# Online Courses Product Launch Funnel Template > A product launch funnel runs in two phases. Before the doors open, an early-list page collects people who want to hear first. On launch day the same funnel turns on its sales page and checkout. This template is that whole sequence for an online course, ready to edit. The Vonza Funnels template “Online courses product launch” (goal: launch, industry: Online courses): Build an early list before launch, then open the doors with a sales page and checkout. ## What the online courses product launch template is for Course launches fail quietly when the sales page goes live to an audience that did not know it was coming. The launch shape fixes that by splitting the work: the early-list page runs for weeks and builds the list; the sales page and checkout wait on the same canvas until you point the funnel at them. Nothing is public until you publish, and a visitor only ever sees the step you send them to. The template is written for an online course: the early-list page talks about first access and a founding offer, the sales page lists what is in the course, and the checkout sells it. Because the checkout step picks what it sells from your own items, it can sell a course, a bundle, a membership or a community, with the item’s own pricing plans or one override price. ## The steps and what each page carries 5 steps, in the order a visitor sees them. Each step is a page built from one of the library's designs and opens in your brand colours and fonts. ### Step 1: Early list (Opt-in) Collect an email in exchange for something free. The early-list page uses the “Early list” opt-in design, the one design in the library that a template never picks by rotation because it is written for one situation: a “coming soon” hero, three reasons to join early (first access, a founding offer, behind-the-scenes updates) and the early-list form. The form asks for an email and can add the lead to a list. Worth doing: Set the funnel to start on this step while you build interest; switch the start to the sales page on launch day. Designs this step can switch to: Photo beside the offer, Full-bleed photo, Card over a photo, Video first, Minimal, Photo row and reviews, Early list. The template fixes this design; “Change design” still offers the others. ### Step 2: You’re on the list (Thank you) Confirm and tell people what happens next. The “You’re on the list” page confirms the sign-up in the lead context: a confirmation that the email is on its way and a short “what happens next”. It carries no order summary because nothing was bought. Worth doing: Say when the doors open. A date on this page is the cheapest reminder you will ever send. Designs this step can switch to: Centred confirmation, Full-bleed photo, Photo beside the message, Card over a photo, Minimal, Welcome video. ### Step 3: Sales page (Sales page) Explain your offer and send people to checkout. The sales page carries the course offer: a hero, three outcomes, a feature list of what is included, labelled quote placeholders, an FAQ, a terms note and a closing call to action. It must come before the checkout step, and it can optionally show the item and its prices so the checkout sells what the visitor chose. Worth doing: Replace the quote placeholders with real student quotes or delete the section; the template never invents customers, and neither should the page. Designs this step can switch to: Classic sales page, Full-bleed photo, Long-form sales letter, Video sales page, Options side by side, Minimal. ### Step 4: Checkout (Checkout) Take the payment. The checkout page carries the live checkout form beside the product: the item’s pricing plans or one override price, up to five order bumps, a coupon box if you allow coupons, and the payment methods your platform has connected (card, PayPal, Paystack for naira, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Klarna). Worth doing: Add one order bump, such as a workbook or a feedback call, and tick “Ticked when the page opens” only if it is a natural fit. Designs this step can switch to: Product beside the form, Photo banner, Minimal, With a review and FAQ, Card over a photo, Video walkthrough. ### Step 5: Thank you (Thank you) Confirm and tell people what happens next. The thank-you page confirms the order with the order summary and tells the student how to get in. Because the checkout can enrol the buyer in the course, this page can simply say “check your inbox for your login”. Worth doing: Add a “what happens next” band naming the first lesson so students start the same day. Designs this step can switch to: Centred confirmation, Full-bleed photo, Photo beside the message, Card over a photo, Minimal, Welcome video. ## What to change first A template is a starting point. These are the four edits that turn the placeholder funnel into yours. - **The launch date and the start step**: Write the date on the early-list and confirmation pages. On launch day move “Visitors start on this step” from the early list to the sales page. - **What the checkout sells**: In the checkout step pick the course (only published items can be sold), copy its pricing plans or set one launch price, and decide whether coupons show. - **The course details on the sales page**: The feature list, outcomes and FAQ carry placeholder copy. Replace them with module names, lesson counts and the questions students actually ask you. - **The founding offer**: If early-list members get something extra, make it a coupon they receive by email, and show the coupon box on the checkout step. ## Who it suits The template suits anyone opening a course for the first time or re-opening one on a schedule. It is a fit when you can spend two or three weeks building a list before you ask for a sale. - Course creators launching a new course to an existing audience - Teachers and trainers who open enrolment a few times a year - Creators turning a free series into a paid programme - Schools and academies on Vonza announcing a new cohort ## How to start The template is in the Product launch goal and the Online courses industry. If your course is already published on Vonza, pick it as the item when you create the funnel and Vonza AI can write the pages about it. 1. **Choose the new Funnels**: Start your 14-day free trial and, in Funnels, choose “Try the new Funnels”. Classic funnels keep working and you can switch back any time. 2. **Pick the template**: Open Templates, filter by goal or industry, and pick this template. It opens on the canvas in your Brand Kit colours and fonts, every page ready to edit. 3. **Or let Vonza AI pick it**: Choose “Write it with AI”, describe your offer and who it is for, pick a goal and a tone. Vonza AI picks the template from your brief and writes the copy of every page. It uses AI credits. 4. **Publish**: Fix anything the publish check lists, then publish on your Vonza sub-domain or a connected custom domain at /fn/your-address, and share the link, an embed or a QR code. ## The automation recipe that fits Recipe: Welcome new leads Start with the “Welcome new leads” recipe and bend it to the launch: it fires when someone joins the early list, which is the moment to set expectations. A second automation on “Someone buys” can enrol the student and move the lead to Won. 1. Trigger: someone becomes a lead (joins the early list). 2. Send email: confirm the date the doors open and what the founding offer is. 3. Wait until the launch day; waits can run up to 30 days or until a time of day. 4. Send email: the doors are open, with the sales page link and the coupon. 5. Trigger a second automation on “Someone buys”: enrol in the course and move the lead to Won. Every recipe is created switched off. Edit it, run “Test run” to send everything to yourself, then switch it on. Read about the shape, the builder and Vonza AI: [Product launch funnel](https://vonza.com/product-launch-funnel), [Course launch funnel](https://vonza.com/course-launch-funnel), [Sales funnel builder](https://vonza.com/sales-funnel), [AI funnel builder](https://vonza.com/ai-funnel-builder). ## More funnel templates - [Coaching Lead Magnet Funnel Template](https://vonza.com/funnel-templates/coaching-lead-magnet-funnel): A two-step coaching lead magnet funnel: an opt-in page that gives away a workbook or guide and a thank-you page, with every lead in your pipeline. - [Fitness Sales Letter Funnel Template](https://vonza.com/funnel-templates/fitness-sales-letter-funnel): A four-step fitness sales letter funnel: a long-form sales letter, a checkout with a review and FAQ, a 30-minute countdown upsell and a thank-you page. - [Creators Video Sales Funnel Template](https://vonza.com/funnel-templates/creators-video-sales-funnel): A four-step video sales funnel for creators: a video sales page, a checkout with a walkthrough video, a one-click upsell and a welcome video, in your brand kit. [All 41 funnel templates](https://vonza.com/funnel-templates) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a product launch funnel for an online course? A product launch funnel is a funnel in two phases. Before launch, an early-list page collects email addresses from people who want to hear first. On launch day the same funnel sends visitors to a sales page and a checkout for the course. The Vonza template has five steps: early list, confirmation, sales page, checkout and thank-you page. ### How do I keep the sales page hidden until launch day? Every funnel has a step marked “Visitors start on this step”. Leave it on the early-list page while you build the list; on launch day move it to the sales page and publish the change. Steps you have not sent anyone to are not linked from the early pages, and draft or test-mode pages are not indexed. ### Can the checkout enrol students in the course automatically? Yes. The checkout step sells one of your published items, and a course, bundle, membership or community gives access on purchase. An automation on “Someone buys” can also enrol the buyer in up to five courses or bundles, add them to a list and move the lead to Won. ### What can I give early-list members? The usual founding offer is a coupon. Coupons are per funnel: a code of 3 to 20 characters, a percentage or a fixed amount, with an optional use limit and end date, shown or hidden per step. Send the code in the launch email and show the coupon box on the checkout step. ### How many pricing options can the sales page show? The checkout step either copies the item’s own pricing plans (one-time, instalments, subscription, whatever the course offers) or uses one override price. The sales page can show the item and its prices as a price card at the end of the page, so the checkout sells the plan the visitor chose. ### Can I run the same launch again next cohort? Yes. Save the funnel as a template from the canvas: steps, pages, flow and automations are kept (products, plans, coupons, pixels and split tests are not), and it appears under “My templates”. You can also duplicate the funnel and change the dates.