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Copywriting Public Relations - master PR publicity skills (Udemy.com)

BECOME A PR PRO WORKING FROM HOME. ADD A NEW REVENUE STREAM or DRIVE YOUR BRAND, FAST.

Created by: Len Smith

Last updated April 2018

Our take

Based on the ratings of 158 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in April 2018. No course pays to be reviewed.

This is a short PR primer, 27 lectures across about 3.4 hours, built for start-ups, company owners and freelance copywriters who have never worked with the press. Len Smith runs a copywriting business and draws on client stories from the software sector. The syllabus covers building a media plan, finding the right bloggers and journalists, writing press releases and white papers, using keywords, and measuring results. There are no quizzes or exercises, so it is a watch and take notes course.

Reviewers like how practical it feels. Several mention advice they could use straight away, and a few single out the summary notes and PDFs as handy. His delivery gets called clear and easy to follow, and one student compared him to Watson from the Sherlock Holmes stories. The complaints are fair ones. One reviewer says it assumes more analytics knowledge than they have, and a three-star review calls it more 1990s than modern, with no digital marketing. Of 158 ratings, 77 are five stars and only 9 are one or two.

The last update was April 2018, so treat the tactics as a starting point and check current platforms yourself. Still, with 2,557 students and a 4.3 rating, it holds up as a low-commitment way to learn the basics of pitching journalists and writing press releases. We'd point it at beginners who want the lay of the land, not at anyone after advanced or social-first PR.

Best forFreelance copywriters and start-up owners who want a quick, practical intro to getting press coverage.
Skip it ifYou want current digital PR tactics, social media, or hands-on analytics; the material dates from 2018.

Pros

  • Summary notes and PDFs come with the lectures, and reviewers call them valuable
  • Reviewers say they got advice they could use straight away, even as beginners
  • Covers media plans, press releases, white papers, keywords and success metrics in 3.4 hours
  • Clear, easy-to-follow delivery from a working copywriter using real client examples

Cons

  • Last updated in 2018, and one reviewer calls it more 1990s than modern
  • One reviewer says it assumes more analytics knowledge than they had; no digital marketing section
  • No quizzes, exercises or assignments, so there is nothing to practice on
Full of helpful advice you can put to work immediately, as this instructor's courses tend to be.
Tamatha Campbell, a student

Listed as All Levels, but it really suits beginners: the only requirement is an open mind, and it targets start-ups and copywriters.

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What you will learn

  • I promise that by the end of this course you will fully understand how to become a 'Voice in your Industry', Known and trusted by influential bloggers, freelance journalists and editors. Everything from developing a professional media plan to getting quality coverage, on-line and off.

Course content

7 sections · 27 lectures · 3.4 hours of video 1 article

  1. 1FREE tasters 2 free previews2 lectures · 19 min
  2. 2Getting started3 lectures · 5 min
  3. 3Become a VOICE IN YOUR INDUSTRY9 lectures · 38 min
  4. 4Understanding Keywords4 lectures · 16 min
  5. 5Press Releases and White Papers6 lectures · 25 min
  6. 6Success metrics, online and off2 lectures · 10 min
  7. 7It's a wrap1 lecture · 2 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Start-ups, fledgling companies and company owners who have not yet leveraged the power of the media. Freelance copywriters, too will benefit.

What you need before you start

  • An open mind.

How it compares

Against the other 418 rated Udemy courses in Digital Marketing on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.3 out of 5higher than 26% of them
  • Reviews158#310 of 419 by number of reviews
  • Length3.4 hoursshorter than 55% of them
  • Last updatedApril 2018earlier than 86% of them

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Course Description

How to master PR - for start-ups and copywriters

Freelance copywriting

This course will benefit freelance copywriters. That’s my profession and PR has been central to my client services.

  • How to develop a professional online/offline media plan
  • How to find the trusted bloggers, the editors, publications and freelance journalists that specialize in your area of interest. Focus is everything.
  • How to find journalists with a tight deadline ‘on heat’ for information on your specialization
  • How to write and USE online press releases, traditional press releases, and sales-lead generating ‘pseudo’ press releases.
  • How to schmooze bloggers and the press
  • How to create a story when there is no story
  • How to find out well in advance which topics are going to get the ‘special feature’ treatment by printed journals and online portals
  • Links to free software that will boost your productivity
  • Why and how you should create an online Press Room
  • Understanding keywords, where to use them and where NOT to use them (and almost every other course seems to get this wrong!)
  • How not to confuse hyper-activity with effectiveness - and how to measure your success accurately
  • And lots more

Become the online and offline ‘Voice’ in your sector - fast

Two key strategies mark out successful start-ups from the also-rans. One is an effective online media strategy, the second is a strong PR strategy. Achieve both, and you will quickly become a trusted, respected ‘Voice in your Industry’. And both can be achieved on a very, very tight budget.

I’ve been involved in a number of start-ups, growing fledgling companies into multinational operations, and achieving their exit strategies. In this course I use real-life client examples from the software sector, including a four-man start-up that achieved free national and international prime-time TV coverage in its first 12 months. A going-nowhere software house that became world leader in the pharmaceutical sector. A husband and wife company that went on to a stock exchange flotation. Start-up security companies that both became leading multinationals.


This course is a perfect accompaniment to my course ‘Become a copywriter - quit the commute and make money from home'.

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Instructor Details

Len Smith

For the past 20 odd years Len has run his own business, Copywriting On Demand and manages The-Writers-Guru.

He works from home, writing copy for organisations around the world - and lots of them have become personal friends.

With forty years' experience in marketing, he spent three years in Paris responsible for IBM product marketing in 14 countries across EMEA.

His biggest market is the USA, followed by the UK, the Arab states and the Netherlands. His business comes via the web and his website attracts more than 1,000 visits a day.

Clients are as diverse as Vodafone, The Finance Leasing Association, Lloyds, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the BBC, a number of multinational pharmaceutical companies - even a TV 'Secret Millionaire'.

Married for more than 50 years (a world record?) he has three sons.

He lives in a rambling old vicarage in Yorkshire that has the distinction of having been built by the Brönte sisters’ Uncle Fennel. Charlotte’s earliest recorded letter was written from the vicarage during one of the children’s brief holidays there.

His interests have included competitive rallying (including an attempt at the Monte Carlo Rally and the Paris Marrakesh), and paragliding. These days he is content with art and opera.

Vacation time aside, Len aims to answer student queries within hours.

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Reviews

4.3

158 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By Jessica Singh on 4/21/2019

Nothing edgy or new to learn. Why is there no Digital Marketing included in this course? Disappointed because this course is more relevant for the 1990s, not the new millennium.

By Chip Cook on 3/13/2018

Right now, I am about 20% of the way through, and I am scared -- and excited. This course reminds me that I never really aimed high, that I actively avoided it, and that that was a mistake. What valid reason did or do I have for not trying? Not a one. Have to stop being scared about approaching entities bigger than Mom & Pop. The exciting part is finding out the level of creativity one can bring to a situation.

By Nancy Hassan ElBeheiry on 5/23/2017

Really valuable course for anyone who works in media. I loved how Len incorporated not just the basics of a press release, but also how they can be optimized for digital marketing, along with measuring the success of the press release. Probably one of the few instructors who provides summary notes of everything covered.Cannot thank you enough!

By Adam Elbaum on 3/14/2017

Nothing profound yet

By Esse Johnson on 11/6/2014

Len Smith is a class act. He is professional, succinct and extremely knowledgeable. His expertise not only in publicity but with technology is pure GOLD. The student will benefit from his maturity in the business with the technical savvy so needed in today's industry. I gave the course 4/5 stars but I would've given 4.8 if I could. Smith offers a great deal of material all at once. My challenge has been to create smaller assignments so I can test the tools and take actionable steps without losing track of everything. Smith answered my questions immediately - priceless. I highly recommend this course. If you're ready to dig in and do the work, you will get a quality education and leave much smarter than you came.

By Adam on 12/24/2013

This course will give you the juicy bits and pieces of how to PR successfully under a budget. This is course is also good for anyone who would like to develop their PR skills, break into the industry and make them work faster. This can save a beginner many hours of scouring the web in search of bloggers and journalists etc... Len states that the real work lies in using the knowledge in the real world. Anybody can read a book or take a course. However, its the action of using it which reveals the golden nuggets students are looking for. I couldn't agree. Len is indeed a master of his craft, copywriting, with insider knowledge of PR and SEO. And also, indeed, a great salesman. Overall its a great course. Can be digested in a couple of days. The notes are worth downloading for reference and future study. I bought it at a promotional price, so I'm happy with the value it gave. Thanks Len, Adam

By Stacey Anderson on 12/3/2013

This course had a lot of great information, tips, and specific actions you can take to get your businesses noticed. Some courses explain the general concepts of PR but Len tells you exactly WHAT to do next. All of his course notes and slides are also available for download, making it really easy to go back and review things later without searching through videos. He also gives examples of what he teaches, such as sample press releases and white papers.

By David B. on 11/10/2013

Len delivers invaluable insider information, and tips and tricks of the trade, in a succinct personalized style, I found Len's manner and presentation easy to follow and understand, and even more amazing, to retain the taught information, Len very thoughtfully includes pdf downloads of everything presented in the videos, including links to all the external resources. I look forward to the promised additional lectures. Thanks Len! David B.

By Emilou Ilagan on 10/25/2013

Thank you so much Len for this new course. Public Relations is one arm of my business and I am just beginning to learn the techniques to become an effective publicist in my niche. Got 2 more courses left to finish then I am done with all Len Smith courses in Udemy. I encourage all new copywriters, self-publishers, marketers and publicists to take ALL courses of Len Smith. He is such a dear person who is kind enough to teach us his winning secrets. Blessings!

By Retha Groenewald on 10/21/2013

Absolutely astounding and awesome! The statement "If you want to be a leader, act like a leader," caught my attention, and I was riveted until the last word by Len Smith. There is so much relevant information with practical steps how to apply the material. I am so motivated and excited; I can't wait to implement what I have learned. Len Smith is a master, he not only explains and equips, he empowers.

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Overall Score : 86 / 100