Step 4: Welcome your first students

In this article: Customize the email students receive when they enroll, add an orientation lesson, and get your first students into your course. Covers invitations, sharing your link, and what the first enrollment experience looks like.

All Plans

Your course is built, payments are set up, and your sales page is ready. Now comes the moment that makes it real: getting actual students enrolled.

This step is about making sure those first students feel welcome and know exactly what to do next. A strong start builds momentum for both you and your students.

Customize your welcome email

Ruzuku sends an automatic email to every student the moment they enroll. You can customize this message to set the right tone from the start.

1. Go to Manage Course → Messages.
2. Find the Welcome Email and click to edit it.
3. Write your message and save.

A good welcome email covers four things:

• Thank them for joining. A short, genuine note goes a long way. "Welcome to the course — I'm glad you're here."
• Tell them what to expect. How is the course structured? When does content become available? Will there be live sessions?
• Point them to the first lesson. Include a clear next step. "Click the link below to start Module 1" removes any guesswork.
• Tell them how to reach you. Let students know how to get help if they're stuck. This could be a discussion forum inside the course, your email, or a link to a community space.

Add an orientation lesson (optional)

Consider creating a short "Welcome" or "Start Here" lesson as the first item in your course. This gives students a home base when they first log in.

What to include:

• A brief personal introduction (a 1-2 minute video works well here)
• An overview of how the course is organized
• Any housekeeping details (schedule, expectations, how discussions work)
• Where to get help

Students who know how to navigate the course are more likely to engage with it. An orientation lesson takes 10 minutes to create and saves you from answering the same "where do I find...?" questions over and over.

Get your first students enrolled

You have three ways to bring students in:

Share your sales page link

This is the standard path. Students visit your sales page, see the description and pricing, and click to enroll.

Copy your sales page URL from Manage Course → Sales page and share it wherever you reach your audience: email list, social media, website, or a direct message.

Share a price point link

If you want to send someone straight to checkout (skipping the sales page), copy the link for a specific price point from Manage Course → Price Points. This is useful for follow-up messages where the person already knows about the course.

Send free invitations

Want to enroll someone without them paying? Go to Manage Course → Invitations.

1. Click Send Invitations.
2. Enter the email addresses of the people you want to invite.
3. Click Send.

Invited students receive an email with a link to join the course at no charge. This is useful for:

• Beta testers who give you feedback before a paid launch
• Colleagues or collaborators who help you run the course
• Scholarship students or anyone you want to give free access

You can send invitations one at a time or paste in a list of email addresses.

What the first enrollment looks like

Here's what happens when your first student enrolls:

1. They click your sales page link or price point link.
2. They create a Ruzuku account (name and email) and pay if it's a paid course.
3. They see a confirmation page with a link to start the course.
4. They receive your welcome email.
5. They click through to the course and see your content.

You can track enrollments under Manage Course → Students. This page shows you everyone who's enrolled, when they joined, and their progress through the course.

Your first enrollment is a milestone

Getting that first student enrolled — even if it's a friend or a beta tester — turns your course from a project into something real. Test the enrollment flow yourself first (see How to Test Payment and Enrollment) so you know exactly what your students experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next step: Step 5: Engage Your Community — set up discussions, live meetings, and scheduled messages to keep students engaged and learning.

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