If you’ve spent any amount of time in the online business space, you’ve probably heard very strong opinions about the “best” way to grow your audience.
Summits are the gold standard.
Bundles are the fastest way to grow your list.
Challenges convert better than anything else.
And here’s the truth: none of those statements are wrong but none of them tell the whole story either.
The real secret to a successful audience building strategy isn’t choosing the trendiest event format. It’s choosing the right event for your goals, your bandwidth, and the season of business you’re currently in. When you choose the wrong one, even the best strategy will feel exhausting and ineffective. When you choose the right one, everything starts to click.
In this episode, we’re breaking down the strengths, weaknesses, and best use cases for virtual summits, bundles, and challenges, so you can confidently choose the audience building strategy that actually works for you.
Why Your Audience Building Strategy Needs to Match Your Season
One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is copying someone else’s strategy without asking why it worked for them.
Your audience building strategy should be based on:
- Your current capacity and energy
- Your short-term and long-term business goals
- Whether you’re prioritizing visibility, list growth, or sales
- The level of support and systems you already have in place
There is no single “best” event type — only the one that fits right now. Let’s break down the three most popular options.
Virtual Summits: The Relationship-Driven Audience Building Strategy
Virtual summits are the visibility and authority powerhouse of audience building strategies. They’re partnership-focused events that bring together experts, collaborators, and attendees into one shared experience.
When done well, a summit doesn’t just grow your list — it grows your network.
Why summits work so well for audience building
- Massive reach through speaker collaboration
- Deep connection with attendees over multiple days
- Strong authority positioning in your niche
- Evergreen potential for ongoing lead generation
- Warm, primed leads for higher-ticket offers
A summit creates a moment in your business. You’re not just another name in someone’s inbox — you’re the host, the connector, the leader.
The trade-offs to consider
- Summits require the most upfront planning
- Speaker coordination can be time-intensive
- Systems and organization are non-negotiable
If visibility, long-term authority, and relationship building are top priorities in your audience building strategy, a summit is hard to beat. But it does require solid systems and intentional planning to avoid burnout.
Bundles: The Fast, Low-Lift Audience Building Strategy
Bundles are often overlooked, but they’re one of the most efficient audience building strategies when your capacity is limited.
Instead of live sessions, bundles collect digital products from contributors and package them into a single, high-value offer. There’s no live event schedule and far less ongoing logistics.
Why bundles work for list growth
- Rapid list growth with minimal time commitment
- Little to no live hosting required
- Lower barrier for contributors to participate
- Perfect for low-energy or busy seasons
Bundles are especially effective when your primary goal is top-of-funnel growth introducing new people to your brand quickly and easily.
Where bundles fall short
- More transactional than relational
- Lower engagement compared to live events
- Less effective for selling higher-ticket offers
- Contributors may promote less unless deeply aligned
A bundle is an ideal audience building strategy when you want growth without hosting a “big event.” It’s simple, efficient, and powerful — just not as immersive.
Challenges: The Conversion-Focused Audience Building Strategy
Challenges are hands-on, action-driven experiences designed to build trust fast and move people toward a purchase.
Unlike summits or bundles, challenges are typically led by you which means more visibility, more connection, and more responsibility.
Why challenges drive results
- High engagement and real-time interaction
- Rapid trust-building through live teaching
- Perfect for warming leads before a launch
- Flexible length and format (3–7 days)
If sales are your primary focus, challenges are one of the strongest audience building strategies available. They prime your audience to take action and position your offer as the natural next step.
What to watch out for
- Requires consistent live (or live-ish) presence
- Needs a clear message and strong CTA
- Works best with a warm or existing audience
- Less organic reach without collaborators or ads
Challenges shine in selling seasons, but they demand more energy and visibility from you.
How to Choose the Right Audience Building Strategy
Here’s a simple cheat sheet to help you decide:
Choose a summit if you want:
- More visibility and credibility
- Strong collaboration and partnerships
- Evergreen audience growth
- Long-term authority positioning
Choose a bundle if you want:
- Fast list growth
- A low-lift event
- Minimal live commitments
- A break from high-energy launches
Choose a challenge if you want:
- Engagement and connection
- Warm leads ready to buy
- A runway into a launch
- Action-oriented participants
Real-World Audience Building Strategy Examples
- Launching a course in 6 weeks?
A challenge warms leads and builds momentum for conversion. - Want to grow your list before a big event?
A bundle is an efficient way to boost numbers quickly. - Looking for more authority and partnerships?
A summit positions you as a leader while expanding your network. - Feeling burnt out and overwhelmed?
A bundle allows growth without heavy content creation. - Want deeper relationships with your audience?
A challenge or summit can work — choose based on your energy level.
The Bottom Line: Strategy Over Trends
No audience building strategy is “better” than the others. They’re simply different tools designed for different goals and seasons.
When you choose a strategy that aligns with where you are right now, growth feels easier. When you choose one that doesn’t, even the best tactics feel heavy and frustrating.
The key is clarity:
- Know what you need
- Honor your capacity
- Choose the tool that supports both
That’s how you build an audience sustainably and strategically without burning yourself out in the process.