Course launch vs evergreen funnel: which should you run?
A decision framework for course creators choosing between live launches and an always-on evergreen funnel, with the numbers that decide it.
Most course creators pick launch or evergreen based on what a guru told them. The right answer depends on three numbers: your audience size, your price, and how much proof you already have.
Run live launches when
- You are still learning which objections kill the sale. Live Q&A gives you that data faster than any analytics tool.
- Your price is above the impulse threshold and needs a deadline to force a decision.
- Your audience is small enough that concentrated attention works better than a trickle.
Run evergreen when
- A live funnel has already converted profitably at least twice — evergreen without proven messaging is a slow way to burn budget.
- You want predictable monthly revenue instead of spiky quarters.
- Your ad account has enough volume to optimise on purchases, not registrations.
The numbers that decide it
| Metric | Healthy live launch | Healthy evergreen |
|---|---|---|
| Registration to show | 45–60% | 35–50% |
| Show to buy | 4–12% | 2–6% |
| Revenue per registrant | Set the benchmark | Within 70% of live |
If evergreen revenue per registrant falls below roughly 70% of your live figure, the automation is not the problem — the messaging that carried the live room is missing from the recording.
The hybrid most creators end up with
Evergreen running continuously at a modest budget, with two or three live launches a year for new offers, price increases and cohort starts. The live rooms refresh the messaging that the evergreen funnel then reuses.
Market notes
Reminder channel changes show rate more than anything else: WhatsApp in India and the UAE, SMS plus email in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia, and WhatsApp or Telegram in Singapore.
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