You’ve done the work. You know there’s a market. You know what your audience needs. Now comes the question that is going to determine how you spend the next few months of your life: how should you deliver this?
eCourse? Workshop? Webinar?
The answer depends on more than personal preference. It’s going to be heavily dependent on the depth of your content, the kind of transformation you’re promising, and how your audience learns best. Here’s how to think through it.
The Three Formats, Precisely Defined
An online course (eCourse) is a structured series of lessons delivered through a digital platform (think: video modules, written content, exercises, quizzes) completed at the learner’s own pace. It’s the most comprehensive of the three formats, suited for multi-faceted topics that benefit from being broken into digestible segments over time.
A webinar is a live or pre-recorded presentation, usually 45 to 90 minutes, focused on a single topic or idea. It’s typically free or low-cost, and often used to build awareness, demonstrate expertise, or test interest in a bigger offer. Attendees watch and listen; interaction is usually limited to Q&A.
A workshop is a live, hands-on experience that typically boasts smaller attendance than a webinar but is higher in interaction. Participants aren’t just learning; they’re engaging. A 90-minute workshop might walk participants through building something specific, practicing a skill, or applying a framework to their own situation. That depth commands a higher price point and is often between $97 to $300 or more, depending on the topic and audience.
When an eCourse Is the Right Choice
Choose a course format when your topic has enough depth to fill multiple lessons, not just multiple slides. A good eCourse isn’t a stretched-out webinar. It’s a logical progression from problem to understanding to skill to application, with each lesson building on the last.
That depth comes at a cost. eCourses take significant time and money to produce well. Video recording, editing, platform setup, marketing – it all adds up. Which is why confirming there’s demand isn’t optional. Before you build a full course, you really should be in the know if there is evidence that your audience will buy it.
The upside? A well-built eCourse can generate revenue indefinitely. It’s the most scalable of the three formats. When you’re ready to think beyond launch and into growth, here’s what scaling an eCourse business actually looks like.
When a Webinar Makes More Sense
Webinars shine when you need speed, flexibility, or a lower-stakes way to test an idea. If you’re not ready to commit to a full course, a 60-minute webinar lets you explore whether your audience engages with a topic before you build out the whole thing.
They’re also a natural sales mechanism. Many course creators use webinars to preview their content, demonstrate their teaching style, and make a direct offer to enroll. Done well, a webinar is both a lead generation tool and a revenue event.
The format is ideal for consultants, coaches, and service professionals who want to build authority and visibility without the overhead of a full production.
When a Workshop Is the Right Move
A workshop is the right choice when your audience needs to leave with something they built, practiced, or solved.
Think about the difference between a webinar on “How to Write a Better LinkedIn Headline” versus a workshop where participants rewrite their headline during the session and get live feedback. Same topic. Completely different experience and completely different price.
Workshops work best when the skill you’re teaching is specific, actionable, and demonstrably different after the session than before. The smaller group size creates accountability and interaction that a webinar can’t replicate.
The Real Question: How Much Do You Have to Teach?
Strip away the format preferences and the pricing considerations, and the core decision usually comes down to this: how much material do you have?
If you can break your topic into eight to twelve distinct lessons that build on each other, you probably have a course. If you have one strong idea that warrants 60 to 90 minutes of focused attention, a webinar might be the right vehicle. If you have a skill that people need to practice, a workshop is probably a better bet.
You can also use these formats in sequence. Start with a webinar to test your concept and build your audience. Run a workshop for the people who want to go deeper. Build the full course once you’ve refined the content and confirmed the market. Many of the most successful online educators didn’t start with a course, they started with a conversation.
If you’re trying to figure out which format fits your expertise and your audience, we’re good at that conversation.
James Schulman is the co-founder and Managing Partner of TFG Marketing + Design, an Austin-based marketing and design agency founded in 2011. He leads the company’s SEO, GEO, and data strategy practices across 16+ US states and 45+ industries. His work has driven results including 1,000%+ website traffic growth for a Florida law firm and a content strategy generating $3M+ in annual consulting revenue for a construction firm.
