Your course description is the most important piece of marketing content you'll produce. Write it in plain English, telling potential learners what your course will enable them to do.
Getting your course description right is critical if you want to get learners to sign up to your short course or CPD (continuing professional development).
Potential participants will base most of their buying decision on your course description.
Write from your audiences' point of view
Your course description should clearly tell your potential learners:
- who your course is for
- why your course is of interest specifically to them
- what they'll get out of the course, whether for their personal growth, business or career
Understanding your potential learners' problems and motivations and directly addressing them will make your course description more powerful.
Explaining what's in it for learners is different to writing learning outcomes.
Write in plain English
This is not 'dumbing down', but making your content easy to read and process.
People attending CPD particularly are busy professionals and could come from a range of backgrounds. They may have plenty of providers to choose from and limited time to decide.
Do not write in an 'academic' way. Avoid jargon and keep the language simple – research shows that professionals want this.
Write for the web
People read content online differently than printed material. Research shows most people skim web pages rather than read every word.
They also read less the further down the page they scroll.
This means you should:
- put the most important information at the top
- use headings and sub-headings to help users scan the page
- use short sentences and bullet points
If you use the same language that your users type into search engines, your course is also much more likely to rank higher in search results.
Example of a good course description
You can use the description for UCL's English Grammar for Teachers course as an example. It shows what teachers must think about when they're applying for time away from the classroom for CPD:
- the benefits to the pupils and school as well as the teacher
- the importance of word of mouth, including an interview with another teacher who's already been on the course