The Talent Fairy’s Picks of the Best Online Courses for Editorial & Content Creators

By Shaye DiPasquale

No judgment if you want to chill in yesterday’s clothes and watch “Bridgerton” (How does Lady Whistledown fund her newsletter? It’s a legit Q!).

But if you’re itching to use your time sheltering in place so you’re “raring to go” when the world is back to normal, we’re here to help. We sought out the best online courses in digital, social, and content marketing as well as SEO, analytics, and design. You can learn new skills, skills that will help you pivot into branded content, content marketing, content strategy, or social media — or just understand it all a bit better. And because we know you’re broke right now (or fear you will be soon) we made a point to seek out courses that are free. Tweet us to share how your courses are going @Ed2010News and @TheTalentFairy!

Content Marketing

“Learn What Content Marketing is and How to Do It”

Hubspot Academy; Free, 6+ hours, self-paced

Did you know you can become a certified content marketer? Earn your classification with this course that teaches you how to scale a content marketing strategy and effectively repurpose content across multiple channels. It includes 12 jam-packed lessons on topics such as “Building A Guest Blogging Strategy Through SEO” and “Creating Topic Clusters and Pillar Pages.” All you need to access this wealth of knowledge is a free account on Hubspot Academy.

Other Content Marketing Courses to check out:

“The Strategy of Content Marketing” on Coursera (Free, 17 hours, start date: January 18th, 2-6 hours per week for 5 weeks). Psst! You can still sign up after January 18.
“Learning Integrated Content Marketing” on LinkedIn Learning ($29.99 per month with LinkedIn Premium subscription, less than 1 hour, self-paced)
“SEMrush Content Marketing Course” on SEMrush Academy (Free, sign-up required, 3 hours, self-paced)

Analytics

“Diploma in E-Business”

Alison.com; Free, 6-10 hours, self-paced

Most people have barely scratched the surface on all there is to know about measuring digital analytics. And for many content roles, that’s fine. But wouldn’t it be nice to know a little more and be able to talk the talk in your next job interview? By the end of this course, you’ll legit know how to use Google Analytics, Google AdSense, Google Ads, and Google Webmasters — all tools to help you create ads, attract customers, and integrate keywords into social media content. Plus, after completing the modules, you will receive a LinkedIn-compatible certificate to display on your profile!

Other Analytics Courses to check out:

“Digital Analytics for Marketing Professionals” on Coursera (Free, 12 hours, start date: January 18th, 3-5 hours per week for 4 weeks) Psst! You can still sign up after January 18.
“Google Analytics Academy” (Free, 4-6 hours, self-paced)
“Google Analytics Essential Training” on LinkedIn Learning ($29.99 per month with LinkedIn Premium subscription, 2.5+ hours, self-paced)

SEO

“SEO Today: Strategies to Earn Trust, Rank High, and Stand Out”

Skillshare; Free, 1+ hours, self paced

If you’ve never heard of niche vocabulary or link earning, you might be missing out on all the benefits SEO has to offer. Join Rand Fishkin, founder and CEO of SparkToro in this engaging class to learn how to use SEO to create impact with your content. Geared towards those with a basic understanding of SEO, these video lessons will teach you how to create well-optimized content that will rank in the search engines without having to use loopholes.

Other SEO courses to check out:

“Perfect On-Page SEO In 1 Day That Users & Google Will Love” on Udemy ($39.99, 3.5 hours, self-paced)
“SEO: Link Building in Depth” on LinkedIn Learning ($29.99 per month with LinkedIn Premium subscription, 1+ hours, self-paced)
“Complete SEO Training with Top SEO Expert Peter Kent” on Udemy ($94.99, 8 hours, self-paced)

Social Media Marketing

“HootSuite Academy’s Social Marketing Training”

HootSuite; $199, 6 hours, self-paced

This foundational course from the leading social media management platform, Hootsuite, dives headfirst into the ever-changing world of social media marketing. Gain a solid understanding of essential social media topics such as setting KPIs and objectives, defining brand voice for social channels and measuring ROIs. Already mastered the basics? Take your skillset to the next level with Hootsuite’s other course offerings: “Advanced Social Advertising Training,” “Social Marketing Certification,” and “Advanced Social Media Strategy” (prices range from $199 to $999).

Other Social Media Marketing courses to check out:

“Facebook Blueprint” (Free, 6.5+ hours, self-paced)
“Social Media Marketing Mastery: Learn Ads on 10+ Platforms” on Udemy ($129.99, 9.5 hours, self-paced)
“Buffer’s Introduction to Social Media Advertising” on Skillshare (Free, < 1 hour, self-paced)

Digital Marketing

“Improve your Digital Marketing Skills”

LinkedIn Learning; $29.99 per month with LinkedIn Premium subscription,

25 hours, self-paced

Create great content. Publish great content. Promote great content. Repeat! We all know the basic formula for an effective digital marketing strategy, but how do we ensure that our marketing efforts reach our target audiences and generate leads? This course is perfect for anyone looking to kick their online marketing efforts up a notch through pay-per-click advertising, conversion rate optimization (CRO), email marketing and more. With hands-on exercises and practice quizzes to test your knowledge, this virtual course is the next best thing to sitting in a physical class with an instructor.

Other Digital Marketing courses to check out:

“Wordstream’s Growth Academy” (Free, sign-up required, self-paced)
“Hubspot Academy’s Inbound Marketing Certification Course” (Free, sign-up required, 4 hours, self-paced)
“The Online Marketing Crash Course: Traffic, Leads & Clients” on Udemy ($19.99, 3.5 hours, self-paced)

Design

“Graphic Design Basics”

Canva; Free, Less than an 1 hour, self-paced

These days every creative professional needs a basic understanding of how to communicate visually. Canva, the popular graphic design platform, gathered a slew of creative geniuses to lead this course on design foundations: proximity, alignment, color, typography and more. Almost every lesson includes a fun, hands-on tutorial to help you put the strategies you learn into practice (Moodboard Magic and Photo Love are our favorites!).

Other Graphic Design courses to check out:

“Graphic Design Basics: Core Principles for Graphic Design” on SkillShare (Free, sign-up for free Basic membership required, Less than 1 hour, self-paced)
“Marketing Graphic Design” on Udemy ($24.99, Less than 1 hour hour, self-paced)
“Photoshop for Creative Professionals” on Pluralsight ($29 per month subscription to Pluralsight, 16+ hours for the beginner course, self-paced)

Shaye DiPasquale is the executive assistant and lead writer at Talent Fairy. She is also a freelance writer, social media manager, and content creator. She recently graduated from Elizabethtown College, where she studied Mass Communications and Women & Gender Studies. Her writing has appeared on Her Campus, HelloFlo, Her Culture, Substream Magazine, The Owl and more. She is also the founder of createHER Collective, a community for young changemakers and creators to collaborate on initiatives through creative exchange. Check out more of her work at shayedipasquale.com.