Saturday, February 15th, 2025

Live Seminar via Zoom from 11:00AM - 1:00PM 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. 

Read an interview with Courtney about teaching this class.

Writer/instructor Courtney Kocak has gotten her best bylines by placing essays in popular columns. To help you take your publishing game to the next level, she will give you ten targets and generative prompts, along with a brief lesson on pitching.

Courtney will explain the crux of popular columns for top publications. You'll do a brainstorming and drafting exercise for each, and there will be an opportunity to workshop your ideas and ask questions. You'll receive a list of potential columns and editor contact information for each. 

During class, we'll review example essays from popular columns, and by the end, you'll have a game plan for landing your best bylines yet!  

If you can't attend this class live, it will be recorded! Students will receive a recording the day after the class, which will be available for 30 days.

• A strategy for landing bylines at top publications by writing for popular columns.
• Decoding the premise and angle of popular columns and identifying ideas that would be a good fit.
• Pitching best practices.
  
• This workshop will be recorded and available for 60 days afterward.
  

COURSE TESTIMONIALS:

"This was such a great experience. Thank you for your time and insights. :)"

"Love this! Just wrote a draft! It is terrible, but there is a nugget in here to rewrite, so thank you!!"

"This was an amazing class, thank you so much!!"

"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."