A guided path to help you design and share the workshop you want to teach
Learn how to turn your idea into a step-by-step plan you can follow with confidence.
As writers and creatives, many of us love workshops. We love to learn new things. We love their energy and connecting with others as we try out new ideas and knowledge.
Maybe you've thought of teaching a workshop yourself but weren't sure how to get started or felt overwhelmed as you began the process of planning for one.
You have decades of experience and passion to share. Get a roadmap and the confidence to do it.
- supplement your income
- find new audiences for your writing or services
- reach more people for your message
- connect with other women
- test out ideas
- It's fun!
"I don't have any audience"
"I'm scared of the tech"
"I don't know how to get started"
We've learned a few things over the years — what works and what doesn't for a midlife audience, what our community wants from us and doesn't. We're teachers, but we've taught ourselves everything else, including how to plan, host, and sell workshops. And you can do it too!
There are lots of other wonderful ways to connect with an audience — including online courses, newsletters, membership communities, or coaching — but this program is specifically for instructors who want to teach workshops or webinars.
Later this fall or early next year, I hope to introduce another separate program for writers and creatives who would like to teach a longer (2 weeks or more) online course.
Clarify Your Why, Your Idea, and Audience
Get clear on your workshop topic.
Here are our lesson goals:
- Identify your personal goals in teaching a workshop.
- Learn how to align your workshop topic with the needs of your audience.
- Get feedback on your initial topic ideas and workshop goals.
Refine Your Workshop Promise
Get clear on what a participant will take away from your workshop.
Here are our lesson goals:
- Identify the benefits and results that a participant can expect from your workshop.
- Write a workshop transformation promise.
- Create a title for your workshop based on your workshop promise.
Design Your Workshop Experience
Plan out the details of your workshop.
Here are our goals:
- Create a flexible workshop outline.
- Choose engagement strategies to fit your workshop.
- Pick additional workshop resources for your participants.
Choose your venue and technology
Decide on where you'll teach and the tech you'l use.
Here are our goals:
- Review options for hosting your workshop.
- Identify your tech needs.
- Get feedback on the platform and tech that will work best for your workshop.
Promote and Sell Your Workshop
Decide on marketing strategies.
Here are our goals:
- Write and get feedback on a simple promotional message.
- Learn how and where to market your workshop.
- Design a survey and other next steps for after the workshop.
Come to Zoom meetings to review the lessons, ask questions, and ask for help. Meetings are not required. They will be recorded and posted in the forum. The meetings (all times Eastern) are Fri. Oct. 10 at noon, Tues., Oct. 14 at 11 a.m., Fri. Oct. 17 at 1 p.m., and Tues., Oct. 21 at 1 p.m
Comment on lessons, give feedback to each other, and share ideas in our private forum
Share your responses to the lessons and get feedback from the instructor on your ideas.
5 video or text lessons
(with 5 short assignments)
BONUS: An Overview of Workshop Platforms and Tech
4 Zoom Coaching Sessions
(optional, attend the ones you can)
Feedback from the instructor on assignments
BONUS: 30 Writing Organizations Accepting Proposals or Applications for Workshops
(based on our current research)
Examples of successful workshop outlines, marketing strategies, and promotional copy
Jessica and Stephanie have been teaching creative writing workshops to women for over a decade—everything from prompt-based groups to personal essays to month-long summits to planning books. Our community members have shared what matters most to them, and we are listening...
Hey there, I'm Jessica.
I'm the co-founder and co-editor of the HerStories Project, a writing and publishing community for midlife women.
A former teacher and curriculum coordinator, I have a doctorate in education and have designed courses for students of all ages and backgrounds.
We promise that at the end of the intensive, you'll have a well-designed workshop ready for you to promote.
But what if you're not sure where to teach your workshop?
We'll help you with that! We'll discuss teaching your workshop:
- for other organizations, writing studios, or communities (including ours)
- on your website or Substack or on a different platform you set up (and all the tech involved)