Drip Content in Online Courses

Where to find the drip setting

Drip is not a settings page of its own. It sits on the lesson or module you want to control.

Open your course and click the status on the right of a row in the course outline, for example Published or Draft. A small menu opens, containing Drip.

Every module has this status, and so does every single lesson.

The three options

Clicking Drip opens a dialog. Under Availability you choose one of three:

• Days after purchase: the content unlocks a set number of days after the purchase, for example after 7 days.
• Hours after purchase: the same in hours, for shorter gaps right after the purchase.
• On a specific date: the content unlocks on a fixed date, no matter when someone bought. Useful for courses a whole group goes through together.

Finish with Save.

Whole modules or single lessons

You can set drip on two levels:

• On a module: every lesson inside it stays closed until then. This is the quickest way to split a course into weeks.
• On a single lesson: only that lesson waits, the rest of the module stays open.

Note: A drip on a module applies to everything inside it. You do not need to set the individual lessons as well.

When exactly it unlocks

Days after purchase and On a specific date unlock at a fixed time of day, not at the exact minute of the purchase. The dialog shows which time, for example “Unlocks at 12 AM (Europe/Berlin)”.

That time applies to your whole account. Change it through the Change release time link in the dialog, or under Settings > Courses.

Hours after purchase counts exactly from the moment of purchase instead.

Drip or Lock?

The same menu also offers Lock. The two solve different problems:

• Drip unlocks after a period of time, regardless of what someone has done.
• Lock unlocks once a particular lesson has been completed.

The two combine: a module can start 7 days after purchase and also require the introduction.

Tips

• Set expectations. Say in the course or the order confirmation when new content arrives. Otherwise a closed lesson looks like a fault.
• Start simple. One drip per module is usually enough. Pacing lesson by lesson gets hard to follow quickly.
• Check the result. Open your course as a participant to see what is visible right after the purchase.