How to build a Profile from scratch — the step-by-step that sets what an Admin or Creator can do, scoped to the audience and content they should be allowed to touch.
Creating a Profile is the most consequential permission action in Continu. When configured well, a Profile gives someone exactly the access they need to do their job. Done sloppily, it either over-grants (security risk) or under-grants (constant access tickets). Spend the extra five minutes to scope each permission deliberately.
Profiles only apply to Admin and Creator accounts. They limit what those privileged users can do — they don't grant permissions to regular Users or External Users.
For the strategic frame on access and permissions overall, see User Management: Who Has Access to What, and Why. For the comprehensive permissions reference, see Profiles Permissions In-Depth Guide.
How to Create a Profile
Step One. Open Profiles. Navigate to Admin > Profiles from the left-hand navigation.
Step Two. Click Create New Profile. Existing Profiles appear in the list below.
Step Three. Follow the guided creation flow. Continu walks you through each step.
Step Four. Name the Profile and add a description. The name is for Admin reference only — make it unique enough that you'll recognize it among other Profiles months from now ("North America Sales Creator" beats "Sales Profile"). The description gives context to other Admins about what the Profile is for.
Explore Settings: If checked, the user can rearrange content on Explore.
Step Five. Content Creation. Define which content types the user can create. For example, if someone manages only Workshops, limit them to Create Workshops.
Step Six. Edit. Similar to Content Creation but for editing existing content. Can be mixed and matched with Creation — e.g., someone might be able to edit Articles but not create new ones.
Step Seven. Analytics. Limit or allow access to analytics by content type. Example: a team member can access Workshop analytics without being able to create or edit Workshops.
Step Eight. Segmentation. Use user attribute values (location, department, etc.) to scope what content the user can access and manage. Critical for Creator Profiles where you need someone to manage Sales content without seeing HR content.
Helpful segmentation tips:
Restrict Segmentation Options: Require the team member to include specific segmentation values (e.g., they must scope every piece of content to a specific location).
Allow Archiving / Unarchiving of Content: Lets the user archive content to remove it from active use, or unarchive content to make it live again.
Allow Approval of Content Changes: Enables approval of new and updated content from Collaborators.
Allow Assessment Reset: Permits the user to reset learner attempts on Assessments.
Step Nine. Users. Define which user data and fields the team member can access. The same logic as content segmentation: enable broad access for HR admins, restrict for departmental admins who should only see their own region or function.
Helpful user-access tips:
Add Any User with Bulk Upload: Allows the user to upload a .csv via Admin > Users bulk upload.
Restrict User Access: Limits which fields the Profile has access to. Example: a Profile that only allows access to Sales department users in San Francisco or New York.
Add a Single User: Allows single-user uploads from the Admin Users page.
Continue through remaining steps. Each step refines a different permission set. For the full reference on what every permission does, see Profiles Permissions In-Depth Guide.
Considerations
Start narrow, broaden over time. Granting too much access at creation is harder to roll back than gradually expanding it. Start with the minimum the user needs and add permissions when they hit a wall.
Build for the role, not the person. A Profile named for an individual ("Sarah's Permissions") doesn't scale when Sarah changes roles or someone else needs the same access. Name and design for the role ("Regional Sales Creator — EMEA").
Use Segmentation, not Profile-per-region. Don't create five identical Creator Profiles for five regions. Create one Profile with the right segmentation and use Smart Segmentation values to scope each user's audience.
Document the Profile's purpose in the description. "Manages Sales content for North America, can't see other regions or HR content" tells future admins what the Profile is for without them having to inspect every checkbox.
Configuration Pitfalls
Over-Granting at Creation. "I'll just check everything for now and tighten it later" rarely happens. Start with the minimum required access and grant additional permissions deliberately.
Profile Names That Don't Scale. "Test Profile," "Sarah's Profile," "New Profile" don't communicate purpose. Name for the role and scope.
Skipping Segmentation Configuration. A Profile without segmentation effectively gives the user platform-wide access within their permission categories. For Creators and regional admins, segmentation is what scopes them appropriately.
Forgetting Restrict Segmentation Options. Without this toggle, Creators can leave segmentation off when creating content — defeating the purpose of segmentation in the first place. Turn this on for Profiles where every piece of content should have segmentation set.
Creating Many Similar Profiles Instead of One Flexible One. If you find yourself building Profile after Profile that differ only in segmentation values, you're working harder than you need to. Use one Profile with the right segmentation and Smart Segmentation values per user instead.
Where This Fits
You're here because you're creating a new Profile. To assign users to it, see Assigning Users To A Profile. For the comprehensive reference on what each permission does, see Profiles Permissions In-Depth Guide.
See Also
- User Management: Who Has Access to What, and Why — the strategic anchor.
- Profiles Permissions In-Depth Guide — every permission, what it does, when to grant it.
- What Are Profiles In Continu? — Profile overview.
- Assigning Users To A Profile — putting users in a Profile.
- Edit an existing profile — modifying after creation.
- Delete A Permissions Profile — removing a Profile.
Start narrow, broaden over time. Build for the role, not the person. Use segmentation to scope by region or department instead of creating separate Profiles.