Journalist and PR training
I run acclaimed one day training workshops in real life and freelance journalism for Journalism.co.uk, and independent correspondence courses and PR master classes, with co-trainer Olivia Gordon.
The journalism-focused courses include practical exercises and cover everything from finding case studies and placing real life stories to all the potential pitfalls and headaches you may encounter as you establish a career as a freelance journalist.The correspondence course offers in-depth training in identifying feature ideas and selling them to high-profile publications. With weekly assignments, generous feedback and one-to-one tuition from two very experienced freelance journalists, it is ideal for anyone who wants to develop or improve their pitching skills and prefers home-based study.
The focus of our unique PR workshop is how to communicate more effectively with national newspapers and the women's consumer press - in particular, winning the interest of journalists and and avoiding the incredibly common mistakes most PRs make. The format of the course allows PRs to workshop failed pitches/press releases and focus on their specific concerns, rather than being lectured to.
Our next one day workshop on establishing a career as a successful freelance journalist takes place on Saturday June 19th 2010.
The first 4-week correspondence course on Ideas and Pitching launched in February 2010 and will be repeated later in the year.
A new PR master class takes place on Wednesday May 26th.
There's lots more info about all of our 2010 training opportunities at our training blog.
Delegate feedback
'It's given me confidence and made me believe far more strongly it's possible. A really enjoyable, interesting and informative day run by friendly, positive, unpretentious people.'
'After going on the course I scored a commission worth a thousand pounds from a major national paper. I wouldn't have had the confidence or known how to pitch it before and that one commission alone will cover my course fee more than six times over.'
'[The] course was excellent and I feel so much less unsure about the process now. After the course I had the interview I needed set up within about six minutes (and I am not exaggerating!). I had been trying most of last week without success!'
'The course was comprehensive and excellent. It answered those little niggling questions that I couldn't answer using my own common sense and the insights you gave into working practices will, I'm sure, turn out to be invaluable. Exactly what I needed.'
'Very useful. I have 10 years of on-staff experience, but Jo and Olivia have taught me alot about the 'other side'. I'm really going to put their generous advice into practice.'
'Absolutely fantastic at showing the reality of day to day existence as a freelancer. Left the course more confident about ability and also how to proceed.'
'Thanks Olivia and Jo for such a brilliant day. I have learned so much and I can't wait to put all your fab advice into practice.'
'It was a superb course as the tutors were very helpful and provided us with everything we needed to know about real life journalism. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to venture into this field.'
'The day was really well planned and structured, very thorough, and interesting at all times. Nice friendly environment - much more engaging than being lectured to. Everyone was encouraged to contribute and share experiences. It was great to have such detailed hand-outs, so I didn't have to worry about writing notes. You provided lots of helpful tips that you don't get from more general training - it was a bit more personal. And there was a lot of opportunity to ask questions. It's really helped me structure my pitches.'
'It gave me some pointers as to where to find case studies; how to deal with real life editors; and how to handle interviewees re fees, etc. Very good style and pitch. If ever I am asked to find a transsexual Ecuadorian with 7 children all of whom were breastfed to the age of 22 I will think of J and O!'
'I found Olivia and Jo very approachable and down to earth. The course was packed with practical information and handouts, and other people chipped in with their own experiences and questions. There was no time wasted.'
'I thought it was well-organised, comprehensive and relevant. I found you both sincere, professional and genuinely keen to help. It was great fun too!'
'Thanks for the fantastic course. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt so much. I'll let you know when I get my first commission.'
'To sub a heartfelt story to reasonable length, this course was easily worth the fee, the return flight from Dublin, the hotel - all three.'
'A fantastic course. Jo and Olivia's approach was friendly and informative and their handouts comprehensive. I'm just starting out in freelance journalism and I very much appreciated their honest and realistic presentation of the way this branch of the media works. They were very down-to-earth and their love of what they do shone through. I thought the course was great from start to finish.'
'An excellent course provided by two very interesting and informative people. It covered all the things I wanted it to.'
'I found the course extremely useful, particularly all the tips and advice for pitching to, and writing for, glossy magazines which I have found much more difficult to crack than newspapers. I picked up a lot of really useful nuggets of information I could never have figured out for myself. The handouts were fantastic too - the best I've had from a training course.'
'Very useful. It answered all the little questions I've come across but didn't know who to ask.'