Skillshare Help Center

Class and Content Guidelines

To create a great learning experience for students, every class published on Skillshare must meet our quality standards and follow our teaching policies.

This article explains what we look for during moderation, what new teachers can publish, what content isn't permitted on Skillshare, and additional rules all teachers must follow.

Failure to follow these policies may result in content removal, account action, or loss of publishing privileges.

In this article

Before you publish

Before submitting your class, make sure it:

  • Covers a topic currently open to new teachers.
  • Meets our Class Quality Guidelines.
  • Follows our Community Guidelines and Terms.
  • Complies with the policies outlined in this article.

Every new class is reviewed by our Moderation team. To learn more about the review process, see Class Moderation.

Class quality guidelines

Every class published on Skillshare must be a complete learning experience that delivers on the promise of the class title and description. With the exception of a Challenge Class, don’t publish incomplete classes with the intention of adding lessons later. Publish your class only once all lessons are complete and ready for students.

Choose the right class format

Standard classes (more than 15 minutes)

Must include:

  • An introduction lesson
  • Multiple lessons
  • A class project
  • An outro

Short-form classes (2–15 minutes)

Must include:

  • A class project

Introduction and outro lessons are optional for short-form classes, but recommended. It’s important to note that the first lesson of every class is available to watch for free. Classes that contain only one lesson are therefore entirely free and aren't eligible to earn royalties.

Include an introduction

Your introduction is your class trailer and should:

  • Be the first lesson in your class.
  • Explain what students will learn.
  • Set expectations for the class.
  • Introduce your experience with the topic.
  • Be short and concise (around 2 to 3 minutes in length.)

Include a class project

Every Skillshare class should include a hands-on project that helps students apply what they've learned.

Your Class Project Description should explain:

  • What students should create or complete
  • What they should upload to the Project Gallery
  • Any free resources needed to complete the project
  • How students will apply the skills they've learned in the class to complete the project

Organize your lessons

Help students follow along by:

  • Giving each lesson a clear title.
  • Presenting lessons in a logical order.
  • Avoiding duplicate or repetitive content.

Failure to do these things will result in a class closure. Here are some lesson title best practices to keep in mind:

  • Remove numbers and symbols (e.g., “Video #1”):  Skillshare automatically numbers class lessons.
  • Avoid long titles to ensure that your lesson titles don’t get cut off, 
  • Use proper capitalization: A title like “Add Layers in Photoshop” looks more polished than “Add layers in photoshop" or "ADD LAYERS IN PHOTOSHOP”.  

Meet audio and video standards

For the best learning experience, classes should include:

  • Clear, easy-to-understand audio
  • Audio that matches the videos and plays through both speakers/channels
  • High-resolution (1080p) video
  • Horizontal (16:9) video
  • Steady footage with good lighting
  • Well lit talking-head shots and professional-looking backgrounds
  • Sharp slides, screen recordings, and text
  • All videos should include narration throughout the class. Narration should be provided by a natural human voice and should clearly guide students through the lesson content.

AI-generated avatars and computer-generated voices aren't permitted. Exceptions may apply, please email teach@skillshare.com if you require an accessibility accommodation.

Use a variety of visuals

Keep students engaged by mixing presentation styles throughout your class.

Examples include:

  • Talking-head video
  • Slides
  • Screen recordings
  • Demonstrations
  • Graphics
  • On-screen text
  • Multiple camera angles

Avoid presenting a single static image or slide throughout an entire lesson. Screencasts must capture on-screen interactions with the tool, accompanied by the teacher's narration.

Your class thumbnail (cover image) should accurately represent your class content and help set clear expectations for students. Choose an image that is relevant to the topic being taught, is appropriate for a general audience, and does not contain misleading or unrelated visuals.

Focus on teaching - not promotion

Skillshare classes should remain focused on learning on Skillshare.

Within your classes you must:

  • Keep self-promotion to your introduction and conclusion videos only.
  • Reference other Skillshare classes only when they support student learning.
  • Not require students to purchase additional products or services outside Skillshare to complete your class.
  • Not direct students to other online learning platforms where educational content is offered, including platforms where you or others sell or host courses, workshops, memberships, or paid educational programs. This applies to all activity on Skillshare, including classes, comments, and discussion posts. 

Share original educational value

Students come to Skillshare to learn from your experience.

Your classes should:

  • Teach concepts, techniques, frameworks, and best practices.
  • Reflect your own knowledge and perspective.
  • Go beyond simple software demonstrations or walkthroughs.
  • Be created specifically for Skillshare.
  • Teach your own original content. Classes should be based on your own knowledge and original teaching. Don't rely on or teach directly from third-party books, courses, articles, videos, or other copyrighted materials unless you have permission to use them.

Classes shouldn't promise guaranteed financial outcomes, follower growth, or other fixed results.

Teach on an accepted topic

Skillshare is currently accepting new classes from new teachers in a select group of creative categories.

Categories currently open to new teachers

  • AI & Innovation
  • Animation & 3D
  • Art & Illustration
  • Crafts & DIY
  • Creative Career
  • Creativity & Inspiration
  • Design
  • Film & Video
  • Photography

Additional categories remain available for students to explore on Skillshare, but we're not currently accepting new teachers in the following areas:

  • Development
  • Home & Lifestyle
  • Marketing & Business
  • Music & Audio
  • Personal Development
  • Productivity
  • Writing & Publishing

Language requirements

At this time, new teachers may publish classes in English only.

Content we don't allow

Even if your class falls within an accepted category, some topics and content types aren't permitted on Skillshare.

Business practices

We don't allow content that focuses on:

  • "Get rich quick" strategies or guaranteed financial outcomes.
  • Manipulative or unethical business practices, including pyramid schemes, Ponzi schemes, and multi-level marketing.
  • Content that promises rapid follower growth or other guaranteed results.

Health and professional advice

We don't allow content that focuses on:

  • Medical instruction, diagnoses, or health claims.
  • Legal, financial, investment, tax, accounting, or real estate advice.
  • Survival instruction.
  • Fitness, bodybuilding, strength training, weight loss, dieting, or meal planning (except meditation, yoga, and dance).

Sensitive or unsafe topics

We don't allow content that focuses on:

  • Illegal activities.
  • Weapons or physical harm.
  • Dangerous activities or hazardous materials.
  • Cannabis cultivation, sale, or monetization.
  • Ethical hacking.
  • Disinformation or pseudoscience.

Personal topics

We don't allow content that focuses on:

  • Dating, romantic relationships, or body language interpretation.
  • Religious or spiritual instruction intended to proselytize.
  • Political advocacy or campaign content.
  • Explicit sexual content intended to be sexually gratifying.

Educational subject areas

We don't currently accept classes that focus on:

  • Mathematics or standardized testing.
  • Physical or life sciences, including biology, chemistry, physics, and neuroscience.
  • Beauty or cosmetology, including hair, skin, and nail care.
  • Childcare or guidance on caring for children.
  • Pet care, including grooming, training, livestock, and wildlife.
  • Gaming content, including board games, card games, video game walkthroughs, cheat codes, gambling, or sweepstakes.
  • Home business setup.

Class requirements

We also don't allow classes that:

  • Primarily consist of software or product walkthroughs without meaningful educational instruction.
  • Rely heavily on content that wasn't created by the teacher.
  • Are branded for another online learning platform instead of Skillshare.
  • Contain features that do not belong to Skillshare, such as features, terminology, or messaging from other learning platforms.
  • Promise guaranteed outcomes or rewards.
  • Infringe on the intellectual property of others
  • Require students to purchase materials or services outside Skillshare to complete the class. Any assets required to complete a class must be available for free through the Projects & Resources section.

Digital Product restrictions

You must have a live class on the site in order to publish and & sell Digital Products. In addition to the policies above, Digital Products may not:

  • Include prohibited file types.
  • Include resold or plagiarized materials, including content sold under Master Resell Rights (MRR) or without the appropriate rights.
  • Offer physical goods, including dropshipping or print-on-demand products.
  • Sell services, such as website creation or logo design.
  • License your name or likeness to promote third-party products.
  • Be donation-based or function as a "tip jar."
  • Require paid external resources to use or complete.
  • Be offered elsewhere for free or at a lower price.
  • Consist solely of a shared link (except for supported template formats, such as Notion templates, Canva templates, Adobe presets, or LUTs, where a downloadable PDF may include a link).
  • Include immaterial or abstract items, such as prayers or blessings.

Additional teaching rules

As a teacher, you agree to:

  • Publish only content you own or have permission to use.
  • Teach your own classes rather than republishing another person's content.
  • Properly introduce guest teachers or shared teaching accounts.
  • Obtain permission to use any music, images, or supplemental materials.
  • Not require students to make payments outside Skillshare to participate in or complete a class.
  • Not direct students to competing online learning platforms.
  • Not suggest that Skillshare officially produced or endorses your class.
  • Not publish content that's already available elsewhere for free.

Teachers may upload a maximum of:

  • 1 class per week
  • 1 Digital Product per week
  • 1 1-on-1 Session per week

Failure to follow these rules may result in content removal or account action.

Ongoing class performance

Publishing your class is just the beginning.

Once a class has been live for at least one year, Skillshare may review its ongoing performance using factors such as:

  • Student reviews
  • Average rating
  • Minutes watched
  • Recent engagement

Classes that consistently fall below our minimum performance requirements may become less discoverable or be removed from the platform.

For more information, see Class Performance Requirement for All Skillshare Classes.

Still need help?

If you're unsure whether your class, topic, or teaching approach meets these policies, contact Teacher Support at teach@skillshare.com before publishing.



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