Schools are no longer defined by what happens only within their walls—they’re shaped by the stories they tell online. For families considering the right school, every piece of content, from your school's podcast to its blog, is an invitation to step inside the school community and see what makes it special. Schools that excel at content marketing are building connections, sparking curiosity, and inspiring confidence in what they offer.

A strong school brand, eye-catching visuals, and clever writing make up the backbone of great school content marketing, and they're all important for generating interest among new families and keeping your current community engaged.

Whether it’s through a blog post that tells a powerful story, a video series that captures student life, or an inspiring podcast, each piece of content contributes to the bigger picture of who you are as a school.

A good school content marketing strategy has three main phases:

If your school is already creating content regularly, you’re on a great path. The next step is to ensure that content aligns with your overall school marketing strategy, aimed at helping prospective students and families see why your school is the right choice for their child. An effective content marketing strategy flows through three main phases: planning, production, and distribution.

1. Planning

Planning sets the course. Decide which types of content best showcase your school and resonate with your audience. You outline what topics to cover, who your target families are, and how content can help you reach them at every stage of their journey. Mapping each piece to the right channel ensures you meet families where they already spend time.

2. Production

Production is where ideas take shape. This phase is about consistency—creating content that’s meaningful and engaging on a regular schedule. Whether it’s a school blog series, a behind-the-scenes video, or a podcast, keeping up with your content goals is essential to stay top-of-mind with families.

3. Distribution

Distribution is how your content finds its audience. This is perhaps the most crucial phase, as it’s what helps your school’s content get seen. Share your content across your website, email newsletters, and social media channels because even with great content, it’s easy to fall short if families aren’t seeing it often enough.

Keep Reading: Content Marketing 101 for Independent Schools

The schools highlighted below have found success by creating and sharing content that truly resonates with their audience. Their thoughtful planning, consistent production, and strategic distribution have made their content stand out, setting a model that any school can follow. Let's look at what makes each of their content marketing strategies so effective at drawing families in.

Proctor Academy’s The Buzz

Blogs and news articles are powerful tools for content marketing because they offer a constant stream of fresh, relevant information that appeals to both prospective families and search engines. For families, a regularly updated blog or news section demonstrates a school’s vibrancy and responsiveness, and by sharing everything from student achievements to faculty thought leadership, schools can highlight their values, showcase community highlights, and position themselves as a trusted source.

From an SEO perspective, frequent updates signal to search engines that the website is active and relevant, which can improve its ranking on search results. Blogs and news stories can also be optimized with keywords that prospective families are likely searching for, such as “private school in New Hampshire” or “experiential learning programs,” helping your school when families search for these terms.

The Buzz is a dynamic collection of podcasts, videos, student and faculty blogs, social media posts, news stories, and photos that capture everyday life at Proctor. Updated almost daily, it provides a vivid and authentic look into Proctor’s community, sharing stunning imagery, real voices, and insightful stories that highlight the school’s approach to education.

This blend of content offers prospective families a genuine window into the Proctor experience, setting it apart as a school that values both creativity and transparency. I come back to this site every now and then to see its content, just as a fan.

Lipscomb Academy‘s Mustangs Unbridled Podcast

Podcasting stands out as a powerful content marketing tool for schools because it brings a human touch to digital content. Hearing real voices, stories, and experiences gives prospective families a direct connection to the spirit of your school. Unlike written content, podcasts invite listeners to tune in during their commute, morning jog, or evening routine.

Podcasts also allow schools to expand beyond traditional marketing by focusing on storytelling rather than sales. This makes it easier to build a loyal audience, as listeners feel like they’re engaging with the community in a personal way.

Lipscomb's Unbridled Podcast offers listeners a journey into the heart of the school. Each episode features a guest connected to the academy—students, teachers, alumni, and parents—each with unique perspectives and experiences. Whether listeners are hearing from someone new or reconnecting with familiar voices, every episode celebrates the school’s community and values.

Keep Reading: 5 Steps to Start a School Podcast

With thoughtful storytelling and genuine conversations, Mustang Unbridled has become a meaningful way for prospective families and the community to experience what makes Lipscomb Academy special. Through each story, listeners get a glimpse into the lives that make up the school’s rich, supportive culture.

Fairfield Prep’s 5 Things To Consider

Downloadable guides like 5 Things To Consider are a cornerstone of content marketing for schools. Resources like e-books, checklists, and decision guides provide genuine value to prospective families, offering them a chance to explore their needs and priorities in a personal way. As families access these resources, schools can then nurture these relationships with targeted emails and additional information that aligns with families' needs.

Fairfield Prep understands that choosing a high school is a major decision for families, one that requires weighing many important factors: location, affordability, access to teachers, student opportunities, and, most importantly, finding the right fit.

To help families navigate these choices, Fairfield Prep offers a free guide, 5 Things To Consider When Choosing a High School. This resource encourages families to thoughtfully evaluate these factors to make the best choice for their child.

Fairfield Prep’s guide is a supportive tool that speaks directly to the questions many parents and students face. By simply sharing a name and email, prospective families gain access to valuable insights that help them make a confident decision—and Fairfield Prep takes the opportunity to start a relationship with families who are actively considering their options.

Stuart Country Day School’s National Center for Girls' Leadership

Located in Princeton, New Jersey, Stuart is a small all-girls school competing in a challenging market, but its National Center for Girls' Leadership (NCGL) has helped it shine nationally. Since its founding, the center has worked to give young women the skills, insights, and confidence to become tomorrow’s leaders. Through leadership theory, skill-building, and opportunities to apply their knowledge, NCGLS empowers girls to lead with purpose, whether they are part of Stuart’s community or not.

The NCGLS isn’t a traditional content marketing tool, like a blog or video, but by offering resources, hosting career days, and creating networking events, Stuart shows its dedication to its mission beyond the classroom.

Programs like NCGLS make a lasting impression because they bring a school’s values to life, connecting students and community members in ways that blogs or videos can’t. By expanding beyond self-promotion, Stuart attracts families who share their values, making a strong case for Stuart’s unique approach to inspiring the next generation of female leaders and positioning itself as an authority in girls’ education and leadership.

Westminster Christian Academy’s The Wonder of Westminster

Video content, especially on platforms like YouTube, is one of the most effective ways for schools to showcase their offerings, and unlike text or static visuals, video brings your school’s environment to life, capturing the energy of its community, the beauty of its campus, and the enthusiasm of its students and faculty.

As one of the most popular platforms, YouTube is a space where families are already searching for schools and education-related content. Videos can be easily shared, recommended, and revisited, extending the reach of a school’s content far beyond its immediate community.

Westminster Christian Academy premiered The Wonder of Westminster at its open house using an immersive, three-screen presentation to captivate visitors. At nine and a half minutes, The Wonder of Westminster manages to hold viewers’ attention by being both entertaining and informative—a rare combination that goes beyond the typical school promo and captures the essence of Westminster’s spirit in an engaging and informative way.

Videos that focus on storytelling (rather than self-promotion) build trust and resonate emotionally, and Westminster’s approach to video content sets a high standard, proving that a well-crafted, thoughtful video can be one of the most engaging and memorable ways to introduce a school to prospective families.

Blair Academy’s At-A-Glance

Blair Academy’s By-the-Numbers page takes school stats and turns them into a dynamic experience for prospective students. With animated fast facts, this page brings the school’s unique qualities to life, covering everything from the number of miles to New York City to Blair’s acceptance rate, the number of pickleball courts, and even how many campus dogs call Blair home. Each of these stats tells a piece of Blair’s story in a simple, impactful way that’s easy for families to remember.

This by-the-numbers approach is a versatile content marketing resource that can be repurposed across platforms. Each fact could become a social media post, a blog topic, or even a detail in Blair’s printed admissions materials, weaving these memorable stats into the broader story the school shares with prospective families. 

Keep Reading: Use Infographics to Tell a Better Story on Your School's Website

Key Takeaway

Content marketing comes in many shapes and forms but shares the common goal of growing your school's brand without doing a hard sell. This helps you establish the kind of trust and relationships with students that increase inquiries, enrollment, retention, and, eventually, donations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Connor has spent the last decade within the field of marketing and communications, working with independent schools and colleges throughout New England. As Finalsite’s Senior Content Marketing Manager, Connor plans and executes marketing strategies and digital content across the web. A former photojournalist, he has a passion for digital media, storytelling, coffee, and creating content that connects.