A free challenge is a great way to attract new people to your brand, engage your audience, or build excitement for an upcoming launch. But it can also be a lot of work.
So how do you host a challenge that’s successful and fun — without giving yourself too much to do? What do you need to set up first? And how can you prepare things so you can enjoy the challenge too?
Follow this step-by-step guide!
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1 | Decide Where to Host Your Challenge
Where are you going to host your challenge? There are many options, from email to Instagram to Facebook groups.
Choose the platform that makes the most sense for your audience and your brand. If you want to increase engagement with your existing audience, choose the platform where they’re most active, like a private Facebook group.
On the other hand, if you want to grow your presence and audience on a certain platform, you could choose to host the challenge there instead. For example, if you want to build a bigger Instagram audience, host your challenge there to gain traction and attract new followers.
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2 | Choose the Challenge Topic or Goal
Next, it’s time to choose the activity, goal, or topic for your challenge. Think about your brand and your audience. What do you offer your customers? How can you get them started on the right path with your challenge?
In other words, think about the ideal transformation for one of your customers (or a challenge participant). If you’re a virtual fitness coach, for example, the ideal outcome might be to get your clients to exercise for several days in a row or try out some new workout moves.
Once you can picture what you want a participant to gain from the challenge, you can choose the topic.
Remember to keep your challenge goal measurable and realistic for the majority of your audience. You don’t want to launch a challenge that makes people frustrated!
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3 | Create the Assets
Even a virtual challenge needs tangible assets. And the best time to create them is before you start the challenge.
You need two kinds of assets:
- Promotional: Your promo assets are how you advertise the challenge and encourage people to participate. Think social media posts, emails, and website banners.
- Participatory: You also need assets for the challenge itself. These resources and materials are part of the way you provide value to your audience. Some examples are workbooks, schedules, progress trackers, and templates for posting results.
Assets should be high-quality and engaging but don’t spend too much time on them. A challenge shouldn’t give away so much value that it ends up being a net negative for your business.
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4 | Make a Promotion Plan
Now that you have your challenge assets, it’s time to make a plan for promoting it. Just like with a launch, give yourself enough time to build interest and excitement.
Don’t forget to encourage others to share the details about your challenge. This can be a fantastic way to attract new followers and position your brand as an active, engaging voice in your industry.
Make it as easy as possible for people to join the challenge! It shouldn’t feel like a chore — you want to create an exciting event that people look forward to participating in!
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5 | Host the Challenge — and Have Fun!
You’ve got your plan, your materials, and your audience — now it’s time to start your challenge! If there are online components your participants will use, make sure to test them ahead of time.
And then, start the party! This is your chance to really engage with your audience, so commit to showing up for them and cheering them on toward the goal!
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Final Thoughts
Hosting a free challenge gives you a chance to engage with your audience and show newcomers what your brand offers. Plus, it can be a great way to generate excitement for a new offer — or regenerate interest in an underperforming offer.
But you can’t just host a challenge on a whim. It takes careful planning! You want to give your participants value and a fun experience — without giving away too much money or creating an overwhelming amount of work for yourself.
Choose a topic and platform that make the most sense for your brand and audience. And create all the promotional and participation materials early. The more you get done ahead of time, the easier it will be for you to enjoy the challenge too!
Looking for a deeper dive into hosting a challenge? That’s what we’re talking about right now over in the Momentum Biz Vault.

This marketing guide gives you even more in-depth information and tips about hosting a free challenge:
- The pros and cons of this strategy
- Tips on choosing a topic
- How to tie a challenge into a launch
- Deciding how long the challenge should last
- How to make a challenge beneficial for your audience and business
Ready to host a challenge that’s fun for everyone (including you)? Join Momentum Biz Vault today and get your marketing guide on creating a free challenge for your target audience! You’ll also get access to stock photos, Canva templates, and email sequence templates