Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass Review 2025: Best For Writers?

This year, I will complete my five years of writing career. In these five years, I have explored various writing genres and worked with various clients, but nonfictional writing is one of the verticals I have not explored yet.

I recently became interested in nonfictional writing and started researching the best nonfictional writers. That’s when I discovered Malcolm Gladwell, a famous author and nonfiction writer.

While doing the research, I learned that he launched one of his first courses in the masterclass that teaches about writing and how to become a successful writer.

As I already have a subscription to the masterclass, I decided to enroll in this course to see what it teaches about writing and whether it’s worth the time and money.

In this Malcolm Gladwell Review, I have shared my honest and complete in-depth review of the topics it covers, what it lacks, and, most importantly, whether it is worth the money; before that, let’s see what this post covers.

• Overview of the Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass
• What does Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass cover?
• Who Should Consider Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass?
• What did I like about Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass?
• What can be improved in Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass?
• How much does Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass Cost?
• Is it worth buying Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass?
• Conclusion

And many more, so let’s dive deep into this and explore Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass.

Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass Review 2025

About the Instructor: Malcolm Gladwell

Born in England and raised in Canada, Malcolm Gladwell is a real author, Canadian journalist, public speaker, and writer known for his unique perspective on popular culture, which is thought-provoking for the people.

Moreover, he is also a five-time New York Bestseller, and some of the popular mentions of his books include The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath.

Furthermore, he also co-founded Puskin Industries, An audio content company known for producing the podcast Revisionist History, which reconsiders and explains both overlooked and misunderstood where each episode examines something from the past.

Besides that, he has also launched broken records with Rick Rubin and Bruce Headlam, who interview musicians across a wide range of genres.

Lastly, he has also been included in the Time 100 Most Influential People list as one of the top global thinkers known for his ability to explain complex ideas in a simpler form accessible to a wide range of audiences.

Overview of the Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass

Malcolm Gladwell’s teaching writing is an extensive course hosted in a master class, a platform known for offering high-quality courses at an affordable price. An industry leader creates the courses with years of experience.

In this masterclass, Malcolm Gladwell shared everything he had learned while working for the New Yorker and writing various best-selling books.

Some of these concepts include structuring the narrative, holding the reader’s research process, selecting the story, and building a character that can be related to people; here is the complete list of the lessons covered in this masterclass.

• Introduction and Structuring Narrative
• Holding Readers
• Research
• Selecting the Story
• Developing the Story
• Interviewing
• Characters
• Language and Jargon
• Tone and Voice
• Humor and Melancholy
• Titles
• Drafts and Revisions
• When Your Story Enters the World
• Working as a Writer
• Reading: How and Who
• A Theory of Other Minds

From the above chapter, you will get a complete idea of what it takes to become a successful writer that grabs the attention of people and makes them fall in love with the writing.

What does Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass cover?

Malcolm Gladwell’s master class consists of 24 lessons with a total duration of 6 hours, where the easy lessons are 10 to 20 minutes long, and each lesson teaches you a specific concept of writing, which helps you understand what it takes to write something that people can relate and engage with.

Here, I have shared the complete breakdown of each of the lessons of this course to give you an idea of what each lesson teaches you about writing and whether it’s worth your time and money.

Lessons 1 and 2: Introduction and Structuring Narrative

It is the first course Malcolm Gladwell took, and he starts this course with the introduction, where he talks about his career, how he got the ideas for writing, and the techniques he uses in his writing; besides that, he also talks about the list of the list that he likes and lessons he learned from them.

Most importantly, he explained writing as a calling and shared that it is an activity with a higher purpose and how we fulfill ourselves.

However, the main focus of this lesson is to teach you about narrative structures that he compares with puzzle-solving, and he mentioned narrative structure is all about making the pieces fit right.

Furthermore, he has also shared proven tips on creating an interesting storyline that grabs the reader’s attention and makes a lasting impression. You should spend most of your time on the question of what is interesting, as it will help you to structure your narrative perfectly.

Lessons 3 and 4: Holding Readers

One of the vital jobs of a writer is to hold the reader to read your entire story or a narrative, and that’s what you will learn in this chapter in this chapter Malcolm has shared his guidance on how you can draw a reader’s attention, not only that But he has also feared some of the frameworks for the readers which includes

• What does the reader think?
• What are the tools to guide your reader?
• How do we use data to enhance the reader’s story experience?
• What is the difference between thinking and talking?

And the best part is that Masterclass has broken it down

• Tools for engagement
• Ways to control information

In both sections, you will get an in-depth and clear idea of how to hold the reader and keep them engaged with your story.

From my experience, this lesson is in-depth and eye-opening, and Malcolm did a great job positioning an idea and elaborating with an example.

Lastly, Malcolm has also shared some insights into human psychology and how you can interpret emotion to make your story feel more relatable to the readers.

Lesson 5: Research

Research is one of the important writing processes, and every writer has their whole research process, but in this lesson, you will learn about the research process of Malcolm.

He has shared the importance of doing research with an open mind; he also teaches you about doing the research required to make your narrative engaging and interesting for the readers.

Additionally, throughout this complete video lesson, Malcolm teaches you the various ways of doing the research and their common problem and differences, and most importantly, he shows you how you can get the most out of your study, which is a very insightful
for me as a writer.

What I liked most about this chapter was that Malcolm explained the concept using various case studies, which will help you understand the concept better and gain practical knowledge of how the research process is done.

At the end of this lesson, he also shared some of his favorite writers and broke down their research processes, which is a nice way to make you understand the different research processes and their benefits.

Lesson 6: Selecting the Story

This chapter is about storytelling, and Malcolm teaches you what it takes to write a great story. One of the common things he has observed and highlighted in this masterclass is that every good story has an ending, whether satisfying or not, in a different case.

The main thing to focus on is that everyone can, and the ending has created some sort of change and realization in the readers’ lives.

In addition to that, He also teaches you that all great stories come from the unexpected or the random connection, which means you need to create a story that builds connection and leads to more exciting stories.

Furthermore, he explains this using the example of a story of criminal logistics, which studied crime scientifically, similar to how diseases are studied, and this leads to the unexpected conclusion about this story, which creates curiosity in the reader’s mind.

At the end of this lesson, you will understand that good storytelling involves an impactful ending mixed with unexpected events and a connection that makes it relatable to the audience and engaging to consume.

Lesson 7 & 8: Developing the Story

Telling your story to different people is the proven way to find what will work for them, and in this chapter, Malcolm teaches you about the concept of testing your ideas. Not only that, but he also shares the various ways that you can use to test it.

Most importantly, he teaches you the importance of paying attention to people’s reactions while narrating your story, as it will help you improve it and take it to the next level.

Beyond that, he also emphasizes the importance of collecting feedback from people and using their natural reactions to refine your story and understand what they find interesting and what are the phases where you can make the story more appealing to your audience.

To conclude, you will get the complete road map for developing the story, making it attention-grabbing and appealing for the people, and, most importantly, relatable and engaging.

I liked Malcolm’s example in this chapter, which explained the concept of developing a story. It has made the concept a lot easier to understand.

Lesson 9: Interviewing

Taking interviews with people is one of Malcolm Gladwell’s significant jobs as a journalist, and in this lesson, he shared practical and helpful advice on how to get the most out of the interview.

While sharing this lesson, he also opened up about his weakness as a journalist And explained to you the exact process of taking the interview, which will help you get the best out of it; here are some of the lessons covered in this chapter.

• What is your role as interviewer?
• What are the types of interviews, and what are their pros and cons?
• What are things you need to keep in mind as an interviewer?
• How do you make your subject feel comfortable in sharing information?
• How can you manage an effective interview and get the most out of it?

Moreover, this section will give you various insights and helpful tips for interviewing people that you implement easily, and he also shared the types of questions you should be asking while conducting the interview.

Lastly, he also explains to you what makes the interview successful and why interviews succeed and others don’t. From this lesson, you will get a clear idea of your job as an interviewer and things you should keep in mind.

Lessons 10-12: Characters

This section combines the three chapters about characters, in which Malcolm explains the difference between fiction and nonfiction characters.

He also shared valuable tips on identifying The unique spirit or essence while describing the character and conveying what makes them different or unique.

In addition, he highlighted the point of describing your character’s surroundings as it helps you to build a character that people can relate to, and detailing the environment reveals a lot about the personality and lifestyle of the character.

Lastly, this chapter teaches you how to build a personal connection that creates lasting impressions and makes them memorable in your mind.

What I like about this chapter is that Malcolm explained the layers of character very well, which will help you understand the concept of character building quickly. You can implement it in real time to guide the practical exposure.

Lessons 13 & 14: Language and Jargon

Malcolm shares his favorite advice in this lesson on language and jargon: good writing does not need to be complex. The clearer and more straightforward your writing is, the better it is for the audience.

Another thing that he highlighted in this chapter is that you should write in a way that appeals to the audience and makes them feel invited and included rather than using complex language and jargon to confuse them.

Here are some of the lessons that he has covered in this chapter that will help you to be a better writer

• How do you play with the sentence structure for the effect?
• How can you create the emotion in your sentences?
• How do you establish the rhythm and suspense through your writing?

However, you may find this lesson a bit technical as he has a lot of excerpts from his work, but believe me; it will help you understand what different writing techniques can help you achieve and make you a better writer.

Lastly, What I liked about this chapter is that Malcolm shows you how publicly speaking can help you with your writing, and it will change your perspective towards writing.

Lesson 15: Tone and Voice

Writing represents your thoughts and perspective in front of the reader, and writing shows you your personality in front of the reader. That’s why you need to understand the tone and voice of writing.

And that’s what you will learn in this lesson. In this lesson, you will learn why it is essential to be authentic while writing or narrating a story for your reader.

Most importantly, he teaches you that if you are ignorant or self-indulgent self-indulgent in your writing, your readers will pick it up as they can understand everything from your writing.

In addition to that, Malcolm also teaches you about why you need to stay focused on what is important for your story or the writing; you should avoid unnecessary sentences that do not add value because, in the end, the reader doesn’t care about your effort until and unless they contribute to Narrative structure.

Furthermore, he demonstrated how you build engagement in the story, make every part interesting, and avoid adding unnecessary details to prove how hard you have worked for the story.

Lessons 16 & 17: Humor and Melancholy

One of the best ways to make your writing work engaging and interesting for your audience is by adding emotion, and some of the most common emotions are humor and melancholy.

But adding humor is not a difficult task; you can add it easily, and it is easy to evoke in your writing, but when it comes to melancholy, it’s a very difficult emotion to evoke, and you learn how to add this in your writing.

Most importantly, he has also shared some tips on using humor effectively and creating a context in which you can easily produce responses from readers.

Additionally, he has also shared some great tips on how you can set and manage the reader’s expectations and value their suggestion in order to make your work even more interesting and authentic to make them feel more engaged.

Lastly, he also shared some examples and illustrated how he achieved all these things, making his writing stand out from the other writers and changing the perspective of the reader.

Lesson 18: Titles

As we have already heard, the tension span of a man is less than that of a goldfish, which means that you need to capture their attention in less time. Writing an attention title plays a vital role in this chapter. Malcolm has shared the entire concept around the title and what you need to remember while writing the titles.

Beyond that, he also shared his own philosophies and concepts around the famous titles of his books Outliers, The Tipping Point Blink, and What the Dogs Saw. some of the valuable lessons that this chapter includes are

• What does it take to write an effective title?
• How to create urgency and tension with your title?
• How to use the title to evoke emotions?

Overall, this entire chapter will lay down the important concepts you need to understand for writing attention-grabbing titles that grab the tensile and become a selling point of your advertising and marketing strategy. The best part is that he gives examples of effective titles to make the concept easier to understand.

Lesson 19: Drafts and Revisions

As a writer, the first thing that you need to accept is that the first couple of drafts of writing will be going to be bad and from this chapter, you will learn how to draught and revise your work to make it perfect for your audience, and some of the valuable lessons that you will learn from this include

• How do you organize your daily writing?
• How to improve your draft and revise your work?
• How do you manage the expectations as a writer?
• How do you balance writing and research?

Furthermore, Malcolm also gives you some vital lessons on the directing process and how you can add suspense, humor, and other emotions into your writing to make it more interesting and engaging for your audience and keep your reader engaged with your work.

Lastly, he also shows you his exact process of revising the draught and where you should start revising and get the most out of it.

Lesson 20: When Your Story Enters the World

In this chapter, Malcolm explains that once your work gets finished, it belongs to the reader, and when readers buy your book or your ideas become theirs, you cannot control how they interpret or use those ideas.

He also explains this using one of his examples, in which he wrote about the 10,000-hour rule in outliers, where he mentioned that you need this much time for support in mastering something.

But many people have misunderstood the idea and think that he claimed that you need 10,000 hours of practice to become great at something, so it simply means that how people will interpret your ideas or the book is not in your hand.

Sometimes, misinterpretation means people engage with your work, but sometimes, it becomes frustrating, so it is better than being ignored.

Overall, from this lesson, you will understand that once you complete your writing, you have less control as an author and more authority transferred to the reader who will read your work.

Lesson 21: Working as a Writer

Who can guide you better than someone who has been in this industry for more than years? With this chapter, Malcolm has shared the complete roadmap on how you can approach your writing career.

Besides that, he also taught you some practical lessons that have helped him to stand out from the crowd and make a name for himself in the industry that appeals to the reader.

The best part about this lesson is the authenticity of Malcolm; he discusses everything about his career, from the difficulties he faced to the breaking point when he became popular in the world of journalism and writing, and most importantly, he has also shared his weaknesses and how he overcome it.

In essence, Malcolm gives some valuable advice on how you can get into writing as a career, and precisely, he has also shared some of the challenges that you will face as a writer in order to make a successful career out of it.

Lessons 22-23 Reading: How and Who

In this chapter, Malcolm highlighted that writing and reading are the two essential components of being a successful writer, and one cannot exist without the other. Here, Malcolm teaches about his approach to reading to get the most out of it in order to write better.

Moreover, he also mastered the most popular myths about reading and showed you how you can critically approach work in both of the skills and make it your weapon. He also mentioned the type of writing that will stay relevant in the upcoming time and how you can master that form of writing.

One of the best things about this chapter is that Malcolm has shared some of the names of his favorite authors and why he liked their work so much. he said the list of some of the books has changed his perspective as a reader and helped him to become a better writer.

Lesson 24: Conclusion: A Theory of Other Minds

It is the last and final lesson of this master class where Malcolm explains a principle in psychology known as other minds problem in this chapter.

He explains with an example that when children are born, they believe that everyone else thinks and feels exactly like they do, but at some point, children realize that other people have different thoughts and desires, and this is known as the theory of mind.

Furthermore, Gladwell connect this fascination with the way we engage with the art literature handwriting, and he mentioned that we enjoy exploring different perspectives and understanding how others think.

Overall, this lesson teaches you about understanding the thinking of different people and how they are different from others, and this will help you learn about how they interact with writing.

Who Should Consider Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass?

From my experience of completing this course and going through each of the lessons, I would say that this course is especially aligned with the people interested in making a career in journalism or want to learn about nonfiction and writing.

In short, this course is perfect for aspiring nonfiction writers, journalists, or anyone who wants to improve their storytelling skills And wants to learn from someone with a decade of writing experience and has given more than five best-selling books.

However, if you are a complete beginner and looking for a basic guide, this course might not be the right fit for you as this course has covered the various advanced concepts around writing and storytelling that you can only apply When you know about the basics of writing.

What did I like about Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass?

Overall, my experience with this writing course is really good, and I have learned various writing concepts, especially nonfiction writing and storytelling. Most importantly, I learned about Malcolm Gladwell as a person rather than just a writer.

Here are some of the aspects and lessons that I liked about Malcolm Gladwell masterclass

Credibility of the Instructor

For me, credibility is one of the essential factors before enrolling in any of the courses, and this course is not an expectation; when I came to know that Malcolm Gladwell is one of the best-selling authors and a successful journalist, I felt sure that I would be learning from someone who has years of experience.

After completing this course, I can say confidently that Malcolm Gladwell is one of the best storytellers on the planet, and you will get this glimpse throughout this master class, which has made this class very engaging and interactive for the learners.

Another thing that makes this class even more enjoyable is its production value. This course is well organized and has a high-quality video lesson with precise delivery and a perfect structure, which made this class very helpful for users.

Engaging Teaching Style & Personal Insights

Malcolm Gladwell is not just a good storyteller but also an excellent teacher who knows very well the way to explain the concept that helps the learner to easily understand; throughout this masterclass, he has explained the complex ideas and the concept In such simpler and relatable manner that makes this masterclass unique from the others.

Most importantly, he explained things in a conversational tone, which made the learners feel more connected with the instructor and helped them grasp the concepts better.

Real Time Examples and Case Studies

In the masterclass, Malcolm Gladwell taught you the concept of writing and showed you real-life examples and case studies that illustrate his point and his approach towards writing and its essential components.

Moreover, along with the case studies example, he has shared the various incidents that have saved his writing career and helped him become one of this generation’s most successful writers and storytellers.

The best part is that these examples and case studies have cleared the concept and given you the road map on implementing that technique in actual work and getting practical exposure.

Excellent Insights into Storytelling

I have been a writer for more than three years, and I have explored various writing genres. Still, one of the common problems that I have seen among budding writers is developing the story and the character, especially in nonfiction writing.

This master class has beautifully explained how to develop the story using various examples and case studies. Most importantly, Malcolm has shared his technique and the creative process he uses for creating her story, which helps a learner understand what it takes to build a successful story and a character.

Some of the various concepts he has shared in developing a story are testing your ideas, getting honest feedback from the audience, and improving in the part to make the story more interesting for the audience and keep them engaged.

Additional insights on Taking Interviews

The most unique thing about this master class is the chapter on interviewing, where Malcolm shared his complete years of experience about how interviewing can help you improve your writing process.

As you know, Malcolm was a journalist and spent a decade interviewing various people in this masterclass; he also shared how interviewing people has helped him become a successful storyteller.

In addition to this interview lesson, he shared the various ways to make your interview process smoother and more fruitful. Not only that, but he has also shared some of his weaknesses and the challenges that he has faced while taking the interviews.

In essence, this section will give you incredible and practical tips For the nonfictional writer and the journalist who wants to make a career in journalism.

What can be improved in Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass?

There is no doubt that this course teaches you various concepts about writing and becoming a good storyteller, but still, a few things can be improved to make this course even more helpful for the learners.

Length of the course

One of the demerits that I found in this course is its length; this course is lengthy as compared to the other courses in the master class, which means that you need to spend hours on completing it, and it might be difficult for someone who has packed the schedule or time constraint.

Although each lesson lasts 10 to 20 minutes, overall, the course is more than 6 hours, which is a significant number compared with the other courses on Masterclass.

Less interactive Elements

There is no question that the content of this course is a masterpiece, and it has covered a various concept and techniques around writing and improving your writing processes, but still, from my experience, adding some interactive features or elements can make this course even more helpful for the learner.

For instance, some quizzes or practical exercises can be added to practice the technique shared in this masterclass, and it will help the learner get practical exposure and retain the information for a longer time.

Few concepts are difficult to understand

While watching the video lesson of this master class, I have seen that some of the concepts explained in this master class are advanced, which is difficult for a beginner to understand.

However, understanding this concept is not a big deal if you already have basic writing knowledge. Still, for a budding and aspiring writer, these concepts are difficult to understand and implement in real life for practical exposure.

So, I suggest that if you are a complete beginner, it’s better to get basic writing knowledge and how it works before considering enrolling in this course.

Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass: Pros and Cons

Until now, you have seen the complete idea of what this course is all about and what it offers to the learners, and most importantly, you have also seen the things that make it worth considering and the things it lacks.

Now, let’s move forward and discuss the pros and cons of the Massimo Masterclass to help you know whether the course is worth considering.

Pros of Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass

• Learn from the renowned writer & Storyteller.
• High-quality and well-produced videos.
• Consists of various practical and proven Techniques.
• Get Access to the additional workbook and community.
• Gain Valuable tools to grab the attention of the audience.

Cons of Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass

• Difficult to understand for the beginner.
• The duration of the course is very long.
• No interaction with the mentors.

How much does Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass Cost?

As mentioned, the Masterclass platform hosts this course, offering high-quality instructional content. You must buy a subscription to this platform to access this Malcom Masterclass.

Currently, this platform offers customers three types of subscription options that you can consider based on your requirements and budget.

• Standard Plan: $120 Per Year ( Access to 1 Device and No offline Mode)
• Plus: $180 Per year (access to 2 Devices and Offline Mode)
• Premium: $240 Per Year (access to 6 Devices and Offline mode)

Each of the plans has its specifications. To get more idea about the pricing of the masterclass, you can check out the complete guide on the masterclass review.

Is it worth buying Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass?

Overall, this masterclass is worth it, especially if you seek practical tips and guidance around nonfictional writing or making a career. This masterclass offers practical advice and tips to help you understand what it takes to become a successful writer and a journalist.

Beyond that, if you are serious about improving your storytelling skills or enjoying the teaching style of Malcolm Gladwell, Then you can also consider this course.

However, if you are looking for some general writing courses or just starting out with your writing career, this course might not be a perfect fit for you.

It explains the advanced concepts you can only understand when you have basic writing knowledge and how the writing process works.

From my experience, this course has taught me various insightful lessons about writing and storytelling. It was one of the best master classes that I have enrolled in so far, and I hope you will enjoy that too if you consider enrolling in it.

Conclusion

It is my honest review of Malcolm Gladwell’s post where I have shared everything this course teaches you about writing, from researching to setting the right voice to creating the stories.

Now, you have the information of everything in this masterclass for making an informed decision. Still, from my experience, this course is worth considering for those who want to learn about non-fictional writing or want to make a career in journalism.

Ultimately, it depends upon an individual’s goal and budget, but if you still have an inquiry or question regarding Mariah Carey’s Masterclass Review, please let me know in the comments section. I will be happy to assist with your query.

However, if you still have any questions or queries regarding the Malcolm Gladwell Masterclass Review, please let me know in the comment section; I will gladly assist.