Create Your First Course
The full flow from adding a course, uploading videos, and setting prices, to publishing it live.
Creating a course takes two steps: first set up the course details, then add your teaching content.
Step 1: Course settings
In the left menu, go to "Courses → Courses" → top-right "+ New Course".
The only required field is the course name; everything else can be filled in later. A few fields worth thinking through from the start:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Course summary | Shown on the course page and card. It gets indexed by search engines, so it's worth writing well |
| Course cover | 16:9 recommended. The system automatically compresses it to WebP on upload, so no manual conversion needed |
| Price / Sale price | The sale price can have an expiry date, after which it automatically reverts to the original price |
| Access period | Leave blank = lifetime access. Many learners prefer a one-time purchase |
| Free course | When checked, students enroll directly without going through checkout |
Pre-order and stopping sales
- Set the sale start time to a future time → the course page shows a countdown and can't be purchased yet (pre-order mode)
- Check Stop selling → the course page and list still display as usual and the price is still visible, but all purchase entry points are closed
Stopping sales and "unpublishing" are two different things that people often confuse:
| Course page | Existing students | Can buy? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stop selling | Visible | Keep watching | ❌ |
| Unpublish | Whole page disappears | Also can't see it | ❌ |
An old course you no longer sell but want to keep available for existing students → use Stop selling. When you stop selling, you can also designate a "suggested alternative course," and the system will place a button on the page directing to that course, catching the traffic from the old page.
Step 2: Add your teaching content
After saving, click "Next: set up topics and chapters".
- Topic = a chapter grouping (e.g. "Chapter 1: Core Concepts")
- Unit = an actual lesson, which can hold video, text, and attachments
Units can be reordered by drag-and-drop, and you can reuse them across courses with "Add existing unit".
Uploading videos
Videos run on Bunny Stream (you need to enter your own API key under "Settings → Video"). After uploading, the system automatically transcodes the video and generates a thumbnail; you can do other things while it transcodes.
The player has a built-in dynamic watermark (the student's email and site name rotate through the four corners, including in fullscreen), which reduces the incentive to record and leak content.
Free preview
Units can be individually checked as "Free preview," letting visitors who haven't purchased watch them. Typically you'd open up the first one or two units of the first chapter.
Step 3: Publish
Go back to the course settings, check "Publish now," and save.
Once published, the course appears on the homepage and in the course list. Before publishing, you can use the "👁️ Preview course" button at the top-right to see the actual result; that link is only visible to you.
FAQ
Can't delete a course? A course with purchase records can't be deleted, in order to preserve financial data. Use "Stop selling" or unpublish instead.
A student says they can't see the course? Check in order: is the course published → is that student on the "Course → Students" list → has the access period expired.
Next up
- Payment setup: so the course can actually take money
- Student and order management: manually add students, look up orders