Content
WritingCornell

Certificate Program

Writing concise copy is a crucial skill for any professional looking to communicate complex ideas to an internal or external audience.

This course provides you with important insights about how to write concisely for various professional applications, including effective issue and topic summaries, policy briefs, and memos. You will investigate how to incorporate and summarize complex content as well as how to establish an effective writing format, style, and tone for a given writing product. Finally, you will convert complex or technical content into a concise copy that is understandable for a non-expert audience. By the end of this course, you will be able to craft accessible, information-based copy describing or defining an issue, event, or activity.

Persuasive writing provides an opportunity to influence readers and help facilitate change. Any time you write material that attempts to encourage action, shape opinion, analyze options, or influence perception or direction, you are engaged in persuasive writing.

In this course, you will be introduced to a three-step process that will enable you to create compelling, fact-supported analyses, arguments, opinions, and recommendations to influence others. You will then be guided through the process of establishing strong, reasoned content while writing persuasive copy for an audience of your choice. By the end of this course, you will have practiced writing clear, concise copy that persuades readers to engage with and act upon your arguments and recommendations.

In today's communication landscape, writing effective web copy is one of the most important skills you can master. Websites are the primary way that organizations communicate with customers, stakeholders, and an interested public. Crafting effective, tailored web content is an essential skill for communication professionals and others tasked with creating website content.

In this course, you will practice skills that will help you master writing web copy for maximum understanding, engagement, and impact. These skills require approaching communication from multiple angles — from the big-picture view to the precise language you use. In this course, you will be provided with tools and guidance that will help you define your intended audience and create written copy that will make your website stand out from the crowd — not only capturing but maintaining your audience's attention in a meaningful way.

Crafting media stories for the online world is a critical skill for any professional who engages in communication with the general public. This flexible form of writing is used for public relations, marketing, blogs and informative stories. The media format is highly adaptable and is the foundation of press releases, event announcements, newsletters, articles, and other forms of communication with public audiences.

This course delves into the best practices for writing for online media. You will start by exploring the basics of effective writing skills and how to apply them in a variety of digital formats to strengthen your foundation. By creating effective headlines and openers, you will discover how to grab your reader's attention and keep them engaged. Using narrative techniques, you will develop the skills to build on your reader's attention and draw your audience in. Ultimately, by refining your transitions, word choice, voice, rhythm, and paragraph structure, you will leave this course with a stronger skill set in media writing.

Creating engaging social media content is critical in today's multimedia world. Even the most seasoned writers often fail to create effective posts; social media platforms differ in content and scope, and the landscape changes quickly. Mastering fundamental best practices and avoiding some of the most common mistakes will greatly enhance your communication strategy, no matter which social media platforms you use.

In this course, you will practice amplifying your online content by using social media platforms to drive traffic and increase sharing. You will explore the proven “hub and spoke” concept to drive readers to your central website content. By learning how to differentiate your content depending on the platform, you will more efficiently reach and resonate with your target audience. Forming an overarching strategic social media approach before you craft individual posts will ensure your messaging has maximum impact. By the end of this program, you will have the skills you need to write punchy, powerful text that readers both enjoy and trust.

Symposium sessions feature two days of live, highly interactive virtual Zoom sessions that will explore today’s most pressing topics. The Marketing Symposium offers you a unique opportunity to engage in real-time conversations with peers and experts from the Cornell community and beyond. Using the context of your own experiences, you will take part in reflections and small-group discussions to build on the skills and knowledge you have gained from your courses.

Join us for the next Symposium, in which we’ll share experiences from across the industry, inspiring real-time conversations about best practices, innovation, and the future of marketing work. You will support your coursework by applying your knowledge and experiences to some of the most pressing topics and trends in the marketing field. By participating in relevant and engaging discussions, you will discover a variety of perspectives and build connections with your fellow participants from across the industry.

Upcoming Symposium: March 11th – 12th, 2025: 

• Tuesday, March 11, 2025 11AM – 1PM ET
• Wednesday, March 12, 2025 11AM – 1PM ET

All sessions are held on Zoom.

Future dates are subject to change. You may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending Symposium sessions is not required to successfully complete any certificate program. Once enrolled in your courses, you will receive information about upcoming events. Accessibility accommodations will be available upon request.