Using Social Media to Build Your Personal Profile with Jennie McGinn

Course Summary

This is an Irish Writers Centre Meridian Course

This is a 5 week course which brings emerging writers through an overview of social media and how to utilise social media channels to build a personal brand.
The course will initially look at personal and brand stories and how these should be leveraged digitally. The course will then cover Instagram, Threads, Linkedin, WordPress & Substack; how to use each of these channels, how to present across these channels and how to build communities and audiences across these channels. Throughout there will be practical workshop activities, clinic advice and recommendations on communities, creators, press & journalists to align with.

Course Outline

Week 1: Your Origin Story + Digital Platform Overview
How to craft your story for digital and a run-through of digital platform pros + cons

Week 2: Blogging & Substack
How to create a content strategy for blogging & Substack

Week 3: Instagram & Threads
The purpose of Instagram Stories, Feed, Reels + Live and how Threads should be used

Week 4: Linkedin
Linkedin for Thought-leadership and an overview of Feed, Linkedin Articles & Collaborative Posts

Week 5: Community Building & Key Opinion Leader Outreach
How to create engagement, grow audiences and align with press, journalists & content creators

Participants will be expected to work on their personal profile and social media positioning strategies for selected channels throughout the course. At each session, there will be a “clinic” workshop where participants will be encouraged to produce ideas and concepts and look for peer-to-peer and expert feedback.

Course Outcomes

Participants should leave with a plan to use at least 2 digital channels and a content strategy for each of those channels. Participants should understand how to motivate, inspire & engage audiences on those platforms with a view to building a loyal audience.

Jennie Mc Ginn has over 20 years working in marketing, branding, ecommerce and social media. She has worked with large brands like Lifestyle Sports, Fields Jewellers and Kildare Village and with many emerging craft businesses and brands such as Bean & Goose, Seabody, Chupi Jewellery, BuJo, Flowerpop and Criostal na Rinne.
Jennie has delivered workshops to Kildare Library and Arts Services, Creative Mornings, Digital Marketing Institute, Social Media Summit and has lectured at TUI Dublin.