Essential skill: analytics

Analytics are one of the most powerful tools journalists and publishers have to understand the effectiveness of their reporting, to build audiences and manage their time and effort. However, analytics are too often used in the crudest ways to merely measure success – or as a tool to beat staff members.

This online course is designed to give writers, editors and other communicators confidence in handling and using analytics in their day-to-day work.

It will demonstrate how to use metrics to test ideas and stories, and improve your approach to content based on real data gathered from your website, social media channels or videos.

This course is fully updated with GA4, the newest version of Google Analytics, and is equally applicable to any analytics package you use.

Delivery

The course will be delivered online in four 90 minute sessions on Zoom, with opportunities for discussion and feedback between sessions. Course videos and supporting notes will be available online after each session.

The course will cover:

Web Metrics

Core concepts of analytics.
Why hits are a far too crude measure.
Understanding the key metrics that matter for your business model.
Learning about reader journeys across your site.
Understanding the right questions to ask from your metrics.
Test and learn cycles.
Common mistakes – and how to avoid them.
The limits of metrics in decision-making.

Social media analytics – proving the return of social.
How to track inbound traffic from Twitter, Facebook and other social platforms.
Analysing time patterns and effectiveness.
Creating a social media plan based on metrics.

Next course dates

Coming soon

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