Challenges are one of the highest-impact features in a wellness app. They build community, drive engagement, and consistently bring in new subscribers — often using content you already have. This article covers why challenges work, how to plan one, how to set it up, and how to promote it before, during, and after.
Why challenges work
Challenges create a shared moment for your users. Instead of practicing alone, everyone is doing the same content over the same window — that's what turns a content library into a community.
For your business, challenges:
Bring existing users back into daily use of the app
Give your audience a clear reason to subscribe
Create an "event" that's easy to promote, even though it's on-demand
Give you a natural moment to run a sale
Step 1: Plan your challenge
A good challenge starts with a clear problem to solve. Choose a topic your audience already cares about, and frame the challenge as the answer.
Pick your length. Most challenges run 15 to 31 days. A 30-day challenge timed to a calendar month is the easiest to promote ("January Reset," "30 Days of Strength in March"), but 14 or 21 days work well too — especially if you don't have 30 classes ready.
Choose your daily session length. Aim for 15 to 30 minutes per day. Long enough to be a real practice, short enough that participants can fit it into a normal weekday.
Theme examples to get you started — adapt to your audience:
30 Day Stretch Challenge
14 Day Handstand Challenge
30 Day Beginner Yoga Challenge
14 Days of Mindfulness
7 Days of Lifting Heavy
21 Day Strength Challenge
You don't need to film anything new. Pull existing classes that fit the theme and sequence them so each day builds on the last.
Build in rest days. Including a "Rest" day every few sessions keeps participants' streaks intact and gives them a satisfying check mark on lighter days. A short, simple rest day video works well.
Step 2: Set up the challenge in the portal
[PLACEHOLDER — current 6.9 portal steps] Add the navigation path and step-by-step instructions for creating a challenge as a course, uploading classes, and adding sessions in the right order. Note any 6.9-specific options (e.g., scheduled release, completion tracking, course type).
Once your challenge is built, add it to your app's home page in a Challenges category so it's easy for users to find.
[PLACEHOLDER — current 6.9 portal steps] Add the steps for surfacing a challenge in the home page Challenges category.
Step 3: Choose your prizes
Prizes give people a reason to start, finish, and tell their friends. The strongest challenges typically offer two or three of the following:
Cash — a $50 to $200 prize is meaningful without breaking your budget
Lifetime app access — high perceived value, no out-of-pocket cost
Sponsored product — partner with a brand (yoga mat, equipment, supplement) and let them sponsor the prize in exchange for cross-promotion
A 1-on-1 session with you — particularly powerful if you don't usually offer it
Pick a winner at random from everyone who completed the challenge and met your rules.
[PLACEHOLDER — lifetime access fulfillment] If partners can grant lifetime access directly in the 6.9 portal, insert the steps. If they need to email partner support to set it up, say so and provide the email address.
Step 4: Set the rules
Keep the rules clear, simple, and visible — in the challenge description, on social media, and in your emails. A solid baseline:
Download and subscribe to the app
Complete every day of the challenge
Email screenshots of completion
Share 2–3 sentences about what the challenge did for them
Tag your account on social and mention the challenge
Optional bonus entries:
Leave an App Store or Google Play review
Adjust based on your audience and platform — the goal is to give participants a real reason to engage with the app and your channels, not to create busywork.
Step 5: Promote it
You will need to promote your challenge more than feels natural. A challenge is one of the best top-of-funnel moments you have — make sure your full audience hears about it, not just current users.
Use every channel you have:
Social media (feed posts, stories, reels, lives)
Email
Push notifications to existing users
App Store events
Live classes, in-person events, podcast episodes
[PLACEHOLDER — App Store events workflow] Note whether partners can submit App Store events themselves or need to email partner support, and include the current process.
Sample promotion timeline. Use this as a starting template — adjust to your launch date.
Date | Activity |
4 weeks out | Announce the challenge across all channels |
2 weeks out | Reminder: "Challenge starts in 2 weeks" |
1 week out | Reminder + share what to expect |
Day before | Final reminder: "We start tomorrow" |
Day 1 | "Welcome to Day 1 — here's how to start" |
End of each week | Check-in: "How's it going? It's not too late to join" |
Final day | "Today is the last day — finish strong" |
1–2 days after | Announce the winner |
In your messaging, make sure participants can quickly answer four questions: Who is this for? Why do it? What can I expect? How do I start?
Step 6: Run it well
The challenge isn't done when it goes live. Engagement during the run is what turns participants into long-term subscribers.
Show up daily in stories or short posts. Your audience is more likely to finish if they see you finishing too.
Reply to comments and reshare participant content (with permission). This builds community and gives social proof to people on the fence.
Send a midway nudge to anyone who started but stopped. A quick "you can still finish strong" message recovers more participants than you'd expect.
Consider pairing it with a sale. Many partners run a subscription discount starting around the midpoint of the challenge, while interest is highest. Promote any sale via email, social, and your web paywall — never inside the app, which violates Apple and Google policy.
Step 7: Wrap up
When the challenge ends:
Announce the winner publicly so everyone sees the prize was real
Post a recap reel or carousel — completion stats, testimonials, your favorite moments
Email everyone (completers and non-completers) with a "what's next" — your next challenge, your usual content library, or a continuing offer
A good challenge wrap-up is also the start of your next one. Make a note of what worked, what didn't, and how many new subscribers you converted so the next round is sharper.