AI Certificate Course for Communicators
AI Prompting, GEO & Agents—The Skills You Need Next
Sept. 16, 23 and 30 | 1-3 p.m. ET
Three Consecutive Modules
AI is reshaping comms faster than most teams can adapt.
From AI search and content strategy to custom GPTs, agents, video, measurement and governance, communicators need practical skills they can use now—not abstract theory or hype about the flashiest tools.
This updated certificate course shows you how to use AI to improve content, workflows and results while protecting accuracy, brand voice and trust. Across three hands-on modules, you’ll learn how to plan smarter campaigns, improve visibility in AI-driven search, build repeatable AI workflows and prove your value to leadership.
You’ll also see real use cases and examples from peer communicators putting these tools to work today across PR, internal comms, executive visibility, social media and content strategy.
You’ll learn to:
- Prompt with Purpose: Use simple, repeatable prompt structures to improve strategy, drafting, editing and message alignment.
- Build AI-First Content: Turn business goals into message pillars, briefs, calendars and content built for today’s discovery habits.
- Improve GEO Visibility: Structure content so AI search tools can find, summarize and cite it more accurately.
- Create Custom GPTs: Design practical AI assistants for recurring comms tasks, from planning to content review.
- Use Agents Wisely: Understand where agents can save time, where humans must stay involved and how to set guardrails.
- Measure AI Value: Track time saved, quality gains, engagement and visibility improvements in ways leadership will value most.
- Use AI Multimedia: Explore practical uses for AI images, video and avatars without sacrificing credibility and authenticity.
- Protect Trust: Apply simple governance practices for privacy, copyright, disclosure, bias, accuracy and brand safety.
CURRICULUM
Join to build the AI skills communicators need now—and the judgment to use them well.
You’ll receive light assignments, live examples and a certificate of completion.
AI works best when communicators give it strong direction. This opening module shows you how to pair better prompts with sharper content strategy, then structure your content so it performs for both human audiences and AI-powered search. What you’ll learn:
- Prompt Smarter: Use repeatable prompt patterns and proven frameworks to improve drafts, strategy, tone and message consistency.
- Plan Better: Turn business goals into message pillars, personas, briefs, calendars and channel-specific content.
- Boost GEO: Structure content for AI search with clear summaries, citable sections, authorship and source signals.
- Study Use Cases: Review and borrow examples from other comms teams using AI to improve your content, visibility and message alignment.
Light homework: Bring one existing email, article, post or internal update and try one prompt upgrade or GEO-friendly edit. Bring both versions to Module 2 so we can look at them together.
Once your strategy is clear, AI can help you and your team repeat, scale and measure the work. This module shows how comms pros can design custom GPTs and simple agents for recurring tasks without losing human oversight, accuracy or brand control—or improve the ones you’ve already built. We’ll cover:
- Understand the Tools: See the difference between custom GPTs, copilots, agents and basic chatbot prompts.
- Design the Workflow: Map a recurring comms task into inputs, steps, review points and final outputs.
- Measure the Value: Track time saved, quality gains, reduced revisions and workflow wins leadership will care about.
- Study Use Cases: Explore GPT and agent examples you can borrow for PR prep, town halls, monitoring and content QA.
Light Homework: Pick one repeatable comms task and sketch how a custom GPT or agent could help. No building required.
AI visuals are moving from novelty to everyday comms tool. This final module shows how to create stronger images, videos and campaign assets for internal and external communications—while using the right tools, prompts, workflows and guardrails to keep your work credible, useful and on brand. What you’ll learn:
- Choose the Right Tools: Compare AI image and video platforms, workflows and use cases for everyday comms needs.
- Create Better Images: Prompt, edit and adapt visuals for campaigns, intranets, social, presentations and exec content.
- Produce Smarter Video: Use AI for short-form clips, explainers, storyboards, avatars and repurposed content.
- Protect Trust: Apply guardrails for consent, likeness, copyright, disclosure, bias, accuracy and brand safety.
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Closing Q&A: Managing AI governance, risk and how to communicate your org's AI usage in public facing docs.
Fun Takeaway: Leave with one image idea, one video idea and one visual AI guardrail to test with your team.
CLASSROOM MATERIALS
(Exclusive for Attendees)
- The Updated ChatGPT Prompt Cheat Sheet
- The Ultimate Guide to AI Marketing
- The AI Terms Cheat Sheet for Marketers and Communicators
- AI for Content Marketing: The Blueprint
- AI Trends in Marketing Communications: The Complete Evolution
- How AI Advances Affect Email Tactics
INSTRUCTORS
SEVEN BIG WINS YOU’LL LEAVE WITH:
- Stronger AI Content: Better prompts, clearer briefs and more consistent drafts across channels.
- Sharper Content Strategy: Message pillars, personas and content plans built for AI-assisted comms workflows.
- Better GEO Visibility: Content structured for AI search, summaries, citations and trusted discovery.
- Practical Custom GPTs: Repeatable AI assistants for planning, drafting, reviewing and repurposing content.
- Smarter Agent Workflows: Simple ways to automate recurring comms tasks while keeping humans (you!) in control.
- Clearer ROI Proof: Easy metrics to show time saved, quality gains, engagement and visibility.
- Safer AI Adoption: Governance guardrails that protect privacy, brand voice, accuracy and trust.
Top reasons to attend this virtual certificate course
- Stay current on AI trends and emerging technologies to remain competitive.
- Boost engagement by creating more effective, personalized and meaningful AI-driven content.
- Expand your influence through advanced audience targeting—find the right message, time and place.
- Optimize workflows with Agentic AI, automations and real-time intelligence to save time and resources.
- Enhance credibility by developing and enforcing AI style guides, brand voice standards and usage policies.
- Increase ROI by understanding which AI tools work best—and measuring their impact on outcomes.
- Future-proof your skill set by embracing GenAI, Agentic AI and beyond.
Don’t miss your opportunity to build practical AI skills for content, search, workflows, measurement and governance so you can move faster, communicate smarter and lead your team into the next stage of AI-powered comms.
| Early Bird Until August 26 |
Regular Rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate Course Registration | $1,499 | $1,699 |
| Ragan Insider | $1,399 | $1,599 |
| Nonprofit/Gov/Edu | $1,349 | $1,549 |
Members of Ragan's Center for AI Strategy receive one complimentary AI certificate of their choice each year. Learn more about this community here and contact Customer Service for more information. Current members should contact Krista Russo for enrollment information and to redeem their annual certificate pass.
Group pricing for 3 or more is available when going through the registration process!
If you can’t attend one or more of the modules live, you will receive the on-demand versions to complete the course.
WHO ATTENDS
Communications and marketing professionals from these organizations have earned certificates:
WONDERING IF YOU SHOULD ATTEND?
Here’s what past attendees say about the AI Certificate Course for Communicators!
The AI certification took a topic that can be intimidating and made it exciting! Great leadership and skillful presentation.
Got lots of direction I can use immediately to make a difference in my communications role.
The AI Course for Communicators is a great introduction for anyone looking to introduce themselves to AI tools. It really helps make you feel more comfortable integrating AI into your work and being open to all the amazing possibilities it offers. I left more excited about AI than hesitant to use it.
This certification inspired me to use AI in my work and home life and has already helped tremendously.
Connecting the new AI technologies with communication is crucial; this is why this session, organized by Ragan, is so extremely important. I appreciated the high-quality level of this session, and I am grateful for all the information exchanged.
Get Recognized!
This advanced course is designed to help you enhance your strategic planning and content creation capabilities by leveraging the latest AI generation tools to help you produce better work, faster—so you get the results and recognition you deserve, along with the Certificate of Completion!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the AI Certificate Course for Communicators?
The AI Certificate Course for Communicators is a live, instructor-led professional development program designed specifically for communications, public relations, internal communications, marketing and corporate affairs professionals who want to use artificial intelligence more effectively in their work.
Over three interactive virtual modules, you'll learn how to use AI strategically across the communications function, including prompt engineering, AI content strategy, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), custom GPTs, AI agents, workflow automation, AI-powered visual content, measurement and governance.
Rather than focusing on theory, the course emphasizes practical skills, real-world communications use cases and repeatable workflows that can be applied immediately within your organization. You'll also earn a Certificate of Completion from Ragan upon successfully completing the course.
Who should attend the AI Certificate Course for Communicators?
This course is designed for communications professionals at every stage of AI adoption, whether you're just beginning to explore generative AI or you're already using tools like ChatGPT and want to build more advanced workflows.
It is ideal for:
- Internal communications professionals
- Public relations professionals
- Corporate communications leaders
- Executive communications teams
- Marketing and content strategists
- Social media professionals
- Employer branding teams
- Change management and employee engagement professionals
- Communications managers, directors and executives
- Anyone responsible for creating, managing or measuring organizational communications
If AI is becoming part of your communications strategy, this course will help you use it more effectively while protecting accuracy, trust and brand reputation.
What will I learn during the AI Certificate Course for Communicators?
You'll learn practical AI skills you can immediately apply to your communications work, including:
- Writing better prompts that produce stronger results
- Building AI-first content strategies
- Optimizing content for AI search and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
- Creating custom GPTs for recurring communications tasks
- Using AI agents to automate workflows responsibly
- Measuring AI's business impact and demonstrating ROI
- Creating AI-generated images and video responsibly
- Developing governance practices that protect privacy, brand voice and organizational trust
Every session includes real communications examples, practical exercises and frameworks you can adapt for your own organization. (ragan.com)
What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of creating content that AI-powered search engines and large language models can easily understand, summarize and cite.
As more people search using tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity, communicators need to think beyond traditional SEO. GEO focuses on creating clear, authoritative, well-structured content that AI systems recognize as trustworthy.
During this course, you'll learn practical GEO techniques that help your content become more discoverable in AI-powered search while continuing to perform well for traditional search engines.
What are AI agents and custom GPTs, and will I learn how to use them?
Yes. You'll learn the differences between traditional chatbots, custom GPTs, AI copilots and AI agents, along with when each should be used.
The course shows you how communications professionals can build repeatable AI assistants for tasks like:
- Drafting communications
- Reviewing content
- Executive messaging
- Campaign planning
- Internal communications
- Media preparation
- Content repurposing
- Editorial review
- Workflow automation
You'll also learn where human oversight remains essential and how to establish guardrails that maintain quality and accuracy. (ragan.com)
Is the AI Certificate Course for Communicators only about ChatGPT?
No. While ChatGPT is used extensively throughout the course, you'll also learn broader AI strategies that apply across today's rapidly evolving AI landscape.
The course focuses on principles, workflows and communication strategies rather than a single platform. You'll learn skills that can be adapted to future AI tools, helping you stay current as technology continues to evolve.
Do I need prior AI experience?
No. The course is designed for both beginners and experienced AI users.
If you're new to AI, you'll build a strong foundation in prompting, content strategy and practical communications workflows.
If you're already using AI, you'll deepen your expertise with custom GPTs, AI agents, GEO, governance, measurement and advanced workflow design.
Because the course emphasizes practical application rather than technical programming, participants from all experience levels can immediately benefit.
Is the AI Certificate Course for Communicators a technical AI course?
No. This is a communications-focused AI course, not a software engineering or programming course.
You won't be writing code or building machine learning models. Instead, you'll learn how communications professionals can strategically use AI to improve content quality, increase productivity, strengthen decision-making and support business objectives while maintaining editorial judgment and human oversight.
How will the AI Certificate Course for Communicators help my communications career?
AI is rapidly becoming an essential skill for communications professionals.
Organizations increasingly expect communicators to understand AI-powered content creation, workflow automation, AI search, governance and measurement. Professionals who can strategically apply these technologies are becoming more valuable as trusted advisors to leadership.
This course helps you build practical AI expertise, increase productivity, strengthen strategic thinking and position yourself as a leader in modern communications.
How can organizations benefit from sending teams?
Organizations benefit when communications teams develop a shared understanding of AI tools, workflows and governance.
Teams that attend together can:
- Build consistent prompting practices
- Develop shared AI standards
- Improve content quality and efficiency
- Create repeatable workflows
- Strengthen governance and risk management
- Better measure AI's business value
- Accelerate responsible AI adoption across the organization
The result is more consistent communications, greater efficiency and stronger organizational alignment.
Will I learn how to measure AI's impact?
Yes. One of the course modules focuses on measuring AI adoption and business value.
You'll learn practical ways to demonstrate:
- Time saved
- Productivity improvements
- Content quality gains
- Engagement improvements
- Workflow efficiencies
- AI search visibility
- Business impact executives care about
Rather than simply measuring AI usage, you'll learn how to connect AI initiatives to meaningful communications outcomes.
Will the AI Certificate Course for Communicators cover AI governance and responsible AI use?
Yes. Responsible AI is integrated throughout the curriculum.
You'll learn practical governance approaches covering:
- Privacy
- Copyright
- Disclosure
- Bias
- Accuracy
- Brand voice
- Human review
- Ethical AI usage
The course helps communicators use AI confidently while protecting organizational trust and reducing risk.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. Participants who complete the course receive a Certificate of Completion from Ragan recognizing their successful participation in the AI Certificate Course for Communicators.
The certificate demonstrates your commitment to professional development and practical AI expertise for today's communications environment.
Will I receive presentation materials and resources?
Yes. Attendees receive access to presentation materials, practical handouts and exclusive resources developed specifically for the course.
These materials are designed to help you continue applying what you've learned long after the live sessions conclude.
What happens if I can't attend one of the live sessions?
If you can't attend one or more modules live, you'll receive the on-demand recordings so you can complete the course at your convenience.
This flexibility allows you to learn from every session even if scheduling conflicts arise.
Why should I take an AI certificate course now?
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how communications teams plan, create, distribute and measure content.
Communicators who understand prompting, AI search optimization, custom GPTs, workflow automation, governance and measurement will be better positioned to lead organizational change and deliver greater business value.
This course provides practical, immediately applicable skills that help you stay ahead of rapidly evolving AI technologies while improving your effectiveness as a communications professional.
Who do I contact with questions?
For registration or speaker questions about Ragan's AI Certificate Course for Communicators, please contact the appropriate member of our team:
Registration: Contact: Shallon Blackburn, Director of Client Services
Programming and speaking inquiries: Alyssa Smith, Senior Director of Event Programming
How do I register?
Register directly at the event registration link.
