Saturday, March 15th, 2025

Live Seminar via Zoom from 11:00AM - 2:00PM PST 

Now Enrolling!

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Instructor Courtney Kocak is a writer, podcaster, and comedian based in Los Angeles. She wrote for Amazon’s Emmy-winning animated series Danger & Eggs and Netflix’s Know It All podcast. She’s produced a slew of highly-ranked podcasts—including The Bellas Podcast, which debuted at #1 on Apple Podcasts, PayPal’s Never Stand Still, and Girlboss Radio—and currently hosts three of her own with over two million downloads to date: Private Parts Unknown, about love and sexuality around the world, The Bleeders, about book writing and publishing, and Podcast Bestie, a best friend to podcasters trying to grow and monetize their shows (and a popular Substack). As a writer, her bylines include The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Cosmopolitan, BUST, Bustle, InsideHook, and more. She’s currently working on a coming-of-age memoir in essays.

Courtney Kocak will help you build a platform through newsletters, podcasts, social media, and more. And no, you don’t need to start your own podcast!

The word "platform" as a noun necessary to have a writing career used to send me into a spiral. I wanted to be a writer, not an influencer, but book deals are often BYOP—Bring Your Own Platform.

I resented the idea of having to be both as a prerequisite for success. It seemed like an insurmountable roadblock. I was envious of famous writers who didn't have to bother trotting out whimsical Instagram flat lays of their favorite books or trying to make their lunch a hilariously poetic moment on Twitter.

I still have a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with social media, but in writing my recent book proposals and landing a dream agent, I realized I'd managed to build a decent platform in spite of myself. In this workshop, I'm sharing everything I've learned to help get you started and/or optimized for the choose-your-own-adventure of building a writer platform.

• In this workshop, we'll cover newsletters, podcasting, social media, and other options for platform building. By the end of the 3 hours, you'll have a solid plan for building your writer platform by leaning into your joys and strengths.
• I'll present inspiration from my favorite writer accounts and help you find a sustainable social media strategy that doesn't make you want to walk into the ocean.
• I will also share my tips for growing an audience on Substack without spending a ton of time.
• It seems like everyone has a podcast these days, but I will help you use podcasts to build a platform, even if you don't want to start your own.
• Plus, I'll share some other platform-building ideas you might not have considered.
  

Can't make the live event? No problem. You can submit questions beforehand, and the workshop will be recorded and available for 60 days afterward. Afterward, you'll receive a PDF containing a recap and resources to help you execute your new strategy for building a platform.

COURSE TESTIMONIALS:

"Just a few weeks back, I took this phenomenal workshop! Courtney Kocak was an absolute gem, sharing many practical tips and providing an amazing PDF follow-up!"

"If you find this platform-building thing mystifying, scary, or just need encouragement, you should sign up."

"Some of the best cash I've spent this year."