A Private Custom Page lets you add new, exclusive-access pages to your website. Fill in any gaps or focus on content specific to your courses, membership programs, or communities!
In this article:
How to Link to Your Private Page
About Private Pages
The Private Pages feature allows you to limit access to Custom Pages on your Thinkific site. You can limit access to include only users signed in to your school or only users enrolled in a specific course or bundle. This is great if you want to provide additional information or resources for your students that you don't want to include as a lesson in the Course Player, like a supplemental reading list or course-specific glossary. It can also be used to create member-only pages to host content for a membership site or to supplement a Community.
Unsure about the difference between signed-in and enrolled users? Check out our article: Understanding User Sign Ups Versus Enrollments.
How to Create a Private Page
- From your Admin Dashboard, select Channels
- Select Website
- Select the Custom pages tab
- Click +New custom page
- Enter the name for your new custom page, and click Add
- Optionally, add your page title - this will appear on social sites when you share your custom page link
- Select Create page
By default, a new Custom Page will be set to be visible for Everyone. To set your Custom Pages as a Private Page:
- From your Admin Dashboard, select Channels
- Select Website
- Find the custom page you created by using a search bar or by selecting Customer pages tab
- Click on the page you want to edit
- Click on the gear icon
- In the Who can see this page? select one of the available options:
Everyone
Available on all plans, this option makes the page visible to everyone - both signed-in and not signed-in users and visitors. By default, the visibility of all custom pages is set to Everyone.
Logged-In Students
Available on all plans, this option makes the page visible only to signed-in users. If a site visitor tries to access your Private Page while they are not signed in, they'll be redirected to your Sign-in page with a banner message asking them to sign up or sign in.
Enrolled Students
Available on the Start plan and higher, this option makes the page visible only to students with an active enrollment in a course or bundle that you select. If a visitor tries to access this page without an active enrollment in the product you've selected, or they are not signed in, they will not be able to access the page. Instead, they'll see the banner message You are not authorized to see this page or they'll be redirected to your Sign-in page with a banner message asking them to sign up or sign in, respectively.
Only Me
Available on all plans, this option makes the page visible to you only. Other visitors or students will not be able to view the page. This is a great option if you want to work on your page without anyone else seeing it yet!
How to Link to Your Private Page
If you've created a Private Page, you'll want to consider how to share the page link with your students. For added exclusivity, send students a link to the Private Page in an email notification, through the mass user email feature, or include it in the first lesson of the associated course. Click here for instructions on how to find the URL for a Private Page on your Thinkific site.
Alternatively, you can add a link to your Private Page on your site. All users will be able to see and click on this link; however, only students with access will be able to see the page content. These links can be added to your Site Header, in your Site Footer, or with a Site Builder Button.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I give access to a Private Page for students enrolled in several different courses?
Currently, it is only possible to limit access to a Private Page by enrollment in one specific product. For example, if you had Courses A and B, you could only set an active enrollment in Course A as the criteria to access a Private Page. A workaround for this is to create a Course Bundle and use enrollment in the bundle to limit access to a Private Page.
Is it possible to require a password when a student clicks on a Private Page?
At this time, the only way to limit access to a Private Page is to require a user to be signed in or enrolled in a course on your site. For both of these options, users will have to create an account (with a username and password). A student will be required to sign in with their username and password when attempting to access a Private Page. If the student is already signed in, they will not be prompted to re-enter their password.
Can I use a Private Page to offer an exclusive webinar to my students?
Yes, this is possible by either linking out to your webinar or embedding a webinar from a Site Builder Section on your Private Page. Learn how to embed Zoom on a Thinkific site page.
Looking to offer webinars to students? Check out our Coaching & Webinars product!
Can I link my Private Page in my Site Header?/strong
Yes, it is possible to link your Private Page in your Thinkific Site Header. Learn how to customize your Site Header. Note: students will still be able to see and click on this header link even if they don't have access to the Private Page, and/or if they're not signed in. If a student does not have permission to access the Private Page they will see the banner message You are not authorized to see this page or they'll be redirected to your Sign-in page with a banner message asking them to sign up or sign in.