The Modern Marketing Workshop vs Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365)

Roughly three hours of video across four units plus 75+ pages of ebooks and worksheets. Reviewers praise the conceptual framing — the four building-blocks and 50+ marketing terms — but note it is mindset and strategy, not tactics. There is no channel-specific how-to (no ad-account walkthroughs).

Godin's credibility is the strongest column. Independent operators call themselves fans of his clarity, and HN readers cite his "smallest viable audience" framing as genuinely useful. The teaching is opinionated and quotable rather than step-by-step.

Originally a $19 one-time class; today it is included in the Skillshare subscription (~$168/yr). Mitch Joel called the original price "as close to free as you can get" given the author. As bundled subscription content it is strong value if you already pay, weaker if you subscribe solely for it.

The workshop is built around a project — a real marketing plan — with hard worksheet questions a student-reviewer described as "really hard, but so useful." The frameworks are durable (positioning, permission, tension) but abstract; you supply the channel specifics yourself.

Best for reframing how a team thinks about marketing rather than executing a campaign tomorrow. Reviewers report applying the smallest-audience and story-first ideas to consumer and SMB marketing; the gap is the absence of measurement, paid-acquisition and modern channel mechanics.

Clear, well-paced and current — the 2025 Microsoft 365 refresh covers PivotTables, charts, multi-sheet formulas and Microsoft Copilot inside Excel. Depth stops at "essential," so power users wanting Power Query, dynamic arrays or VBA outgrow it quickly.

Dennis Taylor has taught Excel on this platform since the Lynda.com era. Reviewers reach for the same words — calm, clear, methodical. The 4.7-star aggregate from 8,000+ LinkedIn Learning ratings reflects unusually consistent praise for delivery.

Bundled in the LinkedIn Learning subscription (~$40/month or via LinkedIn Premium). HN commenters repeatedly flag that most US public libraries offer free LinkedIn Learning access via library card — which moves this to effectively free for many readers.

Coherent walkthrough of the daily Excel surface — data entry, formulas, formatting, charts, PivotTables, multi-workbook references, Copilot prompts. Stops short of the analyst-grade stack — Power Query, Power Pivot, dynamic arrays, LAMBDA — driving modern Excel work.

Excel is one of the most universally job-applicable skills in business, and Taylor's coverage maps cleanly onto what finance, ops, marketing and admin touch daily. Ceiling — data-analyst roles still need Power Query and deeper pivots this course barely touches.