I stopped doing free webinars.
Not because they don't work. They do -- sort of. But after running a new live webinar every single week for an entire year, I realized something: free attracts the wrong people, and it burns you out in the process.
So I rebuilt everything around a simple idea. Charge $5 for a micro-class. Automate what comes after it. And let the system turn that $5 buyer into a $900-a-month VIP coaching client -- without me touching anything.
Here's the exact evergreen funnel blueprint I use today, with real numbers from my own campaigns.
Why Free Lead Magnets Are Losing
Here's a stat that changed everything for me: when I ran free webinars, maybe 10% of people actually watched them. Most signed up, never showed, and disappeared.
When I switched to a $5 class? 50 to 75% watch the entire thing.
That's not a small difference. That's the difference between a funnel that leaks and one that converts.
Free content attracts tire kickers -- people who kick the tires at the dealership but never buy the car. Great people, sure. But they're not your clients. They're not ready to invest in themselves.
A $5 price tag does something powerful: it proves commitment. Someone who pulls out their credit card -- even for five bucks -- is a fundamentally different person than someone who grabbed a free PDF.
And here's the bonus: Meta's ad algorithm optimizes for purchases, not opt-ins. When you run ads to a paid offer, Facebook and Instagram find people who are more likely to buy. When you run ads to a freebie, they find people who are more likely to... grab free stuff.
I'll probably never do a free class again. My free content lives on YouTube. If you want something from me that's structured and actionable, you're paying at least $5 for it.
The $5 Micro-Class: Your New Front Door
Let me be clear about what this $5 class actually is. It's not a course. You're selling it as if it's a masterclass, but it's really a bridge. A bridge between where your audience is now and where your main program takes them.
The $5 class solves one specific, small problem. It gives them a fast win. And then it naturally creates the appetite for the bigger solution -- your coaching program.
Think paid mini-webinar. A 5-day challenge. A single training that delivers real value in 30 to 60 minutes. Here's how simple this can be: I put a money-back guarantee on my $5 class. Out of over 200 sales, you want to know how many people asked for their money back?
Zero.
Not one person. One person complained, but they didn't even ask for a refund. At $5, the risk is so low and the value is so obvious that nobody bothers.
What Makes a Great $5 Offer
Your micro-class needs three things:
1. One clear promise. Not five. Not "everything you need to know." One specific outcome.
2. One fast win. They should walk away having done or learned something tangible.
3. A logical bridge. The $5 class should make joining your main program feel like the most obvious, exciting next step.
That last point is critical. Your $5 offer and your core program should connect so naturally that the transition feels inevitable -- not like a sales pitch, but like a "well, of course I'd want that."
The Automated Webinar: Where the Real Selling Happens
After someone completes the $5 class, they're invited to an automated webinar. This is where the actual selling happens -- and it runs on complete autopilot.
No live launches. No "doors closing Friday" stress. No weekly grind.
The webinar follows a simple structure:
- Connect -- meet them where they are, show you understand their situation
- Diagnose -- name the real problem (not just the surface-level symptom)
- Cost of inaction -- what happens if nothing changes in 90 days?
- Prescribe -- introduce your method, your framework, your approach
- Invite -- extend the offer to join your program
The key insight: because they already paid $5 and consumed your class, they're warmed up. They've experienced your teaching style. They trust you more than a cold audience ever would.
This is the same approach I've been using for years, but now it's completely automated. I record the webinar once, build the email sequence around it, and let it run.
I used to run a new live webinar every week for a year straight. That's what Russell Brunson recommends. And honestly, it works -- but it's way too much work for what I'm willing to do now. Automation gives you the same results without the burnout.
The Trial Offer: Low Friction, High Conversion
The webinar drives people toward a 14-day free trial of my membership program. The first month after the trial is discounted to $77. After that, it's $197 per month.
Here's why trials work so well: they remove all the risk. The prospect doesn't have to make a big commitment. They just have to say, "Sure, I'll try it for two weeks."
And once they're inside? Once they see the courses, attend a live call, get a question answered, connect with other members? They stay.
My numbers tell the story:
- 1 in every 3 people who buy the $5 class end up taking the trial.
- 60% of trial members stick and become paying members. That's not guesswork. Those are real conversion rates from real campaigns.
The Onboarding That Makes Them Stay
The trial period is everything. If someone doesn't experience a win in the first 48 hours, you'll lose them.
Here's the sequence:
1. Immediate welcome email. Not a generic "thanks for joining." Tell them exactly what to do first.
2. "Start here" direction. Point them to the one course, lesson, or resource that delivers the fastest result.
3. Show them a quick win. Within their first week, they should have something tangible -- a landing page drafted, a funnel mapped out, an ad concept ready.
The goal is simple: make them feel the value before the trial ends. Do that, and they'll never leave.
The Membership and VIP Upsell: Where the Real Profit Lives
Here's where the economics of this funnel get exciting.
The core membership -- my Wealthy Coach Academy -- runs at $197 per month. Members get access to the full course library, weekly live coaching calls, Q&A sessions, community, and direct support.
But the real profit driver is the VIP tier at $900 per month. VIP members get deeper access, advanced support, and more direct interaction with me.
About 25% of members upgrade to VIP at some point during their journey. And the average member stays for 7 to 9 months.
Think about what that means. A single person who buys your $5 class today could be paying you $900 a month six months from now. Not because you pressured them. Because you built a system where every step felt like the natural next move.
That's the power of a well-designed evergreen funnel. It doesn't just make sales. It builds a client who grows with you.
The Real Math: From $80 in Ad Spend to $2,100 in Revenue
Let's break down the actual numbers. This is what makes the model work -- and what gives you the confidence to invest in ads.
The cost side:
- It costs me about $12 in ad spend to get one $5 sale.
- Every 3rd buyer takes the trial. So the cost to acquire a trial member is roughly $36.
- Factor in the members who don't stick past the trial, and the true customer acquisition cost lands around $80.
The revenue side:
- First month (discounted): $77
- Months 2-7 at $197/month: $1,182
- 25% VIP upgrade at $900/month for 4+ months: adds significant upside
Total revenue per acquired customer over 9 months: approximately $2,100.
That's an $80 investment turning into $2,100 in revenue. A 26x return on ad spend.
Now -- you won't see this return in week one. The $5 sales alone won't cover your ad spend. That's not the point. The profit lives on the back end, in the recurring membership revenue and VIP upgrades that compound month after month.
This is why most people quit too early. They look at the front end, see they're "losing money" on $5 sales, and panic. But the coaches who understand lifetime value? They scale to six and seven figures.
How to Scale Without Burning Out
Once you've validated the funnel -- meaning people are buying the $5 class, taking the trial, and sticking -- here's how you scale it.
The 10-day sprint method:
I run my ads in 10-day sprints. Ads on for 10 days, then off for 10 days. During the off period, I refresh the creative -- new videos, new images, new ad copy. Then I run the next sprint with the updated assets.
Over the course of about six weeks, I generated over 200 $5 sales doing this. And because I kept refreshing the creative, the algorithm never got stale.
Starting budget:
- Begin at $15 to $20 per day to validate your offer. That's $300 to $500 over two to three weeks.
- Once you see consistent conversions, scale to $50 to $60 per day.
- When the back-end math checks out (trial conversions, retention), push to $100 per day and beyond.
The AI advantage:
I now use AI to generate most of my ad creative. Sora creates video ads. I built a custom tool that generates 12 ad images from a single sales copy input. My AI agents write scripts, test headlines, and refresh campaigns -- all while I focus on coaching and content.
You don't need the AI setup to start. But as you scale, these tools let you refresh creative at a pace that would have been impossible even a year ago.
The whole point of an evergreen funnel is that it runs without you. Your job becomes being the visionary -- creating content, showing up for your members, and letting the system handle the rest.
Your Next Step
Here's the blueprint in one sentence: charge $5 for a micro-class that bridges into an automated webinar, which sells a trial to your membership, which upsells to a VIP tier -- and let the math compound over time.
Every piece of this system is designed to be automated. The $5 class sells on autopilot. The webinar plays on autopilot. The email sequences nurture on autopilot. You show up for your members -- that's the one thing you can't automate, and it's the thing that makes this whole model work.
This is exactly what I teach step by step inside the Wealthy Coach Academy. The courses, the ad strategies, the funnel templates, the live coaching to help you build it for your specific niche -- it's all in there.
Grab the $5 class and see how the funnel works firsthand
Stop giving away your best stuff for free. Start building a system that qualifies buyers, automates the sale, and turns $5 into your best clients.