The Rainmaker

Do you want to master the basics of PR?

If so, this course is for you.

Here's what this course will teach you:

The course consists of 18 modules detailing one PR fundamental each. Each module comes with a video class (15-20 mins.), worksheet, quiz, transcript, and audio version.

Please read this page closely to learn more.

In The Rainmaker PR course, your instructor Jerry Silfwer (author of the blog Doctor Spin) will share with you 18 fundamentals of becoming a successful PR professional — insights and tactics collected and refined from 18 years of hands-on experience in the PR industry.

These are the PR fundamentals you will get:

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

WEEK 5

WEEK 6

This a 6-week online PR course, but all material will be immediately released to you upon enrollment.

The Rainmaker online PR course will get you ready for a long and successful career as PR professional.

First, let me state the obvious:

There aren't a lot of introductory PR courses out there. In search of inspiration, I've signed up and tried those that I've found. Often, the content is dumbed-down to the point of becoming pre-school level. And too often, the content is downright inaccurate.

Having authored a PR blog and shared useful articles for two decades, I wanted to create a course that I'd love. So, I did.

In short: This is the introducturoy online PR course I wish that I had when when I started.

As your PR instructor, my position is rare to find:

Here are some of my former PR clients:

Adobe, Saab, H&M, Coca-Cola, Oracle, Spotify, HTC, Oriflame, Procter & Gamble, Groupon, Q-Med, Michael Kors, Swedish Incubators & Science Parks, TeliaSonera, TetraPak, Kenneth Cole, Husqvarna, Lanvin, Rehband, Cygate, Eaton, Efva Attling, EMC Information Systems, Eton Shirts, Gant, The Swedish Internet Foundation, Thompson Hotels, Nobis Hospitality Group, Pandox, PostNord, Scandic Hotels, SVT, Triwa, Visit Denmark, Visit Sweden, Whispr Group, Berghs Shool of Communication, Mid Sweden University, Hyper Island, Uppsala University, Beckman's School of Design, IHM Business School etc.

All of this is to say that I know PR. But why should you trust in my ability to provide you with the value you're looking for?

Of course, I can tell you how much it means to me to see my students succeed. I can tell you how passionate I am about PR and online education. I can tell you how much valuable PR knowledge I have to share. But why should you take my word for it?

Here's the honest truth:

The PR industry is global, but small. If you invest in my course and I disappoint you, you'll probably tell your PR friends. And they'll tell their PR friends. In our industry, there's not that many degrees of separation. Especially not in the age of social media.

I literally can't afford to create a course with this much effort, only to have it quickly destroyed by word-of-mouth. Such is the power of PR.

Now, with at least some potential trust issues out of the way, let's turn our focus to something more interesting:

What exactly will this PR course give you?

What is PR?

How do you define PR? What does a typical workday look like? What's the difference between PR and marketing? Why are there PR agencies and Communications Departments? Why is PR useful? Who needs PR? What does it take to be a PR professional? What's the difference between a PR junior and a PR senior? What must all PR professionals know? What books have most PR professionals read?

The history of PR

How long has PR been around? Who shaped the PR profession into what it is today? Why does PR sometimes have a bad reputation?

The Publics in PR

What are publics? Why does publics even matter? What's the difference between the public and publics? What's the difference between publics, target groups, and marketing personas? How do you segment publics?

I went on thinking to myself, "The Stupid Majority is just one powerful PR strategy — I've got 17 more to share."

Why not, right?

Now, I would never presume to take all the credit for these strategies:

I've been fortunate to work with some of the best minds in the PR industry. And I took notes rigorously. I worked with hundreds of brands with different PR challenges and carefully logged what worked — and what didn't.

While I've picked up some amazing strategies from senior PR legends, I've also picked up strategies from nearby fields such as SEO, content marketing, inbound marketing, growth hacking, email marketing etc.

The reason is simple: You can't succeed in PR today without a digital-first mindset.

I've also nurtured a long-standing fascination for behavioural psychology. In fact, my absolute favourite PR strategies (like Stupid Majority) are inspired by established and well-researched psychological phenomenons.

To date, I've been taking notes about PR strategies for 22 years (I started studying PR at the university in 2000). And I've been crafting and implementing PR strategies professionally for 18 years.

As your instructor, I want to share with you my 18 favourite fundamentals from my career in the PR industry. All of these fundamentals have delivered magnificent results to numerous brands — and served me well in tight spots and under immense pressure.

+ BONUS CONTENT

In each main masterclass video (15-20 mins.), I explain the strategy with examples and case studies. I detail how YOU can use the specific strategy. I also provide 1-page strategy worksheets, strategy quizzes, transcripts, and audio versions.

The Playmaker course is designed for communication professionals, PR consultants, all types of marketers, and entrepreneurs — or anyone looking to enter these fields.

You could be focused on B2C (business-to-consumer) or B2B (business-to-business) since these strategies can be adapted for both. You could work at a large international corporation or a small local startup. You could have decades of PR experience or just be starting out.

Please note: This online PR course is for those interested in making huge and lasting impacts.

Put in another way: This is not a course for those who are interested in just pitching one story to one journalist — and then be done with it.

These are strategies for changing minds, narratives, and behaviours. Which is exactly what a great PR strategy should do.

At this point, perhaps I should promise you that these strategies will launch your career into the PR stratosphere. Or that these strategies will turn you into the quintessential spin doctor of our generation. I'll leave that sort of sleazy sales-jargon for other online marketers, I think.

My list of former PR clients should speak to my experience:

In general, my PR philosphy is that I prefer to under-promise and over-deliver. (I'd rather have fewer but happier PR students in this course, anyway.)

However,this is my promise: I've poured both my heart and professional pride into creating this course.

Now let me walk you through, in detail, everything I’ll cover inside this training program:

18 Powerful PR Strategies (in detail)

Besides from 18 masterclass videos detailing each strategy thoroughly, you'll also get 1-Page Strategy worksheets for each module. These worksheets will help you transform these strategies into actions that you can put into play for your brand.

Downloads, Bonus Content, and Future Updates

For as long as the course exists, you'll still have access to your material. This means that you'll keep having access to all of the bonus PR content + any future updates of the course.

Learn the Way You Want To Learn

If you learn best by reading, you'll find downloadable transcripts to all videos. For learning by listening, you'll find downloadable audio files. And, of course, the content works just as well on any screen size.

1-to1 Instructor Guidance

Do you need extra support? Or do you have questions related to your specific PR challenges? No worries. For the 6-week duration of the course, each student have direct access to the instructor via a priority email address.

Spin Academy's Alumni Group

By enrolling in The Playmaker online PR course, you'll be invited to Spin Academy's Mastermind Tribe where you can discuss and connect with other great alumni — and with your instructor. In PR, such peer relationships can be worth their weight in gold.

10-Day Money Back Guarantee

Even though this is a 6-week course, you get access to everything immediately. No holding back. But if you want your money back (within 10 days), you'll get a full refund. No questions asked.

a) Please note that local sales tax or VAT might apply for certain countries. Fill out your details on the next page to see exactly what applies to you.

b) If your organisation is interested in buying courses in bulk for teams and pay via invoice, please get in touch with jerry@spin.academy today.