Which is Which is better: evergreen or live courses? The real question is, which is better for you, your clients and the bigger picture of your business. In this episode we’ll dive into the pros + cons of each! (Plus, the top 3 common mistakes to avoid when creating your online course!)better: evergreen or live courses? The real question is, which is better for you, your clients and the bigger picture of your business. In this episode we’ll dive into the pros + cons of each! (Plus, the top 3 common mistakes to avoid when creating your online course!)

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Things You’ll Learn in this Episode of Doing it Online:

• The difference between evergreen + live courses + how to know which one is right for you and your specific program…
• The top 3 most common mistakes people make when creating their online courses…
• The chance to nab a brand new freebie! (You’re welcome already.) 

Today we’re talking about one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make when it comes to creating your online course: Should you create your course to be evergreen or run it as a live cohort?

There’s a lot to consider with this one simple question. Because you want your course to be set up in a way you enjoy delivering, that supports the way you want to run your business, and of course, the best option for your clients too. 

But remember, nothing is set in stone, so if you do set your course up one way and decide down the track that maybe it isn’t the best option after all, you can change it. (Yay for being the boss, hey!)

However, it is so much easier if you can get it set up right from the start. And that’s exactly what this episode is here to help you with!

So, before we have a look at some of the common mistakes that can trip people up, let’s just take a second to get clear on what we mean when we say cohort (or live) vs evergreen. 

I’ll also give you a super brief overview of the pros and cons of each below, but go listen to the episode because I go into much more detail for each type of program and why it may or may not work for you…

Let’s start with…

An Evergreen Online Course

Courses set up as an evergreen format are available to people without a fixed start and finish date. Like our amazing mentorship program: eCourse Empire 

Pros:

• There is a steady stream of people joining an evergreen online course. 
• Because you have people coming in at different stages of their journey, the people who are further into the program are amazing at reaching out and supporting the people who have just started, which can create such an incredible community. 
• Evergreen programs provide an opportunity for creating an ongoing container of support once the program has ended. (More details on that in the episode!) 
• Because it’s self-paced there’s less risk of them feeling like they are falling behind. 

Cons: 

• There is a steady stream of people joining an evergreen online course. Not a typo! I did put this one in both the pros + cons list because the downside to having a steady stream of new people vs everyone kicking off on the same date is that you don’t get that same ‘Yay we’re starting!’ energy, unless you intentionally put it in there, like we do! That’s why inside eCourse Empire we do things like live planning sessions and mastermind days as well as bonus trainings to help keep that momentum going. 
• It can be slower to start which can be scary, but bonus tip: you can kick it off with a launch!

A Live (Cohort) Online Course 

A cohort based online course starts and finishes on a specific date and usually has a cap on the number of members it will take through the course each round. Our Certification program, Funnel Pro is an example of this. 

Pros:

• An amazing experience that creates a sense of community within that small group as they go through each step together.
  
• Speaking week to week on a specific topic can help some people to stay motivated and on track. (Caveat: that can backfire for others.)
  
• Some people love working towards a deadline and find it motivating. 

Cons: 

• Usually requires more energy from you. (Hiii burnout!)
• Need live launches, as they don’t work as well in a funnel. 
• It can make your calendar less flexible, as everything now needs to work in with your live rounds for each cohort. 
• There’s a risk of people feeling like they’re “falling behind” if they’re not keeping up with the set schedule. 

Ok! Now, onto those common mistakes…

Mistake #1: Copying Jenny From InfluencersRUs

This is going to sound a little bit like what your mum might say to you, but just because everyone else is doing it live doesn’t mean you have to.

And if everyone suddenly decided to evergreen online courses, that doesn’t mean you need to do it that way either.

Copying the way someone else runs their business or their online course isn’t going to necessarily work for you and your goals. Decisions like this need to be made from within a framework of a super clear vision for where you want your business to be in 5 years, 10 years, and in the bigger picture overall. 

That’s why one of the first things we ask all of our members inside eCourse Empire to do is to spend some time getting clear on that vision.

It gives them the foundation for everything else. (And helps prevent a bunch of headaches down the track.) 

Mistake #2: The ‘Cohort = Better Results’ Myth

There’s a rumour going around that cohort based online courses get better results for your clients. And MYTH BUSTED you guys, cos that’s just not true. 

I have run both evergreen and live courses and I know the pros and cons of each and this just doesn’t come into the equation. You can get amazing results for your clients in both setups. It really just comes down to what makes sense for you and your clients. 

Mistake #3: The Kitchen Sink Course

So, the third most common mistake I see people make when creating their courses is they create what I call ‘The Kitchen Sink Course.’ Which is where they try and pour everything they can into one course. 

Spoiler alert: no one wants more work. They want solutions and transformations. They join your online course to get from A to B. 

Preferably with as little effort as possible. That’s just the reality. Of course, they’ll need to do work, and they know that, but what they don’t need is a kitchen sink course – full of way too much information, trainings and worksheets. 

If there’s a simple way to take them from A to B, do that. 

Your FREE Course Planner 

Hopefully this has helped make things a bit clearer for you and got you thinking about what’s right for your particular program! 

And to help you out even further, we have an awesome new freebie for you! 

Plan My Course Worksheet! 

Click that link above to grab the exact worksheets we give our clients in eCourse Empire to help them map out and create amazing high value courses that their students absolutely love.

Make sure you flick us a DM on Instagram + let us know how you go! We love hearing from you!