Strategic Media Planning Training Course

Duration 10 days 17 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Advanced Certificate on completion
Who attends Head of Communications, Media Relations Manager and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-MJ-003

Before you join: Participants should have practical experience in communications, media relations, public affairs, journalism, campaign management or a related role.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Strategic media planning determines whether communication resources produce attention, understanding and action among the people who matter. Senior communications teams must make defensible choices about audiences, messages, channels, timing, budgets and measurement while responding to editorial scrutiny, stakeholder expectations and changing news cycles. Poor planning creates scattered activity, unclear accountability and reports that count coverage without showing contribution to organisational goals.

This advanced course develops a disciplined planning process for earned, owned, shared and paid media activity. Participants define communication problems, translate organisational priorities into measurable objectives, segment audiences, develop insight-led messages and select channels using evidence rather than preference. They apply stakeholder mapping, PESO planning, editorial calendar design, media-list prioritisation, spokesperson planning, scenario analysis and AMEC measurement principles. The course also addresses issues management, crisis readiness, newsroom relationships, campaign governance and budget decisions.

Teaching combines focused briefings with analysis of public-sector, financial services, corporate affairs, NGO and consumer-facing cases. Participants work with realistic briefs, assess media evidence, make channel and timing decisions, test plans against emerging events and review each other's planning logic. Throughout the course, they build a strategic media plan for a live or representative organisational challenge. They leave with a completed plan, measurement framework, editorial calendar, audience model and practical templates ready for adaptation at work.

The course suits experienced communications, media relations and public affairs professionals who already contribute to campaigns or communication programmes and now need to lead planning decisions. It is also relevant to managers responsible for approving agency work, media budgets and communication performance reports.

What you will be able to do

  • Develop a strategic media plan aligned with organisational priorities and stakeholder needs
  • Apply stakeholder mapping and audience segmentation to media planning decisions
  • Construct measurable communication objectives using SMART and AMEC principles
  • Select earned, owned, shared and paid channels through PESO analysis
  • Create message architectures and editorial calendars for sustained media programmes
  • Prioritise journalists, outlets and influencers using relevance and relationship criteria
  • Design media measurement frameworks linking outputs, outtakes and organisational outcomes
  • Present and defend a complete strategic media plan to senior decision-makers

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce strategic media plans suitable for senior management review
  • Make channel choices with clear audience and evidence criteria
  • Defend communication budgets using objectives, assumptions and measurement logic
  • Improve agency briefs and challenge weak planning recommendations
  • Build a portfolio-ready media planning deliverable from a realistic brief

For your organisation

  • Improves alignment between media activity and organisational priorities
  • Reduces duplicated channel activity and poorly targeted media spending
  • Creates clearer accountability for campaign decisions, approvals and results
  • Strengthens preparedness for issues, scrutiny and fast-moving news events
  • Produces reporting that connects media performance with stakeholder outcomes

Course modules

17 modules over 10 days

Participants can frame a media planning challenge and establish a clear planning mandate.

  • Strategic communication mandate translated into measurable media objectives
  • Distinguishing reputation, behaviour, policy and commercial communication outcomes
  • Stakeholder expectations mapped through power-interest grids and salience analysis
  • Corporate strategy converted into communication implications and decision priorities
  • Defining planning assumptions, constraints, governance and approval routes early
  • Brief quality assessed using the 5Ws and 1H method

Participants can diagnose the communication problem using relevant evidence and research questions.

  • Problem statements separated from symptoms, tactics and preferred channels
  • Situation analysis structured through SOSTAC and evidence prioritisation
  • Research questions written for audience, message, channel and reputation decisions
  • Media audits identify coverage patterns, gaps, risks and competitor positioning
  • Social listening findings assessed for relevance, bias and decision value
  • Baseline measures established before communication activity begins

Participants can segment priority audiences and define the media behaviours required from each group.

  • Audience segments defined by needs, influence, behaviour and information access
  • Persona profiles built from evidence rather than demographic stereotypes
  • Jobs-to-be-Done analysis identifies communication barriers and desired progress
  • Influence pathways mapped between decision-makers, intermediaries and affected communities
  • Priority audiences ranked using impact, accessibility and urgency criteria
  • Information needs matched to moments, triggers and media habits

Participants can write measurable media objectives linked to intended stakeholder outcomes.

  • SMART objectives distinguish activity targets from communication outcomes
  • AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework links outputs, outtakes and outcomes
  • Behavioural objectives specify audience action, frequency and decision context
  • Outcome statements identify intended changes in knowledge, attitude or behaviour
  • Key performance indicators assigned thresholds, owners and reporting frequency
  • Leading and lagging indicators balanced within measurement plans

Participants can create message architectures that are relevant, credible and usable across channels.

  • Message architecture connects organisational position, proof points and audience needs
  • Single-minded propositions tested for clarity, relevance and distinctiveness
  • Narrative arcs organise problem, stakes, response and evidence
  • Proof-point libraries separate verified evidence from unsupported claims
  • Message matrices adapt emphasis without changing the central position
  • Spokesperson language aligned with approved messages and risk boundaries

Participants can identify credible editorial opportunities and shape stories for media interest.

  • News values assessed through timeliness, consequence, conflict and human interest
  • Editorial angles tailored to specialist, regional, national and trade outlets
  • Story hooks developed from data, expertise, events and lived experience
  • Media pitches distinguish editorial value from organisational promotion
  • Exclusive, embargo and briefing options selected for appropriate circumstances
  • Newsroom deadlines and production cycles inform pitch timing

Participants can select and coordinate earned, owned, shared and paid media channels.

  • PESO model maps channel roles across audience journeys
  • Earned media selected for credibility, scrutiny and third-party validation
  • Owned channels planned for depth, control and sustained information access
  • Shared media designed for dialogue, community participation and distribution
  • Paid amplification evaluated against reach, targeting and credibility trade-offs
  • Channel combinations tested against objectives, audience habits and resources

Participants can prioritise media relationships and plan appropriate engagement approaches.

  • Media lists prioritised by audience relevance, beat, influence and reach
  • Journalist profiles record interests, formats, deadlines and relationship history
  • Relationship mapping identifies trusted intermediaries and credible expert voices
  • Pitching approaches matched to reporters, editors, producers and newsletter writers
  • Media briefings planned with clear purpose, evidence and follow-up actions
  • Contact records maintained ethically under data protection requirements

Participants can build an editorial calendar that coordinates stories, assets and approvals.

  • Editorial calendars sequence campaigns, moments, assets and decision deadlines
  • Content pillars connect recurring themes to strategic communication priorities
  • News hooks planned around policy dates, events and seasonal moments
  • Asset plans specify spokespeople, data, visuals and approval dependencies
  • RACI matrices assign ownership for drafting, clearance and publication
  • Content repurposing rules preserve message consistency across formats

Participants can phase media activity and allocate resources against strategic priorities.

  • Campaign phases structure preparation, launch, sustainment and evaluation activity
  • Critical-path analysis identifies dependencies, bottlenecks and decision points
  • Flighting schedules match media intensity to audience readiness and events
  • Resource plans assign internal effort, agency support and specialist suppliers
  • Budget scenarios compare minimum viable, planned and accelerated options
  • Contingency allowances address emerging issues and changing media conditions

Participants can match spokespeople to media opportunities and prepare them for scrutiny.

  • Spokesperson selection balances authority, credibility, availability and media skill
  • Message discipline maintained through bridging, flagging and concise soundbites
  • Q-and-A documents anticipate difficult questions, evidence requests and challenge
  • Interview preparation distinguishes broadcast, print, podcast and live formats
  • Red-line issues define legal, regulatory and reputational boundaries
  • Post-interview reviews capture learning, corrections and follow-up commitments

Participants can prepare media response plans for foreseeable issues and crisis scenarios.

  • Issue registers assess likelihood, impact, velocity and stakeholder concern
  • Scenario planning tests media responses under uncertain operating conditions
  • Holding statements provide verified facts without premature commitments
  • Escalation protocols specify authority, notification routes and response deadlines
  • Dark-site content plans prepare approved information for rapid publication
  • Rumour tracking distinguishes misinformation, legitimate criticism and unresolved questions

Participants can build an evaluation plan that demonstrates media contribution to outcomes.

  • Measurement questions set before selecting monitoring data and reporting formats
  • Coverage analysis codes prominence, sentiment, message pull-through and spokesperson presence
  • Share of voice compared with competitors, issues and priority narratives
  • Outtake measures assess understanding, recall, trust and message acceptance
  • Outcome evidence combines surveys, web data, enquiries and stakeholder feedback
  • AMEC Barcelona Principles guide transparent interpretation and reporting

Participants can interpret media evidence and communicate findings to decision-makers.

  • Dashboards distinguish operational monitoring from strategic performance reporting
  • Data visualisation selects charts matching comparison, trend and distribution questions
  • Narrative reporting explains implications, uncertainty and recommended decisions
  • Attribution claims tested against alternative explanations and available evidence
  • Executive summaries foreground outcomes, risks, decisions and resource implications
  • Reporting cadences align weekly intelligence with monthly and quarterly reviews

Participants can govern agency and internal planning work through clear roles and standards.

  • Agency briefs define business context, audiences, scope and decision criteria
  • Evaluation scorecards assess strategic quality, creativity, feasibility and measurement
  • Service-level expectations clarify response times, approvals and reporting requirements
  • Planning workshops establish shared assumptions before tactical development begins
  • Scope changes documented through impact assessments and revised priorities
  • Governance forums resolve decisions, risks and cross-functional dependencies

Participants can incorporate ethical, legal and trust considerations into media planning decisions.

  • Accuracy standards govern claims, sources, corrections and evidential thresholds
  • Disclosure requirements considered for paid partnerships, sponsorships and endorsements
  • Data protection principles applied to contact lists and audience research
  • Media planning avoids manipulation, astroturfing and misleading selective disclosure
  • Accessibility requirements shape formats, captions, language and information design
  • Trust risks assessed when speed, advocacy and transparency conflict

Participants can build, review and present a complete strategic media plan for a defined organisational challenge.

  • Planning brief refined into a decision-ready strategic media mandate
  • Audience priorities justified with stakeholder evidence and segmentation logic
  • Objectives, messages and channel choices integrated into one plan
  • Editorial calendar, resource assumptions and governance arrangements finalised
  • Measurement framework connects planned activity with intended stakeholder outcomes
  • Peer review tests feasibility, risks, evidence and strategic coherence
  • Senior-panel presentation defends recommendations, trade-offs and implementation priorities

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Strategic media planning template
  2. Stakeholder and audience segmentation model
  3. PESO channel selection matrix
  4. Editorial calendar and asset tracker
  5. AMEC-aligned measurement framework
  6. Issues and crisis media response checklist

Who should attend

  • Head of Communications — needs defensible priorities, governance and performance measures
  • Media Relations Manager — plans proactive programmes beyond individual media releases
  • Corporate Affairs Manager — aligns media activity with reputation and policy objectives
  • Public Affairs Manager — reaches influential stakeholders through credible media channels
  • Communications Business Partner — converts organisational priorities into targeted communication plans
  • Agency Account Director — improves strategic recommendations and client planning discussions

Skills and tools covered

Media strategy developmentAudience insight analysisChannel planningEditorial calendar designMedia measurementIssues preparedness

Tools and standards

PESO Model, SOSTAC, AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework, AMEC Barcelona Principles

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings, worked planning examples, case analysis, group decision tasks, newsroom and crisis simulations, and structured peer review. Participants apply each method to a continuing media-planning brief from the first week onward. Cases reflect corporate affairs, government communication, financial services, NGO advocacy and consumer brands. Facilitators challenge assumptions about audiences, channels and success measures, then guide participants in refining their own plan. Daily application planning connects course outputs to current workplace priorities.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical experience in communications, media relations, public affairs, journalism, campaign management or a related role. They should understand basic media terminology, including press releases, pitches, interviews, news coverage and social media channels. Experience contributing to communication plans or working with external agencies is helpful. This is not an introductory writing or journalism course. Participants do not need media-buying software, statistical training, design skills or a completed live campaign brief, although bringing a current communication challenge will make the application work more relevant.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should already understand basic communications or media relations work and have experience contributing to campaigns, briefs or media activity. The course assumes familiarity with common media terms but does not require formal journalism training.

Bring a current communication challenge, campaign brief or organisational priority if you can share it appropriately. Participants can also use the realistic course brief provided by the instructor.

It is designed for experienced communications, corporate affairs, public affairs and media relations professionals. It also suits managers who commission, approve or evaluate agency media plans.

Media relations training concentrates on journalist engagement and media materials, while writing courses focus on producing individual content items. This course addresses the decisions that determine why, for whom, when and through which channels those activities should happen.

You will use planning templates, audience models, channel criteria and measurement structures that can be adapted to active programmes. The capstone plan provides a structured basis for discussion with senior leaders, agencies and delivery teams.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The first week establishes planning foundations and produces working plan components; the second week develops governance, measurement, issues readiness and the final capstone presentation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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