Evergreen marketing funnels for course creators: How to capture, nurture, and convert leads

Engagement inside your courses (quizzes, certificates) directly impacts upsell success.

If you’re running an online course or academy, you already know how challenging it can be to turn leads into paying students. Maybe you’ve seen plenty of sign-ups but struggle to convert them. Or perhaps your revenue depends on exhausting live launches that spike and then disappear. And if you’re juggling multiple tools that don’t talk to each other, the manual work can quickly drain your energy.

That’s why we brought together three powerful tools: LearnWorlds, MailerLite, and Deadline Funnel. We hosted the “Create an evergreen marketing funnel for your courses” webinar to show course creators how to build a simple, automated evergreen funnel that works on autopilot. With the right setup, you can capture new leads, nurture them with value, and motivate them to enroll in your courses.

In this blog post, I will distill the key insights and the exact strategies shared during our recent webinar, along with practical tips you can put into action today. And if you prefer to learn by watching, you can also catch the full webinar, for free, on demand here.

What is an evergreen funnel (and why it matters for course creators)

Think of an evergreen funnel as your always-on sales system. Unlike a live launch that brings in a rush of revenue and then fades out, an evergreen funnel runs quietly in the background every day. It takes a new lead by the hand, introduces them to your value, and guides them step by step until they’re ready to buy.

As Eliza Cani, LearnWorlds’ learning designer, explained during the webinar:

Why evergreen funnels solve common creator pain points

• No more tool fatigue: instead of juggling disconnected platforms, you can connect LearnWorlds, MailerLite, and Deadline Funnel together so they sync seamlessly. No more manual tagging or messy spreadsheets.
• Predictable sales instead of burnout launches: an evergreen funnel gives you steady revenue without the stress of planning constant live launches.
• Better conversion rates: the structure itself does the work. Lead magnets attract the right people, email automations nurture them, and authentic deadlines motivate them to take action.

3 use cases you can copy right now

The webinar highlighted three proven ways to start building your funnel:

1. Newsletter opt-in
   
   • Example: A “JavaScript Tuesdays” weekly email that delivers code snippets, mini challenges, and best practices for developers.
   • How it works: Someone signs up for your newsletter and immediately receives a welcome email. Over the next 14 days, you send them a drip series that shares useful content, student success stories, and small wins. Once trust is built, you present a limited-time offer; for instance, 20% off your full subscription if they act within 72 hours.
   • Why it works: You’re offering value before asking for a purchase, while the deadline nudges readers to take action instead of “thinking about it later.”
2. Paid workshop replay
   
   • Example: A $19 replay of a live coaching workshop on personal branding.
   • How it works: By charging a small amount upfront, you qualify your leads as serious learners. After they watch the replay, they receive a 7-day sequence of emails that highlight client success stories, dive deeper into your program’s curriculum, and end with a “last call” message. The paid offer is a premium 12-week 1:1 coaching program, with a 30% discount available only during that 7-day window.
   • Why it works: Charging a small fee filters out freebie-seekers, so your funnel is filled with motivated prospects who already see value in paying for your expertise.
3. Free mini course (most popular with course creators)
   • Example: “Introduction to Digital Marketing,” a short, 3-module free course.
   • How it works: Learners enroll for free and start getting value right away. Once they complete the mini course, they’re tagged inside your LMS and dropped into a 5-day email sequence that shares case studies, small marketing “quick wins,” and student testimonials. At the end of the sequence, they’re presented with an exclusive 30% discount for the advanced course, valid for 5 days only.
   • Why it works: A free course gives learners a taste of your teaching style and outcomes. By the time they finish, they’re invested and more likely to see the value in upgrading to your advanced program.

If you’re just starting, begin with the free mini course funnel. It’s the fastest way to showcase your teaching style, build trust, and tag engaged learners who are most likely to upgrade later.

How LearnWorlds, MailerLite, and Deadline Funnel work together

A funnel only works if the pieces connect. That’s why we brought LearnWorlds, MailerLite, and Deadline Funnel together in the webinar to show how each tool plays its role and how, when combined, they create a seamless customer journey from first click to checkout.

Step 1: Set the foundation in LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds is where your courses live and where the funnel begins. You can:

• Create both free and paid courses, for example, a free “Introduction” course and a follow-up advanced course
• Tag learners automatically when they complete a course, so you know who’s ready for the next step
• Build sales and funnel pages without coding, giving you branded opt-in, sales, and checkout pages that feel consistent
• Set up discounts with precision, such as a 30% off coupon that only applies to learners who have finished your free course.

Take it a step further and don’t just create a free course, also design the follow-up paid course and the funnel page at the same time. This ensures your funnel isn’t a dead end but a clear next step for learners.

Step 2: nurture with MailerLite

Once learners are tagged in LearnWorlds, they automatically sync into MailerLite. This is where email automation does the heavy lifting:

• Segment your list into leads vs. customers, or even by course completion
• Drip valuable content, welcome emails, quick wins, case studies, and reminders, spaced out over several days.
• Personalize communication with names, tags, or behaviors so your emails don’t feel like one-size-fits-all blasts.

During the webinar, Harmony Riveros, customer education specialist at MailerLite, showed how easy it is to build these automations with MailerLite’s drag-and-drop builder. A simple welcome automation that delivers your lead magnet instantly is often the best place to start.

Make sure to add at least a 24 to 48-hour delay between nurture emails. This keeps learners engaged without overwhelming their inbox.

Step 3: convert with Deadline Funnel

Deadlines are what move people from “I’ll think about it” to “I’ll do it now.” Deadline Funnel ensures every subscriber sees a personalized, authentic countdown that can’t be reset by refreshing the page.

• Countdowns appear everywhere: in emails, on sales pages, and even at checkout
• Evergreen deadlines mean each learner gets their own 5-day window, no matter when they enter the funnel
• Automatic redirects take learners to the regular-priced page once the offer expires

Anthony Xiques, CPO at Deadline Funnel, explained it best: “Deadlines give people the motivation and the prompt they need to take the next step in their journey.”

But make sure to use deadlines sparingly. One genuine, time-limited discount works better than constant “fake” scarcity.

The “set it and forget it” system

Once these three platforms are connected, your funnel runs on autopilot.

• LearnWorlds captures leads and tracks progress.
• MailerLite nurtures them with timely, automated communication.
• Deadline Funnel ensures your offer feels urgent and real.

This combination frees you from chasing leads manually, so you can focus on what you do best, creating valuable courses and serving your learners.

Best practices for building evergreen funnels (tips from the experts)

During the webinar’s live Q&A, participants raised the kinds of questions many course creators face: how often should I email? What if I migrate from another LMS? Do quizzes actually help with conversions? Our panel shared practical answers that you can apply straight away.

1. Start simple with automations

Harmony from MailerLite recommended beginning with a welcome automation. It’s the easiest way to deliver instant value (like a freebie, discount code, or mini course) and set expectations for new subscribers.

Create a 3–5 email welcome sequence. Start with a friendly introduction, follow up with small wins or resources, and introduce your paid offer by the final email.

2. Space your emails wisely

Many new creators overwhelm their leads with too many emails too quickly. The MailerLite demo highlighted the importance of adding pauses between messages.

Allow a 24–48 hour gap between nurture emails. This balance keeps you top-of-mind without causing email fatigue.

3. Use real urgency, not fake scarcity

Anthony from Deadline Funnel emphasized authenticity: deadlines should be genuine. A personalized 5-day countdown that truly expires creates urgency, without damaging trust.

Tie the urgency to a real offer, like 30% off an advanced course. Make sure the discount actually ends when the timer runs out.

4. Quizzes and certificates keep learners engaged

Eliza from LearnWorlds reminded us that a funnel doesn’t stop at checkout. Learner engagement inside your courses plays a big role in future upsells. Quizzes, certificates, and interactive content increase completion rates and make your learners more likely to upgrade.

Add a short quiz at the end of your free mini course. It reinforces learning and gives learners a sense of achievement before you introduce your paid program.

5. Streamline payments with the right gateway

LearnWorlds doesn’t process payments directly. Instead, you’ll connect a gateway like Stripe, PayPal, or Shopify. Stripe was highlighted as the most flexible option, supporting Apple Pay, Google Pay, subscriptions, and installment payments.

If your strategy includes memberships or recurring revenue, Stripe is your best choice.

6. Migrating? keep it clean

If you’re moving from another LMS, LearnWorlds supports user and course migration. MailerLite can integrate smoothly too, but you’ll want to keep your subscriber groups organized to avoid messy automations.

Before migrating, audit your tags and lists. Simplify wherever possible so your new automations start on a clean slate.

Ready to build your evergreen funnel?

An evergreen funnel isn’t just a marketing tactic. It’s a system that frees you from the stress of constant live launches and endless manual follow-ups. With the right setup, every new lead is nurtured automatically, every offer feels authentic, and every course you sell becomes part of a predictable revenue engine.

The best part? You don’t need a big team or a complicated stack of tools. By combining LearnWorlds for your courses and sales pages, MailerLite for your email automation, and Deadline Funnel for real urgency, you can create a funnel that works around the clock while you focus on what you do best, teaching.

Want to see how it all works in action? Watch the full webinar replay here. Ready to start building your own? Start your 30-day free trial of LearnWorlds today and see how easy it is to create, sell, and scale your courses with a funnel that works around the clock.

Rosemary Georgarakou

Rosemary is LearnWorlds’ Content Marketing Manager. She has over 2 decades of experience in omnichannel marketing and content writing for the IT and SaaS industry. Her expertise lies in crafting effective content marketing strategies that attract, engage, and nurture customers, enabling LearnWorlds to reach its target audiences with precision.