Session 2: How to announce Training Courses

How to draft learning outcomes for your training course in a training announcement?

  • One of the most important field in a training announcement
  • Defining learning outcomes is a critical step
  • You think about the following aspects:
    • Identify the Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes
    • Draft Clear and Achievable Objectives
    • Develop Specific Learning Outcomes
    • Write Outcomes Using Actionable Verbs
    • Refine the Outcomes
    • Ensure Alignment with Assessment

How much information should a training announcement include to create curiosity?

  • To create curiosity and interest in your training announcement, it's important to strike a balance between providing enough information to be informative and withholding just enough to pique interest.
  • Here are a few suggestions you can achieve that:
    • Tease the topic: Mention the general theme or area of focus for your training course, but avoid giving away too much about the specific content.
    • Highlight the benefits: Instead of listing features or topics, focus on the benefits that attendees will gain from participating in your training course. This could include phrases like "Take your skills to the next level," "Stay ahead of the curve," or "Transform your approach."
    • Create a sense of exclusivity: If your training course is limited in size or offers exclusive opportunities, mention this to create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out).
    • Provide a glimpse into the format: Give a brief overview of the training course format, such as "interactive sessions," "hands-on exercises," or "expert-led discussions."
    • Mention any notable speakers or facilitators: If you have well-known or highly respected experts leading your training course, highlight their involvement to generate interest and credibility.
    • Include a clear call-to-action (CTA): Make it easy for recipients to take the next step by including a prominent CTA, such as "Register now," "Learn more," or "Save your spot."
    • Keep it concise: Remember that the goal of a training announcement is to pique curiosity and encourage further exploration. Aim for a length of around 100-150 words.

What is the best way to announce my training courses?

  • Depends on lots of aspects ;)
  • Here are a few options:
    • Words of month / personal communication
    • Mailing lists
    • Social Media
    • Website of your network
    • Training course registries, e.g. TeSS
    • Newsletter
    • Conferences / Meetings / Posters
    • Try to get out of your own bubble

Which Social Media platform is suitable for announcing training courses?

  • The most suitable social media platform for announcing training courses depends on your target audience and the nature of the course. However, here are some platforms that are generally effective:
    • LinkedIn: Ideal for professional and career-related courses. It offers networking opportunities and the ability to target professionals who may benefit from your training
    • X: Good for quick updates and engaging with participants through hashtags and threads. It's also useful for creating buzz around your event
    • Instagram: If your course is visually appealing or you can create engaging visuals, Instagram can be a powerful tool to attract a younger demographic
    • Newcomer: Mastodon & BlueSky

Each platform has its strengths, so consider using a combination of these to maximize your reach and impact.

How should the announcement be structured? What information should come first? In my last announcement, the registration link was last and some participants almost missed it.

  • Place the registration link prominently after the initial details. You can even include it twice—once near the top and again at the end for emphasis.
  • de.NBI always has the registration at the end, because the potential participant should read the complete announcement before registering

If you use images on tweets for announcing courses, what program do you use to create them? What should be on it? Poster like or just clickbait image

  • animated, standardized gif with logo by graphic designer
    • curiosity
    • improves the visibility - only a text is not help
  • If available: a short video could be the best option
    • Training topic should be shown
  • poster like thing would include complete information
    • if directly provided by the training course leader
    • should include most important details about the course
  • AI generated images are an options but be mindful of copyright
    • check the quality of the pictures
    • AI makes mistakes ;)
      • In contrast: AI creates very good titles for training course
      • Do some interactions until you are satisfied with the title
  • classroom picture (for F2F course)
    • should be professional
    • be aware of copyright aspects
    • should represent a cozy atmosphere

When should I announce my training course?

  • For F2F course: 2-3 months before the course
    • Participants have to arrange here travel (trip + accommodation)
    • Confirmation mails are important to check if participants will come or not
  • For online courses: Minimum 3-4 weeks before the course
    • Reminder mails close before the course are helpful to get more people

What about “Save-the-date” mails? Are they helpful for drafting training courses?

Yes and no or depends:

Disadvantages:

  1. Lack of Concrete Details: If you don't provide enough concrete details about the training course, such as agenda, speakers, or registration information, recipients might not be motivated to save the date or take action.
  2. False Sense of Urgency: If you send "Save-the-Date" emails too far in advance, recipients may not feel a sense of urgency to register or take action, leading to lower conversion rates.
  3. Overhyping: If you create too much hype around your training course without delivering on promises, you risk disappointing attendees and damaging your reputation.
  4. Unsubscribe Risk: If your "Save-the-Date" emails are not relevant or useful to recipients, they may unsubscribe from your mailing list, reducing your ability to promote future training courses or events.
  5. Lack of Personalization: If your "Save-the-Date" emails are not personalized or targeted to specific segments of your audience, they may not resonate with recipients, leading to lower engagement rates.
  6. Limited Follow-up: If you don't have a clear follow-up strategy in place after sending "Save-the-Date" emails, you may struggle to convert interested recipients into registered attendees.
  7. Negative Perception: If you send too many "Save-the-Date" emails or make them too sales-y, recipients might perceive your messages as spammy or overly promotional, damaging your brand reputation.
  8. Measuring Success: It can be challenging to measure the success of "Save-the-Date" emails, making it difficult to optimize and improve future campaigns.

Benefits of "Save-the-Date" emails:

  1. Builds anticipation: Creates excitement and generates interest in your training course.
  2. Saves time: Gives potential participants advance notice, allowing them to plan and schedule accordingly.
  3. Encourages early registration: Increases the likelihood of early registrations, which can help you gauge demand and plan logistics.
  4. Helps with marketing momentum: Can be used as a teaser campaign, building up to the full announcement of your training course.

What is your no-show-rate?

  • For F2F events:
    • Normally less than 10% (DE)
  • For Online events:
    • During Corona about 20% (DE) - after Corona 30-50% (DE)
    • About 20% (EE)

→ A small fee improves the no-show-rate