Coupons vs. free trials vs. invitations

In this article: Three ways to give students discounted or free access to your course, when each one makes sense, and how to combine them. All Plans

Ruzuku gives you three tools for offering free or discounted access: coupons, free trials, and invitations. They overlap in some ways, but each one serves a different purpose.

Here's the quick version:

• Coupons reduce the price. The student still goes through checkout.
• Free trials delay the first charge. The student enrolls now and pays later.
• Invitations bypass payment entirely. You give someone direct, free access.

Choosing the right one depends on what you want the student experience to look like and how much control you need over who gets the offer.

Comparison table

When to use coupons

Coupons are your tool for promotions, launches, and selective discounts. You create a code (like EARLYBIRD or WELCOME50), attach it to one or more price points, and share the code or a direct coupon link with the people you want to receive the discount.

Use coupons when:

• Running a launch promotion. Offer 20% off for the first week your course is available. Share the coupon code in your email list.
• Rewarding existing students. Give students who completed one course a discount on the next. Email them a coupon code.
• Offering a scholarship or full discount. A 100% off coupon effectively makes the course free, but the student still goes through checkout. This is useful when you want the enrollment to feel like a normal signup (with the sales page, enrollment confirmation, etc.) rather than a manual invitation.
• Partner or affiliate promotions. Give a collaborator a coupon code to share with their audience.

Coupons can also include usage limits (only 50 uses) and expiration dates (valid through March 15), so you can control how widely the discount is used.

See Offer discounts and free trials with coupons for setup instructions.

When to use free trials

Free trials let students experience your course before they're charged. The student enrolls, enters their card info, and gets full access. When the trial ends, Stripe charges their first payment automatically. If they cancel before the trial ends, they're never charged.

Use free trials when:

• Selling a subscription or membership. Students want to know the content is worth a recurring fee. A 7-day trial lets them explore before committing.
• Offering a higher-priced payment plan. A trial period reduces the perceived risk for a $500+ course. Students can start the material and confirm it's right for them.
• Launching a new course without testimonials. When you don't have social proof yet, a trial gives potential students a risk-free way to try your teaching.

Free trials are available on payment plans and subscriptions only. They require Stripe because Stripe handles the delayed billing.

For example: you offer a $49/month coaching membership with a 7-day free trial. Students sign up, get a week of access, and are automatically charged $49 on day 8 if they haven't canceled.

See Offer free trials for your course for setup instructions.

When to use invitations

Invitations are for giving specific people free access, no questions asked. You enter an email address, Ruzuku sends an enrollment link, and the person is enrolled for free when they click it. No sales page, no checkout, no card on file.

Use invitations when:

• Enrolling beta testers or reviewers. They need to see the course, not buy it.
• Enrolling students who paid outside Ruzuku. Someone paid through a separate invoice, at a live event, or via another tool. Send them an invitation to access the content.
• Granting scholarship or VIP access. You want to give one person free access without creating a coupon or free price point.
• Onboarding collaborators. Your co-instructor, editor, or VA needs to review the course.

Each invitation is tied to a specific email address. The link can't be forwarded to someone else and used by a different person.

Invitations are available on Core and Pro plans. See Send free invitations for setup instructions.

Combining them

These tools aren't mutually exclusive. Here are some combinations that work well:

Coupon + free trial price point. You have a $29/month subscription with a 7-day trial. During a launch, you also create a coupon for 50% off the first month. A student could sign up with the trial, and if they enter the coupon code, their first charge (after the trial) is discounted.

Invitations + paid price points on the same course. Most of your students enroll through a paid price point on your sales page. But you invite a handful of beta testers or scholarship recipients directly. Both groups end up in the same course.

100% off coupon for group access. You want to give 20 people from a company free access but want them to go through the normal enrollment flow (sales page, account creation, welcome email). Create a 100% off coupon with a 20-use limit and share the code with the group.

Quick decision guide

Frequently Asked Questions

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