Mission
Transform lives through learning.
Vision
A world where everyone, everywhere, has access to the skills they need to unlock their potential — a world where they can create possibilities for themselves and for others.
What we do
At our core we are determined in our quest to ensure that everyone has access to the latest and most relevant skills.
We bring together a community of knowledgeable and diverse instructors who share their real-world expertise on our personalized learning platform and together we strive to foster diversity, authenticity, and accessibility for learners and organizations worldwide.
Our beliefs
We believe skills are the new currency for talent management, skills should be validated not just inferred, learning should be personalized, the wisdom of the marketplace should be embraced and AI should be integrated with human knowledge.
Brand positioning
Who we serve
Udemy is for people everywhere who aspire to unlock their potential through professional and personal growth.
What we promise
Udemy creates possibilities by making the latest, most relevant skills accessible to all.
How we deliver
Udemy provides a global platform for expertise that empowers learners, instructors, and organizations.
Brand pillars
Our brand pillars provide the foundation for who we are and what we do.
Inspiring and transformative
Udemy creates excitement around potential and possibilities. We celebrate the power of skills and the journeys of learners, instructors, and organizations, encouraging others to pursue their goals and explore new opportunities for their futures.
Human and connected
Udemy amplifies the world’s knowledge and brings it within easy reach. Combining highly personalized learning features with the wisdom of our instructor community, our platform identifies the needs of learners and organizations and surfaces the specific content to help them succeed.
Diverse and inclusive
Udemy believes in opening knowledge to all, from all. Through a platform that truly welcomes everyone, we enable a global community of real-world experts to share their vast skills, perspectives, and teaching methods with learners and organizations everywhere.
Current and evolving
Udemy is a destination for what’s new and now. With our thriving marketplace that offers the latest skills as they emerge, we support learners and organizations with leading-edge thinking that keeps them ahead of the world’s accelerating rate of change.
Effective and trusted
Udemy is designed to produce results. Providing multimodal learning that helps learners build stronger skills and the validation and insights leaders need to manage their talent with confidence, we’ve helped millions of learners and thousands of organizations achieve lasting outcomes.
Brand personality
Our brand personality informs both our visual and verbal identity. Think of it as the key character traits of a person.
Human
We are real and relatable, valuing authenticity and personal connection.
Empowering
We are empathetic, inspiring confidence and uplifting people of all levels and backgrounds.
Curious
We’re inherently inquisitive and innovative — always in pursuit of new ways of thinking and doing.
Tone of voice
The way we speak as a brand is as important as the way we look. It’s a big part of how we express our personality and establish ourselves as an identifiable brand. So don’t skip this section, even if you’re a designer.
The Udemy tone of voice flows directly from our brand personality, which can be summed up in three words: empowering, human, and clever. Each of these has an influence on the way we speak and can help us determine whether a piece of writing is on- or off-brand.
If we follow these guidelines and use language as effectively and consistently as we do our design elements, we stand a good chance of creating a brand that will make a lasting and meaningful impression.
Human
Direct
• Avoid meandering syntax and run-on sentences
• Speak with conviction and don't be afraid to have a point of view
⛔ Learning new things, at almost any point in life, can often be healthy, in both the physical and the mental sense
of the word.
✅ Learning feels good.
Essential
• Focus on the important points and let them shine through
• Stay relevant to the audience and respect their time by keeping things brief
• Avoid fluff, flexing, big words for big words’ sake, and needless repetition
⛔ The tumultuousness of daily life can make it easy to get distracted. That’s why we’re letting you know that we
now have learning reminders to remind you when it’s time to stop being distracted and get back to learning.
✅ Need a nudge? Learning reminders help you stay on track.
Empowering
Approachable
• Keep it conversational by using contractions, the second person (“you”), and “we/our” instead of “Udemy” where it
feels appropriate to do so
• Be careful not to sound too formal, academic, or technical, especially when addressing a general audience
⛔ Quality content alone is insufficient for an employer. The Udemy marketplace content model ensures the constant replenishment of recent and optimum-quality content to make workplace learning a pleasurable experience.
✅ You want the best for your workforce — and so do we. Our content is always fresh, always enjoyable.
Optimistic
• Focus on the positive while still being authentic, and recast sentences that stress the negative or instill fear
• Remember that there’s a difference between upbeat and over the top, so go easy on the exclamation points
⛔ Don’t fall behind! Log in now so you don’t lose your superlearner status!
✅ You’ve made great progress. Sign in today and keep it up.
Inclusive
• Appreciate the full range of people who use our product, their different starting points, abilities, and goals, and look
for ways to support them
• Be mindful of our global audience and how certain expressions may or may not translate
⛔ Don’t throw a Hail Mary just yet. Change course with our life-changing courses.
✅ Want to learn a new skill or start a new career? We have the courses to get you started.
Curious
Fresh:
• Find new ways to communicate core ideas, and steer clear of the rote or the cliché
• Express genuine enthusiasm for the possibilities learning creates
⛔ Get raves for your mad skills. Become a programming rock star today!
✅ Ready for your big <br>? Start learning programming skills today.
Smart:
• Avoid muddled thinking, ambiguity, and unreasonable claims
• Use wit or clever language to increase engagement and reinforce the idea that learning on Udemy can be fun
⛔ Our winter solstice sale is here. Take one course with Udemy and master a new skill.
✅ Brighten up your winter. Get that new-skills glow with a course from Udemy.
Finding the right tone
While we want to maintain a consistent tone of voice across our company, different situations can call for different approaches. There may be times, for example, when using some technical language will help us better communicate key ideas with a technically minded audience. It may even reassure the audience that we know what we’re talking about. Likewise, approachability can be especially important when trying to engage learners new to Udemy.
One way to think of our tone of voice is as a series of dials, each representing a different attribute. When we want to capture people’s attention — advertising is a prime example — it probably makes sense to turn up the Smart and Fresh dials, maybe Approachable too. But onsite copy explaining functionality? We’ll want to crank up Direct and Essential.
In the end, remember that we want people to focus on what we’re saying, not necessarily how we’re saying it. So look for those opportunities where we can let our personality shine, and don’t try to force it otherwise.
Writing for Udemy Business
Udemy Business has two broad audiences: decision-makers who have a say in choosing a workplace learning platform, and employees who take skills-based courses. Keep the following considerations in mind when writing for these groups.
Strike a balance between fresh and professional.
Because UB offers a new and different approach to workplace learning, it’s especially important to balance the fresh, clever, and approachable aspects of our voice with language that establishes our authority and expertise.
Use big words only when they’ll make a big impact.
Whereas other Udemy writing should be inclusive of all, we sometimes need to use technical terms or jargon to get our point across and convey our authority. As you write, ask yourself: Is this word or phrase bringing us closer to our audience
by resonating with them, or is it getting in the way of our message by making it unclear or cliché? When you do decide to use an insider term, provide a definition for those unfamiliar with it.
Consider your audience: decision-makers.
Buyers often fall into two groups: Learning and Development (L&D) and Human Resources. L&D leaders are spearheading
a new category and need support for their initiatives. When working with them, it’s helpful to emphasize approachability, optimism, and confidence. On the other hand, HR professionals tend to be risk-averse, so focusing on clarity and being direct is best.
Consider your audience: learners.
With UB learners, you can be less formal. Use clear, conversational, optimistic language to show them all that they can do with Udemy Business.
Writing for product
Our product is the main way people experience our brand, but product copy isn’t there just to show off our personality.
It should support, offer insights, solve problems, and give people the tools they need to achieve their goals.
Writing for social media
Social media is all about connection. Every action — whether it’s announcing a new product or replying to a student with some well-deserved praise — is an opportunity to engage. These guidelines will help you start and join conversations that move our brand forward.
Remember your audience.
Different social platforms attract different crowds. A pinch of business jargon on LinkedIn could show a UB buyer that we know our stuff, but on Instagram it could make us seem stodgy. Given our wide range of audiences, there is some crossover. But, typically, we categorize as follows:
Twitter: Learners, instructors, and reporters
LinkedIn: UB buyers, learners, and prospective employees
Instagram: UB buyers, learners, and instructors — both existing and potential
Facebook: Learners and instructors — both existing and potential
Udemy Consumer Messaging
Individual learners
Motivation
Personal and professional growth through skills development.
Key message
You’re capable of so much — now it’s just a matter of having the right skills. Udemy has courses in nearly anything you’d want to know for work and for life.
Building block 1 – Practical knowledge
The best part of learning new skills? Putting them to use. Our instructors teach practical knowledge, making your switch from learning to doing quicker, easier, and more effective.
Building block 2 – Immediacy
If it’s new, you’ll find it here. Our catalog of on-demand courses is constantly growing with in-demand skills, which means there’s always room for you to grow too.
Building block 3 – Attainability
Q&A with real instructors, zero deadlines, and self-paced courses that take a break when you do. That’s all part of how we make learning easier.
Building block 4 – Affordability
We believe knowledge is for everyone, and that’s why we price it for everyone too.
Instructors
Motivation:
Reward for the sharing of real-world knowledge and expertise
Key message:
Turn your expertise into opportunity as a Udemy instructor. Whether it’s professional recognition or a boost to your bank balance, you get more from what you know with Udemy.
Building block 1 – Independence
With Udemy, you design the course and teach when it’s convenient — or when you’re fully caffeinated. Record lessons in advance, and add money to your pocket and time to your day.
Building block 2 – Recognition
Looking for a bigger audience for your teaching? A higher profile among your peers? Udemy lets you reach people everywhere and make a name for yourself in the process.
Building block 3 – Growth
They say you never really know something until you have to teach it to someone else. Share your knowledge and gain a
new perspective on your field — and maybe yourself — with Udemy.
Building block 4 – Ease of entry
Our students want to learn skills they can use in the real world, and your hands-on experience in their field of interest matters more than any teaching certificate. That’s why we don’t require one.