When launching a service or course, there are different ways you can approach your launch strategy. You can choose to run an open-close launch with an offer that’s only available for a limited time throughout the year or an evergreen launch with an offer available for purchase year-round.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each option. What works best for your launch strategy will depend on your audience, your offer, and your general preferences. 

What is an Open-Close Launch?

When you follow the open-close launch model, your service or course is only available for enrollment during specific times throughout the year.

You open the cart for several days or weeks, depending on your launch strategy, then close it until the next open cart period. When your cart is open, you will heavily promote the offer to your audience to reach your enrollment goals.

What is an Evergreen Launch?

As an alternative, when you run an evergreen launch, your course or service is always available for purchase.  This means anytime a potential customer or client visits your website, they can complete the process to enroll in your service or purchase your course.

You might choose to initially complete an open-close launch for the offer and then make it evergreen, or it can be evergreen from the start.

Pros and Cons of an Open-Close Launch 

The open-close launch strategy is typically the most profitable of the two.   You will find that many online business owners use this method to sell their services and courses.   While it tends to be very successful when done right, there are pros and cons of going this route.

Open-Close Launch Pros

• It’s easier to build excitement around an offer that is only available for a select time.
• You can create a sense of urgency with your audience through your content by emphasizing that the offer window is closing soon. This leads to a use it or lose it mentality. 
• You’re able to bring in large chunks of money in a short period during your open cart window.
• You can reuse your strategies and content such as webinar content, email sequences, ad copy, and social media posts, so you’re not always creating new content for the offer.
• If you’re selling a course, your students will be enrolled and completing it at the same pace. This allows you to serve them on the same level and provide a better community experience since everyone is on the same page. 
• Once your launch is over, you can review your data to determine what worked and what didn’t. Based on your findings, you can adjust your lunch strategy for the next time around.
• When your cart is closed, you can build a list of interested customers by creating a waitlist. When enrollment opens, you’ll have a new list of potential customers to market to. 

Open-Close Launch Cons

• You tend to put more work into running an open-close launch. It can be very stressful for you since you’ll expect to reach specific enrollment goals during a short window. Be prepared to set up email sequences, review your analytics, answer potential buyer questions, host webinars, and more during your open-close launch time.
• When you’re putting more focus on your launch, it might be easier for you to neglect other parts of your business, which can negatively impact how you serve your clients and customers.

Pros and Cons of an Evergreen Launch

While evergreen launches don’t tend to be as profitable, they require less launch stress and allow your audience to purchase when they choose to.  Here are some additional pros and cons of choosing the evergreen launch strategy. 

Evergreen Launch Pros

• Your service or course is always available for sale so you can avoid the stress of a big launch. 
• You can develop a simple evergreen launch funnel that runs consistently to bring in leads and sales.
• You might attract more impulse buyers who visit your website and want to enroll immediately instead of waiting for the next launch period. 
• If you have a large and engaged audience you should be able to gain consistent sales from your evergreen offer without having an open-close launch.
• If you have a course you create it once and you’re done.  Your marketing will then allow you to make sales on autopilot.   
• You can choose to relaunch your evergreen offer periodically to bring more attention to your offer.

Evergreen Launch Cons

• To make sales you will have to consistently promote your offer to your audience throughout the year with blog posts, lead magnets, email marketing, social media content and paid advertising.
• Without a sense of urgency or scarcity associated with your offer, more people are likely to procrastinate and fail to purchase from you.  When you have a deadline to purchase, it incentivizes your audience to buy or enroll before the offer goes away

What’s The Best Launch Strategy For Your Online Business?

There is no right or wrong way to launch your service or course.  The best launch strategy for you will take your offer, audience, business structure and personal preferences into consideration.

Whether you choose an evergreen launch or an open-close launch, the one thing you need to be successful is support. When you’re trying to write your sales copy, test webinar software, create email sequences, respond to customer questions, and still complete the other required tasks in your business, it’s easy to drop the ball and get overwhelmed.

As an Online Business Manager specializing in webinar set up, launches and lead generation, I can support you in managing your launch while you wear the CEO hat in your business and focus on those tasks that only you can do.

To learn more about my launch support services, you can schedule a time on my calendar for a free consultation.