Thinkific drip content is a core feature that allows you to release content to students over time.
The drip content feature is available on all subscription plans.
Key Takeaways:
- You can drip content based on enrollment date, start date, and specific dates
- All Thinkific plans allow you to use this feature
What Is Thinkific’s Drip Content Feature?
Thinkific’s drip content feature allows you to roll out videos and content as you want them consumed, as opposed to giving students access to the entire course.
You can base the content distribution on a student’s enrollment or start date or release it on a specific date.
Why Use Thinkific’s Drip Content Feature?
Here are four reasons you may want to use the feature:
- Pre-Sale – If you’ve pre-sold a course, you can collect payments and subscriptions before releasing it to the audience.
- Schedule Learning – For companies such as educational providers, you may want the cohort to view and complete one section at a time before moving on.
- Subscriptions – If you charge recurringly, you may want to introduce the information periodically. Â
- Credibility – You’re building trust and credibility by regularly releasing content to your students.
Considerations When Setting up Drip Content
Before you begin setting up your drip content, there are a few points to consider, which we’ll cover below.
- All Plans Can Do It – As a core feature, you’ll be able to drip content with any subscription plan.
- Emails Don’t Auto-Send – The platform will not notify existing students when you release new drip content. To get around this, you’ll have to create an email drip campaign scheduled to send notifications to those enrolled in a course simultaneously.
- All Students Gain Access – For newly-released content, all students enrolled in that course will have access to the new lessons. Unfortunately, you can’t give specific students access.
- Editing The Schedule Affects All Students – All enrolled students will be affected if you change the release date or alter the schedule.Â
- Students Can See Old Content – When new content is released, students will still be able to complete the previous content.
How Thinkific’s Drip Content Works
After you’ve created the new content, you can choose to release it based on the student’s enrollment date, the date they started the course, or a specific date.
If an enrolled member tries to access content before it has been released, they’ll see a stop sign next to the lesson and a pop-up notification.
Student Enrollment Date
You can release content based on the student’s enrollment date. So, for example, you could schedule access to a specific lesson 10 days after joining.
Each course member will have their own timetable for starting and completing lessons.
How To Set It Up
- On your dashboard, select Manage Learning Products
- Then click Courses
- Choose the course that you’d like to add a Student enrollment date to
- Once on the course page, select Drip at the top tab bar
- Then click Create Drip Schedule
- Make sure you’ve checked the Student enrollment date circle
- Then underneath, select the chapter you’d like to drip feed
- For each chapter, add the number for the day you’d like to deliver the content.
(For example, Day 0 = enrollment date, and Lesson 1 might be released that day. Lesson 2 could be released on Day 7) - Click Save
You have completed the drip schedule based on the student’s enrollment date.
Student Course Start Date
This drip feed trigger is based on the date the student accesses the course for the first time.
You can use the course start date feature to schedule content based on when they’re first active.
How To Set It Up
- On your dashboard, select Manage Learning Products
- Then click Courses
- Choose the course that you’d like to add a Student enrollment date to
- Once on the course page, select Drip at the top tab bar
- Then click Create drip schedule
- Check the middle circle, Student course start date
- Then select the chapter and enter the number for the day you’d like to release it after the start date
- (For example, Day 0 = start date, and Lesson 1 might be released that day. Lesson 2 could be released on Day 7)
- Select Save
On a Specific Date
This option will let you release the course content at any future date you choose, which means that all enrolled members will have access on the same date.
This choice is best for those that have pre-sold a course, as all students will be able to gain access on a pre-set date.
Another use of this feature is if you release periodic monthly or quarterly updates for course members.
How To Set It Up
- On your dashboard, select Manage Learning Products
- Then click Courses
- Choose the course that you’d like to add a Student enrollment date to
- Once on the course page, select Drip at the top tab bar
- Then click Create Drip Schedule
- Select the circle that says On a specific date
- You can select the date to begin releasing the complete course on
- You can also choose a chapter that you’d like to drip feed. To do this, select the date you’d like to release it on
- Click Save
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Change the Drip Schedule While Students Are Already Enrolled?
Yes, you can change the drip schedule. However, it will affect all students that are already enrolled.
If a Student Re-Enrolls, What Happens?
It depends on which dripped content option you choose. The original enrollment date will be used for the Student enrollment date option. The Student course start date option will continue from the first time they accessed the content. If you’ve set the content on a specific date, they’ll have to wait for it to be released on future dates.
Can I Schedule the Release Time?
For the Enrolment Date and Start Content Date, the time they’ll receive access to content will be based on the time they enrolled or started.
Say they enrolled or accessed the course at 11 am, and the new content comes ten days later; they’ll receive it at 11 am ten days later. When you release it using a specific date, it will be released at 12:01 am UTC on that date.
Can You Drip Content with Thinkific?
Yes, Thinkific provides you with the drip content feature. You can drip it depending on the enrolment date, start, or specific date. It is a core feature, meaning that all subscription plans have access to drip content.
What Is Drip Course Content?
Dip course content is when you release sections of a course or lessons in a staggered way. This can be determined by the date a student enrolls or starts the course. You can also release content on specific dates, which can be helpful for pre-sold courses.
