Formats Unpacked: MasterClass

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Today I’m doing the unpacking. It’s a format that I didn’t think I’d like as much until I took the plunge and subscribed. I’m not sure I’m any closer to being a master but I’ve definitely enjoyed the journey.

What’s it called?

MasterClass (online classes)

What’s the format?

MasterClass is a subscription-based online education platform where famous people teach you about the subject that made them famous. Every MasterClass follows a similar format - 15 to 30 short lectures, occasionally with physical demonstrations when appropriate - but mostly it’s a celeb delivering a lecture down the lens of a camera. Subscribers get a bunch of written stuff to accompany each class too. The site also provides a small collection of free articles to get non-subscribers into the world of MasterClass.

What’s the magic that makes it special?

MOOCs (massive open online courses) are not new. The New York Times declared 2012 the Year of the MOOC. While I don’t quite recall the MOOC frenzy, a lot of my former digital BBC colleagues did leave the broadcaster to work on the new FutureLearn around that time. Interestingly they didn’t bring any BBC celebs with them, which might have proved to be a real differentiator from their competitors.

Masterclass was born in 2015, launching with three highly produced video series featuring actor Dustin Hoffman, athlete Serena Williams, and author James Patterson, teaching people how to do the thing they are ‘masters’ at. Over the years it has grown, providing over 200 classes with new ones added every month. 

The magic of the MasterClass format is the combination of high production values and celebs. If you want to learn how to cook from a master, Masterclass has a series with Wolfgang Puck. If you want to learn how to take great photos, here’s some classes with Annie Leibovitz. But if you want to know how your new camera works, or how to cut vegetables, you go to YouTube. But Masterclass is about more than just facts. Their high production and celebrity access is enough to convince buyers that, along with learning more about their passion or career a bit of celeb magic might rub off on them too. 

What’s really interesting about MasterClass is that its target market is professional leadership and career development, not just helping you get better at a hobby. The site has a whole Masterclass at Work landing page, with quotes from Deloitte about the ROI from investing in courses from Richard Branson, Bob Iger and Sarah Blakely, to name a few. The tagline on that page lays out their pitch to corporate HR and People teams: “Learning that transforms business. And lives.”

It’s a smart play, and there is a lot the corporate world can learn from MasterClass. The world of B2B marketing is awash with Webinars. I bet you cringed a little when you heard that word, right? But isn’t a bunch of webinars gathered as a series simply a MasterClass with lower production values? Isn’t every webinar “Learning that transforms business” too? MasterClass argue that the sprinkling of celeb dust will not just help transform your teams, but make them want to stay with your company as well. After all, who are your teams more likely to give their attention to for a leadership webinar? One of the C-suite from corporate head office? Or Werner Herzog, Hans Zimmer and Hilary Clinton?

Digital tools have made it easy for the corporate world to make Webinars, but just because it is easy to make doesn’t mean people people will watch. As MasterClass demonstrates, the storytelling and production values play a massive part in repositioning the experience. You might not have Brene Brown hosting your Webinar, but a bit of storytelling coaching and better production might make Webinars feel less like a chore, and more like a lesson in mastery. If you want some help doing this, the team at Storything would love to help.

Favourite MasterClass?

One of the most important metrics at Netflix is ‘What did the customer watch first after subscription?’ This tells their algorithm a lot about what it is that triggered the audience to subscribe. Well, for MasterClass my trigger was Spanx founder Sara Blakely Teaches Self-Made Entrepreneurship. I love the story of Spanx and Sara is a brilliant storyteller. 

It’s a fascinating brand and its origin story is a wonderful lesson in both innovation and entrepreneurship.

Similar Formats?

Interestingly, the BBC went on to launch BBC Maestro which is pretty much a replica of MasterClass. It similarly has a huge business offering. I also subscribed to this and my trigger course was Graphic Design With Paula Scher.

Thanks for reading. If you have any examples of interesting learning formats from other large organisations I’d love to hear more about them. If you run webinars with formats that have had a big impact tell us about them.

We are always looking for contributors so if you’d like to unpack a favourite format get in touch.

Or if you’d like to hear how we help some of the world’s most respected B2B companies reposition themselves just hit that button below.

See you all next time,

Hugh

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