Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass Review: Worth The Money?

Have you ever dreamed of writing your book but feel like you need a helping hand to brush up on your skills?

In this Malcolm Gladwell’s masterclass course, critically acclaimed author Malcolm Gladwell takes to the platform to teach budding writers what it takes to captivate readers, research effectively, develop narratives, how to interview sources, and much more.

This online writing class offers a unique insight into the world of writing from someone who knows it best. 

Like all Masterclasses writing courses, you’ll have to pay to learn from Malcolm. If you’re struggling to decide whether this course is a good fit for you, we’ve taken the time to try it for ourselves and offer you an honest review. 

Let’s read this detailed Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass review and learn the creative writing techniques how behavioral economics and performance prediction work and what the Tipping Point teaches!

Who is Malcolm Gladwell? 

Before we begin, you’ll want to make sure you’re learning from the best. So, let’s find out a little more about our tutor, Malcolm Gladwell. 

Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist, author, and public speaker who has an impressive amount of New York Times bestsellers under his belt.

Some of Malcolm’s most famous books include The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, David and Goliath, and What the Dog Saw.

He’s also appeared in Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people, and his books on social science have captivated readers across the world. 

Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing: Masterclass 

Now, a little about this Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass. 

Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing is made up of 24 comprehensive lessons that walk its students through the most essential skills for writers, including how to find information, research, and write in a way that captivates an audience engagement.

Each lesson is between 10-20 minutes long, and you’ll have roughly six hours of video content to work through.

Like most Masterclass courses, you’ll also have access to a workbook to study alongside the video content. 

If you’ve ever taken or considered taking a college course or degree in English, you’ll already know that these skills aren’t always taught in the curriculum.

While educational courses provide invaluable writing skills, they teach you little about the industry you’ll be working in.

This Masterclass course allows students to learn from someone who’s made their way to the top of the writing nonfiction world – this sort of knowledge is invaluable in its own right, which is precisely why we were so drawn to it. 

So, how exactly does Malcolm teach you to write? Here are the topics Malcolm teaches throughout this course: 

Lessons 1 and 2: Structuring Narrative 

In these lessons, Malcolm briefly introduces himself and his career and moves on to his first focus: structure.

Malcolm gives excellent advice on how to decide how your narrative fits together while using plenty of case studies and theories to explain concepts. 

Lessons 3 and 4: Holding a Reader’s Attention 

Lessons 3 and 4 go more in-depth, and Malcolm discusses how to draw a reader’s attention and maintain it.

You’ll learn from two subcategories (tools for engagement and controlling information), and these lessons focus primarily on how to give your readers a framework and explore concepts like: 

• Knowing how your readers think
• What tools do you need to guide your readers
• Knowing the difference between talking and thinking
• How you can use data to enhance a reader’s experience 

Lesson 5: Research 

Research is one of the most important skills you’ll need as a writer. Malcolm shares his research approach and reminds us how important is research and to dive in with an open mind.

Malcolm teaches us how to find the most valuable sources, follow lines of interest, and more. You’ll also learn from some of Malcolm’s own case studies, which we loved. Learning via real examples is invaluable. 

Lesson 6: Choosing the Story 

How do you choose your story? This was one of our favorite sections of the class, as Malcolm covered some important topics like how to find (and build) a good story, using examples from his books.

He suggests using the principles of connectedness as a starting point and offers a fresh perspective on how to choose your own story. 

Lessons 7 and 8: Developing the Story 

Malcolm follows on from the previous lesson by showing us how to develop our own and write stories. He suggests that testing our big ideas and creating outlines is a good starting point.

However, we thoroughly enjoyed the way he compared story patterns to human memory, which offered a more scientific approach to creating and developing a story – something you won’t find in a traditional English course. 

Lesson 9: Interviewing 

Interviewing is one of Malcolm’s most practical lessons. So far, most of his lessons have been rather philosophical and subjective.

However, this one gives concrete advice on approaching an interview and extracting the right information.

You’ll learn important tips on interviewing, what your job is as an interviewer, how to calm your subject, and where to start if you’re new to interviewing.

He contrasts the writer’s job as an interviewer with a talk show host and shows us how to consider our weaknesses as well as our strengths. 

Lessons 10 and 12: Characters 

Malcolm distinguishes between fiction and nonfiction writing characters and teaches us how to layer our characters. You’ll also learn more about character relationships and what role your characters should play in the narrative. 

Lessons 13 and 14: Language and Jargon 

How do you use language to impact your reader? Here, he discusses how to use sentence structure, create emotion with form, use rhythm and punctuation, and create suspense with your language. 

Lesson 15: Tone and Voice 

Malcolm advises us on which techniques should be avoided and how his own work in David and Goliath can show us more about establishing an intentional tone from the outset. 

Lessons 16 and 17: Using Humor and Melancholy 

Want to know how to evoke deep emotion in your readers? Malcolm shows us how to use humor and melancholy effectively and how you can identify (and meet) your reader’s expectations with these techniques. 

Lesson 18: Titles 

You have to spend as much time thinking about titles as you do about content.

Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell thinks the title of a book is super important because it’s the first thing that grabs a reader’s attention. He spends a lot of time coming up with the right titles for his books. Gladwell believes that since the author knows the story best, they should be the one to name it. He says a good title makes you feel something right away, like Ralph Nader’s book Unsafe at Any Speed, which surprises you by saying you’re never safe, even going slow. Gladwell advises that your title should be like an ad for your book – you’ve got just a moment to get someone interested, so make it count.

Lesson 19: Drafts and Revisions 

Malcolm Gladwell advises writers to set realistic goals and accept that writing is tough work; often, a good day means writing just one good page. Start with the ending of your story to make writing clearer and more focused.

Don’t aim for perfection in your first drafts; just get your ideas down and improve them later. Write as you research to keep your narrative balanced, and if you’re stuck, just write any part you can to keep the momentum. After finishing a draft, take a break from it to see it with fresh eyes for better editing. Clarity should be your main goal in revising your work.

Lesson 20: When Your Story Enters the World 

Once your work is out there, your ideas belong to your readers, so don’t worry too much about how they’ll interpret them. Having your ideas misinterpreted means people are reading your work, which is a positive sign. Malcolm Gladwell emphasizes the importance of promoting your book vigorously, as he did with “The Tipping Point,” which became a bestseller years after its release.

He also suggests learning from critical reviews, which, despite being tough, can offer valuable insights to improve your writing. Remember, a single critic’s view doesn’t reflect all your readers.

Lesson 21: Working as a Writer 

I always ask the question, “What can I do to make sure that I’m different from everyone that I’m competing with?”

Malcolm Gladwell

To stand out as a writer, focus on what makes you unique instead of trying to be better than everyone else. Highlighting your distinctive style or perspective can attract readers looking for fresh views. Staying active and sharing your work on platforms like Twitter or blogs helps build your audience, especially in the beginning.

Writing more and about various topics will improve your skills and knowledge, making your work more compelling. Don’t wait for a high-paying writing job to start; it’s okay to have a day job while pursuing your passion for writing in your free time. This approach reduces financial stress and lets you focus on creating great content.

Lessons 22-23: Reading: How and Who 

Reading is of equal importance to writing. There is no writing without reading.

Malcolm Gladwell

Lesson 24: Conclusion 

Being a good writer starts with being a good reader. Understand the writer’s intent, not just if you like their work. Some authors are best read in small doses. It’s crucial to see the greatness in writing, rather than just finding flaws. Malcolm Gladwell points out that writing is influenced by its time.

For example, The Tipping Point addressed the issue of too little policing, a concern of its time, while today we talk about police overreach. Writers’ views evolve as society changes, and that’s part of growing as a writer.

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Our Verdict and Final Thoughts 

So, is the course worth it? Absolutely if you’re looking to learn practical skills from an industry professional.

In this course, you’ll learn things a degree WON’T teach you, like how to approach interviewing, finding work as a writer, and more.

Plus, if you want a full-time career in writing, Malcolm provides an honest insight into both the excitement and hardships of writing professionally. 

However, we did find some of the advice a little vague and subjective.

Lessons like interviewing and finding work as a writer offer more concrete advice; however, his other lessons are (of course) based purely on HIS experience and may not be appropriate to your writing – especially if you’re writing in a different genre.

However, his industry insight is invaluable, and video lessons on how to use tone and captivate readers are universal, regardless of your writing style.