Social media

Running social media for a news brand

Plan, create and grow social media for a news organisation — from breaking news posts to analytics, with hands-on practice.

Dinesh · Expert · 22 lessons

Online + in-person workshops

What you'll learn

Build a social media strategy and content calendar for a news brand
Cover breaking news quickly and responsibly
Adapt one story for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X and WhatsApp
Verify content and handle misinformation
Manage comments, crises and community
Read analytics and grow reach and engagement
Join the Pahana Media community after the course: a shared chat group with journalists and creators in Sri Lanka and around the world

This course includes

16 video lessons
1 article
4 quizzes and practice assignments
Hands-on in-person sessions
Watch online on phone or computer, at your own pace
Certificate from Pahana Media on completion

Course content

8 sections • 22 lectures • --h --m total length

01 Getting started 2 lectures
- Video Welcome: what you will learn Preview --:--
- Video How newsrooms use social media today Preview --:--
02 Strategy 4 lectures
- Video Audience and goals --:--
- Video Brand voice and social media guidelines --:--
- Video Building a content calendar --:--
- Quiz Quiz: strategy basics
03 Breaking news 3 lectures
- Video Speed vs accuracy --:--
- Video A breaking news workflow --:--
- Assignment Practice: breaking news drill
04 Platform by platform 3 lectures
- Video Facebook and Instagram --:--
- Video TikTok and YouTube --:--
- Video X and WhatsApp channels --:--
05 Verification and ethics 2 lectures
- Video Verifying user-generated content --:--
- Video Handling misinformation --:--
06 Community and crisis 2 lectures
- Video Moderating comments --:--
- Video Managing a social media crisis --:--
07 Analytics and growth 4 lectures
- Video Reading analytics --:--
- Video Growing reach and engagement --:--
- Assignment Practice: write a monthly report
- Quiz Final quiz
08 Session and certificate 2 lectures
- In-person Hands-on newsroom session (date and location by email)
- Article Your certificate and joining the Pahana Media community

Requirements

Experience running at least one social media account for a brand or organisation
Basic knowledge of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
Ability to attend the in-person session

Description

Running social media for a news brand is different from posting for yourself. Stories break at any hour, accuracy matters more than speed, and every post carries the brand’s reputation. This advanced course shows you how professional newsrooms plan, publish and grow on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X and WhatsApp.

You will learn to build a content strategy and calendar, cover breaking news responsibly, adapt one story for each platform, handle comments and misinformation, and read analytics to decide what to do next. You will work through real newsroom scenarios.

The course combines online lessons with hands-on in-person sessions. It is designed for people who already manage social media and want to work at a professional newsroom level. When you complete it, you receive a certificate from Pahana Media.

Location and dates of the in-person sessions are shared with enrolled students by email before each session.

Who this course is for

Social media managers at news and media organisations
Journalists and editors who manage social accounts
Communication teams of companies, NGOs and public bodies

Instructor

Dinesh