Training

I offer bespoke training sessions, workshops and masterclasses on trade communications, media engagement, writing and thought leadership, as well as media training and panel prep for executives.

My training sessions and workshops are interactive, highly practical and available online or in-person.

Clients tell me they value my ability to tailor the training to their specific needs as well as my straightforward style, clear explanations and encouraging feedback.

Based on nearly 20 years’ experience as a journalist, editor and comms consultant, each session is packed with real-life examples and behind-the-scenes insight to give you the skills to get your message across, communicate with confidence and make an impact on journalists and readers.

Take a look at some of my most popular training options below and email me to find out how I can support your team’s training needs.

Trade Media Masterclass

Made for PRs, this masterclass lifts the lid on what trade publications want and how they work, giving you practical tips, tricks and strategies to secure more coverage for your clients.

You’ll learn core writing and pitching skills, including how to structure a trade press release, as well as strategies for increasing your clients’ share of voice in features and reports and building good relationships with trade journalists.

Popular training options

Thought Leadership Masterclass

Discover how to craft strong viewpoints and become a leading voice in your sector.

You'll learn how to spot thought leadership opportunities in your day-to-day as well as news and current events, find interesting angles and refine your thinking for maximum impact. We'll also cover how to structure thought leadership pieces and pitch opinion articles to publications.

Media Training

Need to train up spokespeople who can be put forward for interviews and profile opportunities in the trade press? I can help.

Based on my own extensive experience as a trade journo, my specialist media training focuses on how to get your message across in trade media interviews, communicate clearly to a trade audience and handle tough questions.

Webinar and panel prep

There’s a knack to being a great panellist.

I have chaired dozens of webinars, roundtables and panel discussions. My prep session teaches you how to stay on message, give succinct and engaging answers, build rapport with other panellists and navigate awkward questions from the audience.

1-2-1 Mentoring

For individual PRs and comms professionals looking to boost their understanding of the trade media and ability to secure coverage, I offer one-to-one mentoring, support and guidance on press release writing, features commentary, trade media relations and pitching.

Mentoring clients are set ‘homework’ assignments to practise their skills and receive detailed written feedback on their work.

Building Your Profile In The Trade Media

Made for fmcg brands and companies, this masterclass gives you the skills to build your profile in the trade media and establish yourself as the go-to expert in your field.

With a focus on securing non-news coverage, it is a great option for companies ready to go beyond press releases and build deeper relationships with trade publications.

  • “Being able to tap into Julia’s extensive knowledge and industry expertise, as well as her approachable, easy manner, was invaluable for our team, and resulted in a fun session that the team really engaged with and put into practice afterwards.”

    Phil Slaney, Nexus PR

  • “Julia is a brilliant teacher who is able to translate her many years of experience as a writer and editor into accessible and engaging training sessions and materials. She ran a fantastic workshop for the Newcastle University Centre for Rural Economy blog-editing team: interesting, highly informative, pitched at just the right level, and tailored to our blog and our audience. We cannot recommend her highly enough!”

    Beth Clark, Newcastle University

  • “Julia delivered one of the best training workshops I’ve ever organised for the team here. She took time to really understand the brief and to tailor the session to the exact needs of our business. The session was perfectly planned to deliver both the necessary guidelines and advice as well as involving the team in practical exercises. Everyone came out with a much better understanding of how to pitch to journalists and so able to do that part of their job better. If only all training delivered such immediate benefits!”

    Jo Sensini, Velvet PR

  • “Julia’s training and expertise are invaluable, whether you’re an old hand at trade PR and in need of a refresher course or a new addition to the profession looking for a one-stop overview of the essentials needed when it comes to mastering trade media relations. The tools provided during the session are already proving useful to our team and clients. What’s more, having the opportunity to have an industry expert’s undivided attention in reviewing your work and feeding back on your upcoming trade PR strategies is an extra special, and much appreciated, bonus.”

    — Corey Kitchener, Brazen


  • "I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Julia. She delivered two training workshops to help our teams improve their trade media writing and pitching skills and feedback was positive across the board. Everyone gleaned new insights thanks to the combination of theory and practical exercises and Julia's passion was infectious. Everyone left the sessions feeling enthusiastic and more confident pitching to trade media."

    Philippa Chester, Richmond & Towers

  • “I found the session incredibly helpful. I’m really grateful to have had this opportunity – so many thanks for your time and thorough feedback.”

    1-2-1 client

  • “Julia ran a one-day workshop to help our team improve its writing skills. She asked the right questions to keep us focused and gave us the right exercises to instantly implement our newly acquired skills. At the end of the day, we all felt empowered, enthused and eager to get on with our next report.”

    Ewa Hudson, Lumina Intelligence

  • “I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Julia and the thought leadership and opinion writing masterclass. The sessions with Julia were good fun and really engaging; her experience in this area really shines through. The course had great examples of good writing and the practical work allowed you to work on your own writing style with really useful editorial input from Julia. I was really impressed with how much my own writing improved over the duration of the course.”

    Howard Radcliffe, EFFP