Course Dates | Venue | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
London Bridge | £379 + VAT save £100 | |||
Online | £329 + VAT save £150 | |||
London Bridge | £479 + VAT | |||
Online | £479 + VAT | |||
London Bridge | £479 + VAT |
Day one
Part one
• Brief introduction to the role of the sub-editor in your organisation
• How sub-editing differs from proofreading
• Building a process based on appropriate essential checks for the type of copy, usually including:
• Does the copy fit the brief/meet its intended purpose?
- Is it pitched at the right level for the target audience?
- Is it factually accurate?
- Is it a good read and written to house style?
- Does it meet SEO requirements?
- Is it legally sound?
• Intro exercise
Part two
• Practical exercise
• Feedback and good practice examples of sentences that work well, versus the poorly constructed.
Part three
• How to use structure as the foundation for efficient sub-editing:
• Demonstration of the inverted pyramid for news (a top-loading format also effective for online content of all types including emails, short form content including marketing copy)
• Introduction to the 5Ws - a formula to help subs check content has key information readers require
Part four
• Practical exercises
Day two
Part one
• How to use structure as the foundation for efficient sub-editing:
• Demonstration of a variety of feature/ long-form structures including the diamond, hexagon, egg, egg timer, multi-pyramid
• Discussion of common problems and examples of how to fix copy that needs more than a tweak, with emphasis on improving intros and conclusions:
- weak intro
- lack of pace
- clunky transitions
- repetition
- length
- flabby sentences
- lame conclusion
Part two
• Practical exercise
• Feedback and group discussion.
Part three
• Discussion on how to work well with writers on opinion or first-person pieces, in particular learning to respect a writer's individual style and voice.
• Examples of when to change copy and when to leave it alone - particular focus on how to edit direct quotes/ paraphrase effectively.
Part four
• Writing titles and headlines that inform, promise and engage
• How SEO influences and helps headline writing
• How to balance creativity with practicality
• How to stay on the right side of click-bait
• How to use the other complementary display copy, that helps sell a piece - blurbs, call-outs, captions
• Final practical exercise
Questions and answers
"Insightful course, delivered in an engaging way and adapted to our needs. Relevant tasks to our organisation and useful information that can be actioned immediately."