The Great Showdown.

What is Better - Evergreen or Live Launches?

When you're a digital product entrepreneur, one of the biggest challenges you'll face is figuring out the best way to launch your product or service.

Should you go with an evergreen funnel that runs in the background on autopilot, or should you dive into a live launch, where everything happens in real-time over a short, intense period?

Fans of evergreen will tell you, "Never live launch again!" while live launch advocates will say, "Evergreen doesn’t work—you have to do it live!"

And the truth?

It’s not that simple. There's no one-size-fits-all solution, and each approach has its unique benefits and challenges.

So, let’s break it down and help you figure out which type of launch makes the most sense for you.

Understanding Live Launching

A live launch is exactly what it sounds like—you’re launching your product or service to your audience in real time, typically over a compressed period, such as a week or two. During this time, you'll be actively promoting your offer, engaging with your audience, and delivering events like webinars, workshops, or challenges to warm people up and push them toward making a purchase.

For many entrepreneurs, especially those who've done it a few times, live launching can be exhilarating. You’ve got the buzz, the excitement, the "launch energy" that comes with having your entire audience focusing on your offer all at once. You build up momentum with teasers, behind-the-scenes peeks, and countdowns.

And when launch day comes, if everything goes well, the sales roll in quickly and your bank balance feels seriously impressive!.

When Live Launching Works Well

Live launching can work fantastically when you have a few key things in place:

• An Established Audience: If you’ve been in the game for a while, built a community, and already have people excited to buy from you, a live launch can create that all-important urgency and scarcity that drives sales. You’ve warmed up your audience, and they’re ready to jump in when the cart opens.
• Support and Resources: Live launching can be resource-intensive. You’re often running ads, sending out lots of emails, setting up webinar platforms, and potentially managing a team to help with customer service, tech issues, and all the other moving parts of a launch. If you’ve got the resources and experience, this can work well. But if you’re a solo entrepreneur trying to juggle everything yourself, it can feel overwhelming.
• Experience and Assets: Live launching is often easier if you've done it before and already have key assets—like email sequences, sales pages, and promotional materials—ready to go. You can reuse what’s worked well in the past, making the process smoother.

The Downsides of Live Launching

As exciting as live launching can be, it’s not without its challenges:

• High Stakes: With live launching, there’s often a lot riding on the success of a short window. If something goes wrong—say, you get sick, or your tech breaks down—it can be hard to recover. There’s no second chance if your webinar platform crashes on launch day.
• Energy Drain: Live launching takes a lot of energy. You’re “on” for the entire launch period, which can be stressful and exhausting, especially if you’re doing multiple launches a year. Some entrepreneurs thrive in this environment, but for others, it can lead to burnout.
• Risk of a Flop: Since all your effort is concentrated on this short launch period, there’s a lot of pressure for it to work. If your launch doesn’t meet your expectations, all the time and money you’ve invested can feel wasted.

Understanding Evergreen Launching

Evergreen launching is a more passive approach. Rather than gearing up for a big event that happens in real-time, you set up an automated system that continuously brings in leads and sales. The same process—warming up your audience, presenting your offer, and closing sales—happens, but it’s automated. You might use email sequences, pre-recorded webinars, or other systems that allow potential customers to go through the buying process at their own pace.

When Evergreen Launching Works Well

Evergreen launching is ideal for entrepreneurs who want more consistency and less stress in their business. It works particularly well if:

• You Want Flexibility: Not everyone wants to run their business in live launch cycles. Maybe you don’t want to spend all your time marketing or you have personal commitments that make it difficult to be "on" during a launch. Evergreen funnels give you flexibility because the funnel is always running in the background, bringing in sales regularly, without you having to constantly show up.
• Your Product Isn’t Time-Sensitive: If your product or service doesn’t rely on a specific date or time—like prepping for an annual exam or seasonal event—then an evergreen funnel allows customers to purchase whenever they’re ready. This is particularly helpful for digital courses, coaching programs, or services that are always relevant.
• You Want Consistent Sales: With an evergreen funnel, you’re not relying on a one-time sales boost. Instead, you’re getting a steady stream of customers throughout the year. This can be especially helpful for cash flow and business stability.

The Downsides of Evergreen Launching

While evergreen funnels can be amazing, they’re not without their challenges:

• Lower Conversion Rates: One of the big benefits of live launching is the urgency and excitement it generates, which often leads to higher conversion rates. With evergreen funnels, you lose that "everyone’s in this together" energy, and your conversions might not be as high because people can buy whenever they want, without the fear of missing out.
• More Work to Set Up: Evergreen funnels can take more work to set up than live launches because everything needs to be automated. You need to create all your content—your emails, your sales pages, your webinar—before you start. And you’ll need to constantly tweak and optimize your funnel to make sure it’s performing well.
• Less Immediate Feedback: In a live launch, you can quickly get a sense of what’s working and what isn’t, and make adjustments on the fly. With evergreen funnels, you don’t get that real-time feedback, so it can take longer to figure out what’s converting well and what needs improvement.

So, Which Is Right for You?

Unfortunately, there’s no definitive answer to the question of whether evergreen or live launching is better. It really depends on where you are in your business, what your goals are, and what kind of energy you want to put into launching.

Here are a few things to consider:

1. What Stage of Business Are You In? If you’re just starting out, live launching might help you learn the ropes and build your audience. Live launches allow you to connect with people in real time and create a stronger sense of urgency. But if you already have a good sense of your audience and product, evergreen might help you build consistent sales without the stress of a live launch.
2. What Resources Do You Have? Live launching often requires more hands-on effort and potentially a team to help you with all the moving parts. If you don’t have the resources to pull off a live launch, starting with evergreen might be a better fit.
3. Do You Want Steady Sales or Big Cash Injections? Live launches can create big sales spikes, but evergreen funnels provide a more steady, reliable stream of income over time. If your business needs big cash boosts, live launching might be the way to go. But if you’re looking for consistency, evergreen is a great option.
4. How Do You Want to Show Up in Your Business? Do you enjoy the hustle and energy of live launching, or do you want a more hands-off approach? Consider your personal preferences and energy levels when deciding between live and evergreen.

Perhaps Try The Hybrid Approach

For many entrepreneurs, the answer lies somewhere in between.

You don’t have to choose between live and evergreen launches—you can do both.

A hybrid approach might involve doing a live launch once or twice a year to build excitement and momentum, while also having an evergreen funnel running in the background for those who want to purchase at their own pace.

Ultimately, the key is to understand your audience, your product, and your business goals.