation email with all the event details. If utilizing social media platforms like Facebook, create a group for participants to engage and ask questions.

Here’s a cheat sheet of what you need before getting started:

Lead Capture Page: Start with a landing page to collect participants' names and email addresses. This is crucial for creating a targeted email list for your challenge and growing your community overall. I like to host my landing pages on Convertkit or LeadPages.
Thank You Page: After users sign up, redirect them to a thank you page. This could guide them to check their email for further instructions or offer a simple upsell, like a discounted course related to the challenge or a VIP option for the challenge (which could include lifetime access to the videos).
Confirmation Email: Immediately send a confirmation email that includes details about the challenge, the schedule, and how to join the group where the challenge will take place.

Step 5: Promotion and Communication for the Online Challenge

Promotion should start at least two weeks before the challenge begins.

You’ll want to plan on sending a series of emails inviting your existing audience to the challenge, plus reminder emails for those who sign up.

INVITATION EMAILS

Craft at least five emails leading up to the challenge, sent over two weeks. These should entice participants with stories, benefits, and any previous success stories related to your challenge or offerings.

A last-minute email on the day before or the day the challenge starts, reminding those who haven’t signed up yet ALWAYS results in last-minute signups. Seriously, don’t skip this email even if you feel like you’ve sent a bunch!

In addition to your emails, if you’re on social media, you can repurpose these emails into social media content like posts, carousels, stories, or reels. If you have a YouTube channel, weekly podcast, or blog don’t forget to promote your challenge there as well.

CHALLENGE-SPECIFIC EMAILS

You want to make sure participants remember and attend the challenge by sending timely reminders:

Weekly and Daily Reminders: A week before the challenge begins, send a reminder email about the challenge. Then make sure you send a 48 and 24-hour reminder email as well. Remember, people will be signing up at different points over the two weeks so you don’t want them to miss the crucial information.

Tips and Tricks: Between reminders, offer valuable tips and insights on how to prepare for the challenge, enhancing participants’ readiness and excitement. I love to share a YouTube video that might give them a taste of my teaching style and provide them with helpful information. You could do the same with an existing piece of content.

Daily Updates: Send a daily email summarizing what participants will learn that day and providing links to join or view replays. We typically send this out 2-4 hours before the live video is released which helps with improving show-up rates.

PROMOTIONAL EMAILS

During the challenge, around day two or three, you’ll start promoting your paid offer. While you’ll be talking about this in the group, you’ll also want to send promotion-specific emails to participants.

Opening Sales Email: Announce the official opening of course or program enrollment early during the challenge.

Benefit-Focused Emails: Over the next few days, send multiple emails highlighting different benefits and features of your offering, including testimonials or case studies.

Final Urgency Email: As the challenge nears its end, use urgency-driven language to encourage program signups, reminding participants that doors are closing, or bonuses are expiring. I also pair this with the reminder that the challenge group will be closing and all videos will be coming down.

Step 6: Execute and Engage

This is the easy part. You’ve already done all of the ground work and now you get to show up and support your audience.

Ensure your content delivery is as energetic as your preparation.

Whether your sessions are live or not, make them interactive and value-packed. Encourage questions and provide as much support as possible. This interaction is crucial, as it builds rapport and allows participants to experience the benefits of your product firsthand.

Increase Your Online Challenge Conversion Rate

In addition to the value you’ll be providing during the week, there are a few ways you can enhance the experience for your audience.

SUPPORTIVE DOCUMENTS: Create bonus workbooks, questions, or prompts that your audience can participate in to get better results. Recently, I created a simple Google Doc that gave them exercises to complete after the live video and it was incredibly easy and useful to my audience.

ADD BONUS TRAININGS OR LIVE Q&A: If you’re using pre-recorded video, then you’ll definitely want to add live Q&A at some point via Zoom or another group meeting platform. You can also add bonus workshops or webinars at the end of the challenge to cover the next steps and go deeper into what your offer provides.

INCLUDE SPECIAL BONUSES: Since, you’re promoting you want this enrollment period to feel exclusive, so I always love to offer a bonus 1:1 session, a bonus bundle, and/or a discounted price on my offer.

CREATE URGENCY: You want to make sure people go through your challenge, so I really encourage you to limit your video replays and support to seven days. This will get more people to show up and engage, checkout the replay page, and pay attention while you’re promoting the offer.

PERSONAL OUTREACH: Personal touches, like individual outreach via video, can make a huge difference in your conversion rate. I use this strategy to reach out to any who actively participates in the challenge and I think would be a great fit for my offer. I send them a one-minute video where I say their name, thank them, and ask if they have any questions about the offer.

CONCLUSION

Hosting a live challenge is not just about sharing information and selling your offers; it's about creating connections and presenting your value in a magnetic and authentic way.

By taking the time to plan your challenge thoughtfully and prioritize interaction, you can achieve impressive conversion rates for your offer.

If you're looking to enhance launch strategies or grow your audience, hosting a live challenge could be the next big step for your business growth.

Don’t forget you can dive into the step-by-step process inside this video.

And, you can hear some of my takeaways and tips from my recent challenge in this video.

P.S. Ready to build a revenue-generating brand? One that not only stands out online but also makes it easier than ever to create high-value content? Tune in to my free brand class and learn my Build a Better Brand Method. Watch now at brandmerry.com/class.