Funnel templates
Course sales funnel template
Building the course is half the job. These are the three funnel shapes that sell one, and how to pick between them.
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This guide is about selling a course. If you still need to plan and build the course itself, our sister site has a walkthrough on creating an online course for free. Here we cover the funnel that brings students in.
Three funnel shapes
| Shape | Best when | Path |
|---|---|---|
| Direct sale | Your audience already trusts you | Sales page, checkout, members area |
| Free lesson first | People need to see your teaching | Opt-in for lesson 1, emails, sales page |
| Webinar first | Higher price or a new audience | Registration, training, offer |
Direct sale
- Announcementemail or post
- Sales pageoutcome, curriculum, price
- Checkoutwith optional bump
- Members areainstant access
Best for an existing email list or community. The sales page carries the weight, so it needs a clear outcome, the module list, who it is for and not for, the price and the refund policy.
Free lesson first
- Trafficsearch, social
- Opt-in pagefree lesson 1
- Lesson + email 1deliver value
- 3-4 emailsstories, questions
- Sales pageenroll
Give away the first lesson as a lead magnet. Students who finish it already know your style, and the follow-up emails answer the questions that stop them buying. This is the lead magnet funnel pointed at a course.
Webinar first
Use the webinar funnel when the course costs more or the audience is new to you.
Launch or evergreen?
- Launch: open enrollment for a set window (say, a week) to your list, then close it. Creates a real deadline and a burst of students who move through together.
- Evergreen: enrollment is always open, and new leads get the same email sequence whenever they join. Steadier, but needs constant traffic.
Many course creators launch first, learn what sells, then turn the best version into an evergreen funnel.
The sales page checklist
- The result in one sentence, then who it is for
- What is inside: modules and lessons, format and total length
- What they need before starting
- Price, payment plan if any, and refund terms
- Answers to the five questions people actually ask you
- One button repeated, never three different offers
Running it on Systeme.io
Systeme.io's course builder supports video lessons, downloads, drip schedules and module locking, and it can enroll a student automatically on purchase, per its features page. Plan limits by course count on its pricing page:
| Plan | Price per month | Courses | Sales funnels | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 | 3 | 2,000 |
| Startup | $17 | 5 | 10 | 5,000 |
| Webinar | $47 | 20 | 50 | 10,000 |
| Unlimited | $97 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Free accounts also have the $10,000 lifetime sales limit described in Systeme.io's help center, so plan to upgrade once course sales take off.
Frequently asked questions
Which course funnel should I start with?
If you have an audience, a direct sale to your list. If you do not, the free lesson first funnel, because it builds the list and sells at the same time.
Should I offer a payment plan?
It can help with higher prices. Be clear about the total cost and the number of payments on the checkout page.
Do I need a separate course platform?
Not if your funnel tool includes a members area. Keeping funnel, email and course in one account means purchases grant access automatically.
Sources
- Systeme.io features: course builder
- Systeme.io pricing: courses per plan
- Systeme.io help: free plan sales limit
Prices, plan limits and rules were checked on October 27, 2026. Vendors change plans often; confirm on their sites before buying.