This article aims to explain pre-enrollment in online courses and how it can be used to effectively manage course enrollments with Thinkific. Pre-enrollment is a feature offered by some online course platforms that allow instructors to set up an enrollment period prior to the launch of their course. This helps ensure that they have enough students enrolled before they launch, as well as giving them an opportunity to market their course and increase visibility.
Pre-enrollment is a great way for instructors to manage enrollments since it allows them to control when people can join their course and also gives them time to market it before launch. It also provides potential students with more information about the course, allowing them to make an informed decision about whether or not they want to enroll. Finally, it can help build anticipation for the course launch among current and prospective students alike.
Thinkific offers a powerful pre-enrollment feature that makes it easy for instructors to set up an enrollment period prior to launching their courses. With Thinkific’s pre-enroll feature, instructors are able to access detailed analytics on who has signed up for their course during the enrollment period, enabling them to track progress toward meeting their target enrollment numbers. Additionally, this feature also allows instructors to create campaigns through email marketing tools such as MailChimp or ConvertKit, helping them reach more potential students while building anticipation around the upcoming launch of their courses.
Benefits of Pre-enrollment
If you’re a course creator, offering pre-enrollment to your upcoming course can provide numerous benefits to both you and your students. Here are some benefits to consider:
Benefits for Course Creators
- Predictable revenue: By offering pre-enrollment, course creators can accurately forecast revenue before the course launches, which can help with budgeting and planning.
- Early feedback: Pre-enrollment allows creators to receive feedback on course content and structure before the course launches, allowing for improvements and adjustments based on the feedback received.
- Increased engagement: Pre-enrollment can help create a sense of anticipation and excitement among students, leading to increased engagement and participation.
Benefits for Students
- Early access: Prenrollment provides early access to course content, allowing students to begin preparing and familiarizing themselves with the course materials before the course officially starts.
- Reduced cost: Some course creators offer discounted rates for pre-enrollment, providing an opportunity for students to save money on course fees.
- Guaranteed spot: By pre-enrolling, students can secure their spot in the course before it fills up, ensuring that they don’t miss out on the opportunity to participate in the course.
Setting Up Pre-enrollment in Thinkific
Pre-enrollment is a powerful tool for course creators to generate buzz and gauge interest in their courses before they officially launch. With Thinkific, setting up pre-enrollment is a breeze.
- Create a course: First, create a new course in Thinkific by going to Manage Learning Content > Courses > Create New Course.
- Enable pre-enrollment: Once you have created the course, go to the course landing page and select Settings > Pricing. From there, turn on the “Enable Pre-Enrollment” option.
- Customize the pre-enrollment page: Thinkific allows you to customize your pre-enrollment page to match your branding and messaging. You can add a custom banner image, course description, and enrollment form fields.
- Set pre-enrollment period: Next, set the pre-enrollment period. This is the time frame during which students can pre-enroll in your course. You can set a specific start and end date or leave it open-ended.
- Manage pre-enrollment list: As students pre-enroll in your course, they will be added to a pre-enrollment list. You can manage this list and export it as needed.
By following these steps, you can easily set up pre-enrollment for your course in Thinkific and start generating interest and excitement among potential students.
> > Click Here to Start Your Free Trial < <
Best Practices for Pre-enrollment
Pre-enrollment can be a powerful tool for course creators to build anticipation and excitement for their upcoming courses. To make the most of pre-enrollment, it is important to follow some best practices.
- Set clear expectations: Clearly communicate the benefits of pre-enrollment, such as early access to course materials, exclusive content, and discounted prices. Make sure students know what they are signing up for and what they can expect from the pre-enrollment period.
- Build a landing page: Create a dedicated landing page for pre-enrollment with compelling copy and graphics. Use this page to highlight the benefits of pre-enrollment and encourage visitors to sign up.
- Promote your pre-enrollment period: Use your existing marketing channels, such as email lists and social media, to promote your pre-enrollment period. Encourage your audience to sign up and share the news with their networks.
- Engage with pre-enrolled students: Keep pre-enrolled students engaged and excited about your upcoming course by sending regular updates and exclusive content. Consider offering early access to course materials or hosting a Q&A session for pre-enrolled students.
- Collect feedback: Use the pre-enrollment period as an opportunity to collect feedback from your audience. Ask pre-enrolled students what they are looking forward to most and what they hope to get out of your course. Use this feedback to shape your course content and improve your marketing strategy.
By following these best practices, course creators can make the most of their pre-enrollment period and create a strong foundation for a successful course launch.
Managing Preenrolled Students
Once pre-enrollment is set up in Thinkific, it’s important to effectively manage and communicate with pre-enrolled students to ensure a positive experience for them and maximize conversions for the course creator.
Tracking Preenrolled Students
One of the main benefits of pre-enrollment is being able to track and monitor interest in the course before it officially launches. In Thinkific, course creators can easily track preenrolled students and see who has expressed interest in the course.
Communication with Preenrolled Students
Communication is key during pre-enrollment to keep students engaged and excited about the upcoming course. Thinkific allows course creators to send targeted email campaigns to pre-enrolled students, update them on course progress, and offer exclusive content or discounts.
Converting Preenrolled Students into Enrolled Students
The ultimate goal of pre-enrollment is to convert interested students into enrolled students once the course launches. Thinkific offers tools to facilitate this process, such as automatically enrolling pre-enrolled students into the course once it launches and offering discounts or incentives for pre-enrolled students who become enrolled students.
By effectively managing and communicating with pre-enrolled students, course creators can maximize conversions and create a positive experience for students.
> > Click Here to Start Your Free Trial < <
Conclusion
Pre-enrollment is a valuable feature for course creators who want to generate interest in their online courses before they are officially launched. By allowing students to pre-enroll in a course, creators can gain insights into demand, gather feedback, and build a community around their course. Additionally, pre-enrollment can provide students with early access to course materials and discounts, making it a win-win for both parties.
In this article, we’ve covered the benefits of pre-enrollment for course creators and students, as well as how to set it up in Thinkific. We’ve also shared best practices for maximizing the benefits of pre-enrollment, managing pre-enrolled students, and communicating with them effectively.
By implementing pre-enrollment in your online course, you can start building your student base before your course even launches, which can lead to more successful course launches and higher engagement with your audience. Don’t hesitate to try out pre-enrollment with Thinkific and see the results for yourself!