How would you handle this auction structure?

, I’d love your take on a specific auction setup for a creator with a dormant list.

Context:

We want to auction an 8-week 1-1 coaching program, in which he'd help agency owners where he acts as a consultant to help the winner rebuild their current systems with AI with the focus of increasing client retention.

The creator only wants to fulfill it if the winning bids are “worth his time.” If bids come in around $1k, he’d need ~10 buyers, but offering 10 slots kills the exclusivity that makes the auction exciting.

I’m currently looking at two possible structures and want to check which one you feel is smarter:

Option A:

Run a regular auction with 1–3 slots, but keep an internal reserve price.

If the reserve isn’t met, the slot simply isn’t awarded.

Not sure if he can line up one person before the auction who would take the slot at the reserve. But would try to do that as well.

Option B:

Run a Dutch auction starting high and dropping the price until someone accepts.

Concern: the list is cold, so real-time attention and fast reactions might not be strong enough.

Which approach would you choose for a dormant audience — and why?

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