DEBRIEF: How our 5-Day Challenge Generated $52K in Sales
Have you ever wondered what it really takes to run a profitable five-day challenge?
Today, I'm taking you behind the curtain of our recent Facebook and Instagram Ads for Listbuilding Boot Camp that generated over $52,000 in sales - all from products priced between $25 and $67.
If you're tired of the same old launch strategies or struggling to convert your audience, this transparent breakdown might be exactly what you need.
What Is The Facebook and Instagram Ads for Listbuilding Boot Camp?
Before diving into the results, let me explain what this boot camp is all about.
The Facebook and Instagram Ads for Listbuilding Boot Camp is a 5-day challenge that we offer live 3-4x/year (and sell the recordings throughout the year designed specifically for online business owners, coaches, and course creators who want to grow their email lists consistently using paid advertising.
During this hands-on 5-day training/sales process, participants learn:
How to write high-converting ad copy that actually gets clicks
The exact process for creating scroll-stopping creative that doesn't require design skills
A step-by-step system for setting up Facebook and Instagram ads that bring in qualified leads
How to analyze results and optimize campaigns for better performance
The holistic advertising approach that turns cold traffic into loyal subscribers
Unlike traditional courses that overwhelm you with information but leave you stuck in implementation, our boot camp is action-focused.
By day two, participants have their actual ads running in the wild. By the end of the week, many are already seeing new subscribers joining their lists.
The boot camp includes daily live training sessions, a supportive Facebook community, personalized feedback on ad copy and creative, and - for VIP members -additional Q&A sessions and the chance to have their ads personally managed by our team during the challenge week.
So with that context - let’s talk about how we run and profit from 5-day challenges.
Why Five-Day Challenges Work: The Three C's
Before diving into the details, let's talk about why five-day challenges are so effective compared to other launch models. I call it the "Three C's of Challenges":
1. Connection
While webinars certainly have their place in the marketing ecosystem, they give you just 45-60 minutes to connect with your audience and sell your offer.
That's a narrow window!
A 5-day challenge, on the other hand, creates multiple touchpoints:
Daily live sessions
Facebook group interactions
Regular email communications
This extended period builds deeper relationships with your audience. We know, people don't buy products they buy from people they trust; so if we have more time with our audience to educate them we also have more time to build trust.
2. Conversion
The numbers speak for themselves.
In our most recent challenge, we achieved a 17.66% conversion rate, meaning nearly 18% of all participants purchased our membership offer at the end.
We've seen this percentage climb as high as 19% in previous challenges.
These aren't just “epic” statistics; they're proof that the multi-day format creates an environment where people feel comfortable making purchasing decisions.
3. Continuity
Here's where things get really interesting.
After a challenge ends, there's what I call an "aftershock" or "launch fallout" effect that continues for 2-4 weeks.
During this period, we consistently see:
Increased sales of our low ticket offerings
New membership sign-ups; and evergreen sales
More inquiries about our agency & consulting services
People who experienced the challenge talk about it, recommend it to others, and continue engaging with our ecosystem long after the official end date.
Our Low Ticket Pricing Structure
Our challenge pricing structure isn't complicated, but it's strategically designed to create multiple revenue streams:
Base Challenge Entry: $25 This is the entry point. For $25, participants get access to the five days of training and the Facebook community.
VIP Upgrade: $55 Once someone joins the challenge, they have the option to upgrade to VIP status for an additional $55. VIPs receive:
Extra live calls via Zoom for direct Q&A
Bonus content (in this case an email template for new leads)
Entry into a special contest where one winner gets me to personally run their ads during the challenge week
Membership Offer: $67/month At the end of the challenge, we present our membership program at $67/month, with six-month and annual options available.
Here's what's fascinating: we achieved $52,251 in revenue from these relatively low price points.
How?
Through volume and strategic upsells.
The Content Strategy That Drives Results
The secret to our challenge's success lies in the "PSP Model.” It stands for - Problem, Solution, Problem.
Here's how it works:
Identify your audience's perceived problem: My audience consistently says, "I don't have a list. I need more subscribers."
Provide a solution to that initial problem: We teach them how to run effective Facebook ads to grow their email list.
Introduce a deeper problem: "Now that you have these leads, how do you nurture and sell to them?" This is where our membership comes in.
This approach works because you're not just solving a surface-level challenge—you're helping your audience understand the deeper issues they'll face once they've overcome their initial hurdle.
The 5-Day Training Breakdown
Our challenge content follows a specific flow designed to deliver quick wins early while building toward our offer:
Day 1: Copy and Creative for Ads We focus on writing compelling copy and designing effective creative assets.
Day 2: Setting Up Facebook Ads We get participants to actually implement their ads. This is crucial - we need them to take real action within the first 48 hours while engagement is highest.
Day 3: Advertising Philosophy This is a lighter day where we discuss our holistic approach to Facebook advertising. (This is also when we begin introducing our membership offer more deliberately.)
Day 4: Results Analysis We analyze the results participants are starting to see. For added credibility, I share the live results from our VIP contest winner's account.
Day 5: Wrap-Up and Full Offer Presentation We tie everything together and present a comprehensive pitch for our membership.
The Sales Strategy: Gradual Exposure
Here's a subtle but powerful element of our approach: we mention the membership offer from Day 1, but we gradually increase the time spent discussing it through the challenge.
Each day we go a little deeper into the pitch, introducing more and more information abou the offer as time progresses.
Day 1: Brief 1-2 minute mention ("I'll tell you more about this later")
Day 3: 5-7 minute discussion of the membership
Day 4: 8-10 minute deeper explanation
Day 5: Full 12-15 minute comprehensive pitch
This gradual approach ensures nobody feels blindsided by the offer, but it also doesn't distract from the value being delivered in the first few days.
By the time we make our full pitch, participants have already:
Created their ad copy and creative
Set up actual working ads (and generally are getting their leads flowing in)
Started to see or anticipate results
Built trust with us through multiple interactions
Plus, the Facebook community serves as social proof as people begin posting their wins and results throughout the week.
The Numbers Breakdown | Our Results
Let's get into the specific financial details of our challenge:
Total Revenue: $52,251 - This includes challenge entries, VIP upgrades, and membership sales (monthly, semi-annual, and annual options).
Advertising Spend: $21,048.79 - We invested heavily in Facebook advertising to drive registrations and conversions.
Total CASH Profit: $21,021.05 - After accounting for all expenses.
New Monthly Recurring Revenue: ~$4,000 - This is the real gold; recurring revenue that will continue to generate income long after the challenge ends.
Semi-Annual Subscriptions: ~$2,700 - Six-month memberships purchased during the challenge.
Annual Conversion Rate: 33.6% - Just over one-third of new members (36 out of 107) chose the annual option over monthly payments.
The "Missing" $10,000 Explained
You might notice that if our revenue was $52K and our profit was $21K, there's approximately $10K unaccounted expenses beyond the $21K ad spend.
Here's where that went:
Affiliate Commissions: $5,600+ We offer 100% commission on the $25 front-end challenge price to affiliates.
This means we don't make money on the initial sale but incentivize others to promote our challenge, knowing our real profit comes from upsells and the membership.
Physical Mailers: ~$500 We send physical postcards to everyone who joins our challenge.
Other Expenses:
Transcription services for all sessions
Contest prizes for challenge participants, and for our affiliates
Support team (my team) to help me manage the Facebook community
A copywriter to help us review our participants ads as they write them
The Theme Factor: Making it Memorable
One element that sets our challenges apart is having a strong, often quirky theme. For our most recent challenge, we went with "In Our List Growth Era" - a Taylor Swift-inspired theme coinciding with the end of The Eras Tour.
This wasn't just a surface-level concept.
We went all-in:
Custom Taylor Swift-themed backdrop with giant friendship bracelets
Life-sized Taylor Swift cutout that joined our Zoom calls
A hilariously bad (intentionally!) edited video with my face superimposed on Taylor Swift for the intro
Previous themes have included "Cats" (with cat-themed prizes and graphics) and "Iconic Things of 2023" (featuring Barbie and Stanley Cup prizes).
The theme isn't just for fun - it showcases my (and my team’s) personality, makes the content memorable, and creates a unique experience that participants talk about long after the challenge ends.
The Support System: Getting Help
Running a five-day challenge with hundreds of participants isn't a solo endeavor. Here's how we structure our support:
Copywriter: We hire a dedicated copywriter, Venssa, during challenge week to help review participant submissions.
Operations Manager: Jessica, manages the technical aspects, answers questions, and provides support links.
While you don't need this level of support when first starting out, as your challenges grow, having the right team becomes essential for delivering a quality experience.
The Advertising Approach: Double Down on Spend
We invested over $20,000 in Facebook ads for this challenge; not just to fill the challenge but also to convert participants into members.
A common mistake is focusing all your ad spend on getting people into the challenge but neglecting to retarget these warm leads during and after the event.
Some of our best conversions come from strategic retargeting of challenge participants.
The Communication Trifecta
We maintain engagement through three primary channels:
Email: We send morning, afternoon, and evening emails during the challenge. While this might seem excessive, the data shows it works.
Facebook Group: Daily posts, resources, and engagement prompts keep the community active.
Live Calls: The synchronous experience creates accountability and real-time interaction.
The results speak for themselves—we maintained a 51.8% retention rate from Day 1 to Day 5 (144 of 278 initial participants stayed through to the end). For a five-day event, that's exceptional engagement.
The Ongoing Benefits
The beauty of a well-executed challenge is that the benefits extend far beyond the initial launch period:
Recurring Revenue: With a membership model, each challenge creates a new cohort of recurring revenue.
Continued Sales: The "launch aftershock" effect means sales continue to trickle in for weeks after.
Community Building: Each challenge strengthens our overall community and creates advocates.
Content Creation: The challenge content can be repurposed for future marketing.
The Bottom Line
While a $52K launch with a 50-60% expense ratio might not sound like the most profitable approach on the surface, the long-term value makes it worthwhile:
The recurring revenue compounds over time
The customer acquisition cost is offset by lifetime value
The goodwill and authority built during the challenge create future opportunities
Ready to Launch Your Own Challenge?
If you're inspired to create your own five-day challenge, remember these key principles:
Focus on the Three C's: Connection, Conversion, and Continuity
Structure your content to deliver early wins
Use the PSP Model to bridge from your free content to your paid offer
Gradually introduce your offer throughout the challenge
Create a memorable theme that showcases your personality
Get the support you need to deliver a quality experience
Don't skimp on communication - use email, community, and live sessions
Invest in retargeting ads during and after your challenge
The five-day challenge model continues to be one of the most effective launch strategies in the digital marketing space.
By combining genuine value, strategic pricing, and systematic follow-up, you can create not just a profitable event but a sustainable business model.
P.S. Want to learn more about running your own profitable five-day challenge? Check our FREE Training on Our Challenge Launch Engine for our comprehensive walkthrough of this exact strategy.
