7 Best Business Writing Courses Online (Updated 2024)

Here are the best business writing courses online that will help you structure your messages for maximum impact and build your professional image.

Whether you work for a company or run your own business, you’re going to find yourself communicating your thoughts and ideas to others via the written word.

With this in mind, here are the best business writing courses online to sharpen your professional writing skills.

These courses will guide you through the best practices of business writing through real-world scenarios that can be applied to diverse work environments.

In addition, you'll learn about important etiquette rules to consider when reaching out to others in your organization or business community, so you can pay greater attention to the seemingly insignificant details that make a world of difference.

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What are the Best Business Writing Courses?

Here are the best business writing courses to enroll in online this year:

1. Business Writing (University of Colorado Boulder)

This popular course on Coursera teaches you the skills you need to become a great business writer and unleash your best professional self.

The course has helped over 150,000 students - from professional writers to new employees to non-native English speakers to seasoned executives - enhance their communication abilities and effectively launch their ideas.

Course Syllabus:

Week 1: Building Great Business Writing

Week 2: The Formula for Writing Success

Week 3: Crafting Powerful Writing

Week 4: Activate Your Voice!

As you progress through this course, you'll learn how to use a universal organizational formula that allows you to optimize your business writing.

You'll also learn to deploy simple tools that will elevate your language, guide your sentence and paragraph creation, and infuse your writing with clarity.

Key course features:

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance with your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 11 hours to complete.

=> Enroll in the University of Colorado Business Writing Course here.

2. Write Like a Boss - Business Writing Skills for Professionals (Skillshare)

When we talk about business writing, we're usually referring to writing that is found in documents such as memorandums, reports, proposals, emails, etc.

Business writing is used by organizations to communicate with internal or external audiences.

Companies seek out individuals with power skills like written communication, email writing techniques and persuasion.

Write Like a Boss is a popular business writing course on Skillshare that will teach you timeless principles that you can use to produce clear, powerful, persuasive writing.

This course is for you if you want to:

Write emails that demonstrate your professionalism and understanding

Write emails that get responses

Persuade different audiences with research-proven strategies

Write clear, concise and persuasive words that will achieve your objectives

Write effective business emails, memos, and letters

Impress colleagues and/or professors with your writing

Create documents that stand out among peers

Design messages that people actually want to read

Lessons:

Introduction
2 Types of Business Writing
3 Principles of Clear Writing
4 Modes of Persuasion
Personal Business Writing
Business Correspondence
Breaking Bad News
Client Correspondence
Online Business Writing

This is a class that you can take in one sitting, it's just 53 minutes long!

=> Enroll in the "Write Like a Boss" business writing class here.

3. Better Business Writing Skills (Udemy)

This online course is designed to teach you how to use the power of words to change the way people think, feel and act.

The course instructor is Mark Morris, an award-winning professional speechwriter with more than fifteen years of experience writing for senior politicians in the United Kingdom and internationally – including for two former Prime Ministers.

The course is divided into three main sections that help you navigate the business writing process: before you write (planning), while you write (writing), and after you write (editing).

What you'll learn:

How to write clear, concise and persuasive words that will achieve your objectives

The techniques Mark uses to be a productive writer, to enter a state of flow and never suffer from writer’s block

The Big Questions you need to ask before you put pen to paper

How being a persuasive writer will help you achieve your objectives at work

The ancient secrets of persuasive writing

Why being a good writer is vital to the success of your career or your business

How to polish your words with powerful editing techniques

How to test your work to make sure it does what you want it to

Rather than lecturing you on technical details and complex grammar, this course focuses on timeless principles that you can use to produce clear, powerful, persuasive writing.

Key course features:

3.5 hours on-demand video
11 articles
16 downloadable resources
Full lifetime access
Access on mobile and TV
Certificate of completion

=> Enroll in the Better Business Writing Skills online course here.

4. MicroBachelors® Program in Business and Professional Communication for Success (DoaneX)

This business writing course on EdX is a comprehensive program that provides learners with the essential knowledge of effective business communications to aid in their company’s success.

In this program, you will explore the various types of business communications in the work environment and discover how to apply business writing techniques in the process of creating and presenting your work for internal and external communication.

Program Syllabus:

Course 1: Business Communication

Course 2: Business Writing Techniques

Course 3: Professional Business Presentations

Students in this program will discuss and investigate interesting topics such as the proper etiquette of business writing and the use of emoji in business communications.

You will also have the opportunity to assess your listening style and emotional intelligence, both of which can greatly impact the way you communicate.

Key course features:

Expert instruction: 3 high-quality courses

Self-paced: Progress at your own speed

3 months: 5-8 hours per week

3 Academic Credits: Build your skills and your transcript

Note: In order to be eligible for credit and a program certificate, you must purchase, complete, and pass all courses in the program with a 70% grade or higher.

=> Enroll in the EdX MicroBachelors® Program here.

5. High-Impact Business Writing (University of California, Irvine)

High-Impact Business Writing is a course that teaches you how to articulate your thoughts in a clear and concise manner that will allow your ideas to be better understood by your readers.

You'll learn how to improve your business writing skill by selecting the appropriate medium and format for your audience, adjust your writing style accordingly, and clearly identify your objective from the start.

Upon completing this course, you will be able to:

Write effective business communications, including bad news, good news, persuasive writing, presentations, emails, memos, business reports and press releases

Edit and proofread business documents

Write for a global market

Course Syllabus:

Week 1: Introduction to Business Writing

Week 2: Spelling, Grammar, Sentence and Paragraphs

Week 3: Document Types and their Considerations

Week 4: Finalizing Formal Document, Informal Written Communication and Social Media

This course will allow you to gain valuable experience analyzing, writing and revising a wide spectrum of business documents. Whether it's creating a simple interoffice memo or a detailed twenty-page business proposal - you'll know what to do and how best to do it.

Key course features:

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance with your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion.

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 6 hours to complete

=> Enroll in the High-Impact Business Writing course here.

6. Professional Email Writing: Business Communication Skills (Udemy)

Here's another useful course that focuses on best practices for writing emails.

Why is this aspect of business writing so important?

Well, email writing skills are highly valued in business communication and play a significant role in your daily interactions with colleagues.

By building and improving your email writing skills, you will gain more confidence, enhance your professional reputation, and grow your career.

The course is for you if you want to:

Craft powerful emails that your colleagues want to read

Ensure you are better understood in the workplace

Get ideas across quickly and efficiently

Boost productivity and increase team collaboration through email

You'll learn to master different types of emails, such as:

Introduction emails to introduce yourself or a colleague to the team

Emails to reschedule, cancel, or invite someone to a meeting

The proper way to forward emails without annoying the recipients

The perfect apology email for various challenging situations

How to follow up for information, clarification, feedback or approval

Effective appreciation or congratulations emails

Unlike many other courses that briefly skim over parts of email writing, this course is a comprehensive guide that helps you understand how all the elements of an email work and how they affect your recipient's mindset and response.

In addition, it provides easy-to-implement examples, scripts, and advice that you can start applying as soon as you watch the lectures!

Key course features:

4.5 hours on-demand video
48 downloadable resources
Full lifetime access
Access on mobile and TV
Certificate of completion

=> Enroll in the Professional Email Writing online course here.

7. Business English Communication Skills Specialization (University of Washington)

Last but not least, I recommend checking out the Business English Communication Skills Specialization on Coursera.

This is not a regular business writing course.

Rather, it's a complete program that brings together all aspects of business communication, improving your ability to speak, write, and understand English in professional settings.

Even if you feel confident as a native English speaker, this course will expand your vocabulary and teach you skills that you can apply to business negotiations, telephone conversations, written reports and emails, and professional presentations.

There are five courses in this specialization:

Course 1: Networking

Course 2: Meetings

Course 3: Planning & Negotiating

Course 4: Making Presentations

Course 5: Capstone Project

The Capstone Project at the end of the program will give you an opportunity to use your new skills and vocabulary to write a mini business plan and communicate the plan orally in an organized and engaging presentation.

Key course features:

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Intermediate Level

Some related experience required.

Approximately 6 months to complete

Suggested pace of 5 hours/week.

=> Enroll in the Business English Skills Specialization here.

Final Thoughts

Thanks for checking out this post on the best business writing courses online. Hopefully you've found a course that matches your current needs.

These business writing courses are helpful because they enable you to connect with experienced instructors and other students around the world, so you can learn from others and gain constructive feedback.

There's always something to work on when it comes to improving our communication skills, and business writing is a great place to start!

Happy learning!