Editorial skills: Engaging and growing your audience

THIS COURSE WILL REMAIN ACTIVE UNTIL THE 15TH OF NOVEMBER

Why is there a charge for this course?

This course includes individual feedback by the instructor. Your submitted assignment will be graded by them.

What if I can't afford the course fees?

Grants and discounts are available based on your status and location. Apply here.

You are also entitled to free access to one of the paid for courses when you successfully complete two of the three free courses: JN01, JN02, and JN07 which are all free to access on our course menu page.  Once you have completed the two courses, apply for your course of choice here

By enrolling in this course, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions, available here.

 

DEBORAH KELLY - COURSE INSTRUCTOR

Hello. I’m Deborah, your course instructor. I have more than 30 years experience as a senior journalist and manager working for UK and International media organisations, including the BBC, Al Jazeera, ITV and Thomson Reuters.

 

At one of the UK’s leading journalism universities, Nottingham Trent University, I set up a ground-breaking project in cooperation with the city’s television station, and developed the station’s news website.

 

I hold a MA in Mass Communications from the University of Leicester and a Post Graduate Certificate in Advanced Practice from the University of Gloucester. I’m a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

Along with me, some of the best media professionals will provide you with expert advice on analysing your audience and customising news content to make it more engaging for them. 

 

About the course:

This course is designed to help you explore your audience - that is, identify who is reading or watching your content, and consider whether your approach is the right one for them. By understanding how to  create content which will interest and engage the audience, you will  be able to make an informed judgement on prioritising which stories to cover, and how to present them.

The course is divided into five sections:

Section 1 provides an overview of the course and introduces the course trainer and media experts.

Section 2 explains the significance of understanding your audience.

Section 3 demonstrates how news stories should be chosen according to the characteristics and interests of your audience. 

Section 4 discusses the ‘engaging’ factor in a news story, and demonstrates the significance of ‘humanising’ the content.

Section 5 is the course summary.

Throughout the course, you will be presented with practical exercises based on the concepts discussed in the course. Some of the exercises will be marked by the instructor.

By the end of the course you will be able to:

- Identify your target audience and adapt your content to their needs

- Make your coverage more engaging and relevant for your audience.

You can complete this course within 5 hours over multiple sessions.

 

Participating experts:

Neil Thompson - Editor of Good Morning Britain

Owen Masters - Assistant Editor at Good Morning Britain

Ben Briscoe - Assistant Editor at Good Morning Britain

Caroline Sigley - News Editor at Good Morning Britain

 

Illustrations by Anthony Mwenda

Produced by the Thomson Foundation

 All rights reserved.