Effective Writing for Digital: Fundamental Skills

Learn how to write clearly and appropriately for a variety of audiences 

This one-day digital writing course will cover the key principles of storytelling and how to write concise copy without sacrificing style and impactful tone of voice.

What you’ll learn: Key principles of effective and persuasive digital writing

No matter how great the story you’re telling, readers will soon check out if your copy isn’t clear and concise. In the digital world, this is even more important.

This digital writing course course will introduce the key principles of storytelling for all platforms, from the inverted pyramid to the 5Ws. Practical exercises on simplifying and decoding complex language will give you straightforward alternatives to commonly-used, over-complicated phrases and you’ll leave with a checklist to use in your day-to-day work.  

You’ll also explore how to create personas to define your audience and find a suitable tone of voice to speak to them – always thinking about what makes digital writing really sing.   

This course encourages critical thinking and thorough discussions, you’ll examine how some of the biggest publications subtly (or not so subtly) persuade readers in their news and features writing.  

You’ll take a deeper look into what makes a compelling opinion piece, learning how to structure and deliver an impactful argument, and the session will end with advice and insights from some of the media’s most prominent publishers.   

How you’ll learn

This three-module digital writing course will be led by an experienced editor, who will share their knowledge and expertise through presentations, discussion and practical exercises.  

Who the course is for

This digital writing course is for anyone who wants to sharpen their skills and build confidence in creating punchy and impactful copy. It offers a brilliant overview of different writing styles and types of content.  

If you’re looking to build skills as a news journalist, you might also like News Writing Fundamentals: Write Stories With Impact or for a deeper look at feature writing, you might like Features Masterclass: Writing with Flair and Focus. 

We currently offer this course as bespoke training for teams and can deliver it remotely, or in your offices. Get in touch using the button below to discuss times and dates, as well as how we can tailor it to your needs. 

If you’re booking for yourself, find all of our scheduled courses here. 

Course Modules

Principles of Effective Writing

  1. Language and readability
  2. Simplifying language
  3. Clarity, style and impact
  4. Decoding language
  5. Writing tips

Fundamentals of Storytelling

  1. The inverted pyramid
  2. The five Ws (and H)
  3. Defining an audience
  4. Establishing tone of the voice
  5. Further writing tips

Persuasive Writing

  1. The morning’s papers
  2. Opinion writing: Topic, theme and point
  3. Thought leadership writing
  4. Lessons from prominent publishers
press release training

Effective Writing for Digital: Fundamental Skills

Learn how to write clearly and appropriately for a variety of audiences 

Get in touch

What our students say

View all testimonials

I was able to count on excellent teachers and professionals who helped me push my limits and achieve my goals. I was impressed by the quality of the course and the motivation teachers put into it. It was a great experience and I would definitely do it again!

Laure Poncet
, Research Officer
, ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes

My time at PA Training was a whirlwind of fun and excitement. The full-time NCTJ course in London is fast-paced and hard work but perfectly sets you up for what to expect in a reporter role.

Camilla Foster
, Reporter
, Newsquest

The lifelike interview settings and tasks that PA Media Training deal in replicate perfectly the real-world feel of a tough media interview and help the delegates come out of the day feeling much more confident that they can play an active role in representing their organisation.

Transport for London
, Director of Communications & Corporate Affairs

Not only did I develop the necessary toolkit to become a journalist, but I also did so in an environment that fosters a real sense of community and personal career support.

Erin Waks
, Trainee Sub-Editor
, Daily Mail

The teaching I received was second to none and despite having no experience whatsoever in journalism, the tutors made sure there was a friendly environment where I felt welcome to ask any questions I needed. I was able to finish the course and go into a job working for The Sun.

Olivia Allhusen
, Junior Journalist
, The Sun

The training scenarios are as real to life as you could possibly get. They took considerable time to research our current plans and issues and used these to design a series of true to life radio and TV interviews. The team is outstanding, and their expertise and knowledge has been invaluable. Book them – you’ll be glad you did.

NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group
, Communications Manager

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For more information , simply fill out the form and a member of our team will be in touch.