School Marketing

Write, Post, Engage: Your School’s Guide to Blogging Success

8 min read

Jul 13, 2023 8:00:00 AM

Here is your ultimate guide to school-blogging success!

Are you thinking about starting a school blog but aren’t quite sure where to start? Already have a blog but not quite sure how to level it up? Or do you already run a great school blog but are running out of ideas for new topics? You’re in the right place!

School blogs can be a great way to communicate with current and prospective families as well as to improve your Search Engine Optimization (where your school website ranks on search engines, like Google).

But, before you start blogging away, there are a few key questions you have to answer:

How often will you post? Consistency is key! Posting monthly is a good first step. You can always post MORE frequently, but don’t let your blog fizzle out by not posting regularly.
Who will be responsible for writing, editing, and posting? Is your blog a general school blog or a principal’s blog? Are you open to having students write blog posts? Regardless of who is doing the writing, you need someone officially responsible for the final edit and the act of posting it on your site.
Where will it be hosted and posted? A blog section on your website is a great place to start, but it’s not the only place you should share your blog. Send out updates to your current and prospective families via email, and don’t forget to share it on your social media pages as well.
What is the main goal of your blog? Are you writing to share updates with your community? Are you writing to increase awareness of your school for enrollment? Make sure to have a goal in mind so that you can keep track of how effective your posts are.

So What Do You Write About to Increase Enrollment?

Great question. Every school has a unique story to tell, but if you aren’t telling it well, you might hear things like...

“This school is the best-kept secret in town.”
“I never knew you offered that!”
“How do more people not know about this amazing school?”

If you’ve ever heard those phrases, you’ve got an attraction problem. You need parents in your community to know you exist and to be interested in what you have to offer. A marketing-focused school blog is a great way to accomplish this.

And since the SchoolMint Engage team is here to help you build awareness and increase enrollment, we’ve got some great topics and ideas to get you started.

We’ve got five tried-and-true topics (as well as examples from other schools) you can use to increase awareness and interest in your school through your school’s blog. Let’s dive in!

School Blog Topic #1: 10 Reasons to Choose XYZ School for Your Student

This is a great topic because it allows you to brag about the amazing things your school does, which makes it a great starting point for increasing enrollment. Not only is this topic something prospective parents can read once they are on your site but it’s also something you might be able to rank highly on Google for.

For example, a prospective family who is considering Montessori school for their child is pretty likely to search something like “Why choose Montessori school.” If your blog is done well, it might even pop up on the first page!

Variations on this topic include:

Why Choose a [Charter/Private/Public] School for Your Student
5 Benefits of a Montessori/STEM/College Prep Education
8 Reasons to Enroll Your Student at Minty Elementary

Want some real-life inspiration? Check out these examples:

Why Choose Montessori For My Child (Fishtown Montessori)
4 Reasons For Choosing Pomegranate Schools For Your Child’s Education (Pomegranate Schools)

Pomegranate Schools’ blog is a simple but very effective marketing tool. They frequently post marketing and enrollment-related topics that prospective parents will care about.

School Blog Topic #2: 5 Questions Parents Should Ask on a School Tour

This is an excellent choice for an enrollment-focused blog because it’s a common topic for families searching for a new school. It’s also great evergreen content to send families before they tour your school or share on social media posts about tours and new family events.

It also gives you the opportunity to suggest questions that you know your school will knock out of the park while also providing useful and supportive information to families who are making a big, potentially nerve-racking decision.

By giving families some peace of mind before a tour, you’re signaling that your school is a supportive and welcoming community.

Variations on this topic include:

How to Pick the Right School for Your Student
5 things to Consider Before Choosing a School
5 things Parents Need to Know Before Enrolling at XYZ School

Want to see what other schools are doing? Check out these examples:

8 Questions Every Parent Should Ask On A Tour (Common Sense Classical)
The Questions You Need to Ask on a School Tour (The Congressional School)
4 Questions to Ask Before Enrolling Your Child in an Independent School (Friend’s Central School)

Friend’s Central School’s blog uses call-to-action (CTA) buttons strategically throughout the blog to encourage prospective families to take the next step in enrollment! Every great blog or newsletter has them — and ours does, too!

Speaking of school tours...

Want to improve your school tour but aren’t sure where to start? Start with an expert review and action plan of your tour with a SchoolMint secret shopper!

If you’re not sure what a school secret shopper is and how it can help your enrollment, check out this article.

School Blog Topic #3: 10 Things to Do with Kids in [Your City] This Summer

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably Googled some variety of this question. And who are you trying to reach with your blog? You guessed it: local parents.

Keeping kids busy over the summer is no small feat, and as the local expert on child development and education, you have real authority and value here. Not only is this a frequently searched-for topic — it’s also something that is SUPER shareable on social media, which will almost certainly help expand your reach.

You can even use this as an opportunity to plug the local summer reading program at your library, highlight community events you’ll have a booth at, or partner with local businesses to offer discounts or special fundraisers for your students and families.

Variations on this topic include:

The [Your City] Summer Bucket List
5 Community Events to Attend This Year
8 Experiments Your Middle Schooler Can Do at Home

Want to see how this might work? Check out these examples:

10 Summer Activities That Can Prepare Your Child For Kindergarten (C.S. Lewis Academy)
10 Creative and Fun Summer Activities to Do With Your Kids (Cyboard School)
10 Things to Do with Kids in Indianapolis (Kids Activities Blog)

C.S. Lewis Academy’s blog doesn’t just focus on school. They also have a variety of posts covering everything parents care about — from quick and healthy before-school breakfast ideas to keeping your student safe online to fun summer activities for kids.

School Blog Topic #4: 10 Back-to-School Tips for an Amazing Year

Who else could possibly give better back-to-school tips than school leaders and teachers?

This topic would be a great way to crowd-source fun and creative back-to-school tips from your teachers and school leaders. It’s a great topic, and it also provides you the opportunity to highlight the people who make your school such an amazing place to grow and learn.

Variations on this topic include:

10 Books to Read Before the First Day of Kindergarten
Rock the Drop-Off: 5 Ways to Have a Great First Day of School
A Teacher’s Tips on the Transition to High School

Want to see some real-life examples? Of course, you do!

10 Books for the Beginning of the Year in Kindergarten (Kindergarten Korner)
10 Helpful Back-to-school Tips for Parents (The Early Years Blog)
How to Prepare Your Student for the Transition to Middle School (Friends Central School)
The First Day of School Can Be a Big Change for Parents, Too (Apple Montessori)

Apple Montessori’s award-winning blog balances school updates, enrollment and marketing, and parenting tips in a beautiful, photo-rich design.

School Blog Topic #5: A Day in the Life of an XYZ Student

This is a great way to share an authentic view of what it’s really like to be a student at your school. Don’t be afraid to involve your students in the process. High school students can write their own blog posts, while you might include quotes and photos of younger students.

Your mission statement and vision are nice — but what parents REALLY care about is their child’s experience — and this type of blog post is a great way to show them what their child would have the opportunity to do as a student at your school.

Variations on this topic include:

5 Unique Experiences that Every XYZ Student Has
A Day in the Life of an XYZ Teacher (This is a great post to highlight for teacher recruitment!)
Student Spotlight: Meet John

You knew it was coming! Here are some examples:

A Day in the Life of a High School Student (Online High School Edition) (James Madison High School)
A Day in the Life of a Kindergarten Class (The Oaks Academy)
Empowering Kindergarteners to Become Researchers (Stanley Clark Academy)

Stanley Clark’s Tiger Talk blog is easy to navigate and includes photos and tags so you can easily sort through relevant topics. They have a variety of blogs written by parents, teachers, and students.

Some Tips for Your School Blog

Your school blog should be written in your school’s tone and personality. It doesn’t need to be formal or stuffy.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. It doesn’t need to be fancy, it just needs to be relevant and engaging
Add some photos and videos to liven things your post up.
Your blog should be hosted on your school’s website. Most school websites have a content management system (CMS) that you can post directly to, so ask your IT team about ASAP to give them time to get you set up while you write your first post.
Don’t forget to share your blog via email as well as on all of your social media accounts.

Looking for more resources on the topic of school blogs? The team at SchoolMint has lots of great blogs and resources to help you out: