How to Sell Online Courses on Kajabi in 2026 (Complete Beginner's Guide)

Skipping this step is the number one reason beginners end up with disorganized courses and frustrated students. Open Google Docs and map out your full course before logging into Kajabi. Start by writing down your target audience (e.g., 'total beginners who want to start freelancing') and your course's main promise (e.g., 'land your first client in 30 days'). Then break your content into modules and lessons. A module is like a chapter — it groups related topics together. A lesson is a single video or PDF focused on one specific idea. Aim for 5 to 7 modules with 4 to 6 lessons each, totaling 20 to 40 lessons. Each lesson should be 10 to 15 minutes long. Example structure for a 'Freelance Writing Basics' course: Module 1 — What Is Freelancing; Module 2 — Finding Your Niche; Module 3 — Writing Your First Pitch. Under each module, list individual lesson titles like 'Lesson 1.1: Full-Time vs. Part-Time Freelancing.' Also note which lessons need quizzes, downloadable worksheets, or prerequisite completions. Prepare your video thumbnail images at 1280x720 pixels before uploading. This pre-planning saves you hours of rework inside Kajabi. You can also use Kajabi's built-in AI tool — log in, go to Products, and prompt it with something like 'Create a 6-module outline for a beginner email marketing course with 4 lessons per module.'

Go to kajabi.com and click 'Start Free Trial.' You get 30 days free — no credit card needed on some promotions. After signing up, you land on the main dashboard. To create your course, click 'Products' in the left sidebar, then click the green 'New Product' button in the top right corner. Kajabi will ask you to choose a product type — select 'Course.' You'll then see a setup screen asking for three things: a title, a description, and a thumbnail image. For your title, make it benefit-focused and specific. Instead of 'Marketing Course,' try 'Digital Marketing for Small Business Owners: Get Your First 100 Customers.' For your description, write 200 to 300 words that explain what the student will be able to do after finishing. Mention the transformation, not just the topics. Upload a thumbnail image — use a 1280x720px JPG or PNG. Next, Kajabi asks you to pick a template. For beginners, select 'Basic Course' — it's clean, easy to navigate, and avoids overwhelming you with options. You can always change the design later. Click 'Create' and your course shell is live inside your account. Your course is not published yet — it's in draft mode, which means no one can see it until you hit publish. Take 10 minutes here to familiarize yourself with the three main tabs you'll use: Outline, Customize, and Offers.

Click on your newly created course product and go to the 'Outline' tab. This is where you build the actual structure. Click 'Add Content' and select 'Module.' Name it exactly as you planned in Step 1, such as 'Module 1: Foundations of Email Marketing.' Once the module appears, click inside it and select 'Add Lesson.' Give the lesson a specific title like 'Lesson 1.1: Why Email Still Beats Social Media in 2026.' Now click into the lesson to open the lesson editor. Here you can upload your video by dragging and dropping an MP4 file directly onto the upload area. Videos can be up to 4GB. While the video uploads, add a short lesson description (2 to 3 sentences explaining what the student will learn) and attach any downloadable files like PDF worksheets or cheat sheets using the 'Attachments' button. Repeat this process for every lesson. To save time, use Kajabi's bulk upload feature — click 'Bulk Upload' inside the Outline tab, select multiple MP4 files at once, and Kajabi auto-creates a lesson for each video. After bulk uploading, rename each lesson immediately because they default to the file name. After uploading all content, set up prerequisites and drip schedules if needed. Drip content means lessons unlock on a schedule, such as a new module every 7 days. To enable this, click on a module, find 'Drip' settings, and set the release date or delay. For quizzes, click 'Add Quiz' inside any lesson and add multiple-choice questions to test comprehension. Preview your course by clicking 'Student Preview' in the top right — this shows exactly what your enrolled students will see.

Click the 'Customize' tab inside your course product. This is where you control how your course looks to students — colors, fonts, layout, and the video player style. In the left panel, you'll see options for Theme, Colors, and Typography. Click 'Colors' and enter your brand's hex codes. If you don't have brand colors yet, pick a clean combination: a dark navy (#1A2E4A) for headers and a bright accent like orange (#F56C2D) for buttons. These two colors work well for almost any course topic. Under 'Typography,' choose a clean sans-serif font like Inter or Open Sans — both are free and easy to read on any screen size. Scroll down to find the 'Player' section where you can toggle on a progress bar (highly recommended — students love seeing how far they've gone), a sidebar showing all lessons, and completion checkmarks. Make sure 'Mobile Responsive' is turned on — around half of your students will watch on a phone. Click the mobile preview icon at the top of the editor to check how everything looks on a small screen. If any text looks too big or buttons are hard to tap, adjust font sizes in the Typography settings. Don't spend more than 90 minutes on design at this stage. A clean, simple layout converts better than an overdesigned one. You can always come back and refine the look after your first students enroll and give feedback.

Click the 'Offers' tab inside your course product. An Offer in Kajabi is the pricing package your students purchase. Click 'New Offer' and you'll see options for payment type: one-time payment, subscription, or payment plan. For your first course, a one-time payment is the easiest to start with. Set your price between $47 and $197 if this is your first course with no testimonials yet. A good starting point is $97 for a 5 to 7 module video course with PDF resources. Don't price at $0 — free courses have low completion rates and devalue your expertise. Name your offer something clear, like 'Full Course Access — One-Time Payment.' You can also create a second offer for a bundle, such as 'Course + 30-Minute Coaching Call' for $197, which typically increases your average order value by 30%. To add a coupon code, click 'Coupons' inside the Offers tab and create a code like EARLYBIRD20 for 20% off. Now connect your payment processor. Go to Settings (gear icon in the bottom left sidebar) > Payments. Click 'Connect Stripe' and follow the prompts to link your bank account — takes about 5 minutes. Stripe charges 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction. Kajabi itself charges zero additional transaction fees. If you prefer PayPal, click 'Connect PayPal' in the same settings screen. PayPal charges 2.9% plus $0.49 per transaction. You only need one payment processor to get started — Stripe is recommended for its faster payouts.

Your sales page is the webpage where potential students decide whether to buy. In Kajabi, go to 'Pipelines' in the left sidebar and click 'New Pipeline.' Select the 'Course Sales' template — this gives you a pre-built sequence: opt-in page, sales page, checkout, and thank-you page. Click on the sales page block to open the editor. Replace the placeholder headline with a clear benefit statement, such as 'Learn Kajabi in 3 Days and Sell Your First Course This Week.' Below that, add three to five bullet points listing specific outcomes students will achieve. Scroll down and add a section for your short bio (3 to 4 sentences) to build trust. Upload a professional-looking headshot. Add a pricing section that links directly to the Offer you created in Step 5 — click the buy button on the template and select your offer from the dropdown. Make sure the checkout page has your Stripe payment connected. Now set up two essential automations. Go to 'Automations' in the left sidebar and click 'New Automation.' Set trigger: 'Student enrolls in course.' Set action: 'Send email.' Write a welcome email (subject line: 'You're in! Here's how to start') that links directly to Lesson 1 of your course. Create a second automation for students who haven't logged in for 7 days — send a re-engagement email with a subject like 'Still waiting for you inside.' These two automations alone will significantly improve completion rates and reduce refund requests.

You're ready to go live. Open your course product, click the three-dot menu at the top right, and select 'Publish.' Then open your Pipeline and publish the sales page by toggling it from Draft to Live. Copy your sales page URL and save it somewhere accessible — this is the link you'll share everywhere. Now focus on getting your first 10 students. Start with your existing audience first — email your list (even if it's small), post in Facebook Groups relevant to your topic, or message contacts personally. Offer your first 10 students a launch discount using the coupon code you created in Step 5. Post on LinkedIn and Instagram with a simple message: what the course teaches, who it's for, and the link. If you have a budget of even $5 per day, run a Facebook or Instagram ad targeting people interested in your topic. Inside Kajabi, go to 'Marketing' > 'Email Broadcasts' to send an announcement to your Kajabi contact list. After your first week, check 'Analytics' in the left sidebar to see how many people visited your sales page, how many started checkout, and how many completed purchase. The sales page visit-to-checkout ratio should be above 2%. If it's lower, your headline or price likely needs adjusting. Use Kajabi's built-in blog feature under 'Website' to publish SEO articles related to your course topic — this drives free organic traffic over time.