It’s that time of year—the start of the holiday season. It’s a compressed time of celebrations, religious observances, shopping, entertaining, travel, and overeating. You have your lists; you’re checking them twice, right?

Now, let’s add another task to your holiday to-do list: connecting with your families, students, staff, and the entire school community. While your students and colleagues may be getting ready for the holiday break, it’s important not to shut down your school communications. Instead, take advantage of this time to share information and strengthen relationships. With the help of your school community, you can share helpful tips, fun news, and entertaining photos and videos that will contribute to the success of your school.

To help you get started, I’ve gathered a few fantastic ideas to consider this month.

Show Appreciation for Key School Personnel

Every corner of your school is filled with individuals who deserve special recognition. From the first grade teacher who has taught multiple generations of families to the slightly eccentric science teacher who knows how to make science not just fun, but a potential career path. And let’s not forget about the custodial staff and support professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make your school great.

As the year comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to acknowledge and appreciate the “gifts” that these individuals bring to your school. But it’s not enough to simply recognize them individually. Take advantage of various communication platforms such as school assemblies, PTO meetings, morning announcements, newsletters, the school website, and social media to spread the word about their contributions. Use the holiday season as an opportunity to show your students, colleagues, parents, and the entire school community how much you appreciate them.

Use Multicultural Holidays to Celebrate Your School

The holiday season is a perfect time for schools to embrace multicultural celebrations and foster unity within the entire school community. While it’s important to respect the separation of church and state, it’s also important to acknowledge and recognize diverse cultures and religions as a unifying gesture that promotes tolerance and understanding.

In addition to the traditional holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, it’s important to acknowledge other significant holidays such as Mawlid and Las Posadas, a significant celebration in Spanish-speaking communities.

In some school districts, like one in Arizona, Las Posadas is celebrated with a community-wide event that not only unites the community but also collects food for local food pantries. By embracing and acknowledging these diverse holidays, schools can create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, staff, and parents. It’s an opportunity to spread holiday cheer and promote understanding among different cultures and religions.

Chances are your school includes families and students who observe these events. If you want your school communications to be more multicultural, don’t overlook the holidays as a great time to demonstrate that.

The Holiday Shopping Mindset

Take advantage of the holiday season to tap into the generosity of your parents and staff. Host a Holiday bazaar or Christmas fair to provide an opportunity for parents to find unique gifts while fostering a sense of unity and joy within your school community. Don’t forget to involve your PTO to add an extra touch of excitement. Consider combining the fair with a holiday party, where parents can enjoy some festive punch and cookies, creating lasting connections that extend beyond the holiday season.

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Check this list twice for holiday-themed fundraising ideas for your school

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Think Outside the (Mail)box

Don’t miss out on the classic holiday tradition of sending greeting cards. However, there’s no need to burden the U.S. Postal Service when you can use email instead.

Email remains the most effective way to reach your parents, making it a great option for sending personalized holiday wishes. A simple holiday email greeting from the superintendent or principal, or even a practical message from a teacher, can go a long way in engaging your parents.

Remember to include a link in your email that directs the reader to more content, such as a page on your school website or an invitation to a holiday event. For more tips read our blog article, 10 Steps to Creating School Emails that Reach Parents

Socialize During the Holidays

Keep the spirit of the holiday season alive on your social media platforms just like your favorite Christmas sweater. Make sure to maintain an active presence on Facebook throughout the month and utilize your school’s Instagram account to stay connected through captivating pictures. Don’t forget to maximize the potential of these channels even during the holiday break by sending out reminders about exciting holiday plays and school activities.

It’s also important to keep your school website active during the holidays to provide parents with up-to-date information for their return to school planning.

You can also get some ideas from Andrea Gribble at SocialSchool4edu. She has several ways to ramp up your social media presence.

The holiday season is a time for joy and laughter, allowing us to embrace fun and lightheartedness that may not be as prevalent during the rest of the year. Do you have any ideas to share on how to make the most of this festive season and effectively connect with your parents, students, staff, and community?

Engaging families today has become simpler, thanks to the variety of communication tools at your disposal. In this post, we’ll explore these channels and how you can maximize them to drive family involvement in your school community.

When families are actively engaged in their child’s education, students tend to perform better. Research from the Southwest Education Development Laboratory (SEDL) shows that increased parental involvement leads to higher grades, better attendance, and stronger social skills. Additionally, family-school partnerships are more important than ever for student success.

Joyce Epstein’s Framework provides six areas where schools can involve families:

1. Parenting: Help families support learning at home with resources and guidance on child development.
2. Communicating: Share important school updates through accessible channels.
3. Volunteering: Invite parents to contribute time at school events and in classrooms.
4. Learning at Home: Offer insights on how families can reinforce classroom learning.
5. Decision-Making: Encourage participation in school decisions through surveys, PTO meetings, and more.
6. Community Collaboration: Develop partnerships with local businesses to support school initiatives.

If you’re already working on these fronts but want to improve, let’s discuss four practical ways to enhance your family engagement strategy.

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1. Develop a Mobile-First Family Engagement Strategy

Modern families are always on the go, and they expect information at their fingertips. Creating a mobile-first strategy helps you meet them where they are.

Start with a responsive website that works seamlessly on any device. Include mobile notifications that alert parents of important updates through text, email, social media, and your website. Consider implementing a branded mobile app that integrates all your school’s communication efforts, giving parents a convenient, central hub for accessing their child’s assignments, grades, and upcoming events.

2. Encourage Family-Generated Content

One of the most effective ways to promote engagement is by letting families share their stories. Feature content from involved parents—like testimonials, blog posts, or newsletter contributions—to showcase the benefits of engagement.

For example, ask a parent volunteer to write about their experience helping in the classroom. This content can inspire other families to get involved, highlighting what they and their children gain from participation. Additionally, work with your PTO to maintain a dedicated family-run website or section on your school’s site for these stories. Just ensure all content is approved and aligns with your school’s communication strategy.

3. Embrace Social Media for Broader Reach

Parents are active on social media, which makes it a valuable platform for engagement. Use Facebook or Instagram to post event updates, student achievements, and school news. Social media is also an excellent way to share visuals from school events, making parents feel more connected even if they couldn’t attend.

Leverage tools like SchoolStatus’ built-in social media features to ensure your content is consistent across platforms, and track engagement metrics to see what resonates most with your audience.

4. Conduct Parent Surveys for Input

Want parent input on important school decisions? Get them involved early through online surveys. You can use a service like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to create and distribute online surveys to parents. The outreach can be done through email, social media, and even on the school website.

A short, five-question survey could be enough to pique a parent’s interest in a particular menu or to spark some online conversation. For example, assume you send out a survey on changes to the school’s art program. A parent may complete the survey and immediately become more interested in the outcome. That could drive them to attend meetings, become involved in planning committees, and help formulate the school’s decision-making.

Project Appleseed, a non-profit organization dedicated to public school improvement, has assembled a cool parent involvement survey/report card. Even if you’re a private or charter school, this survey is still a good one to use as a model if you’re serious about assessing parent involvement at your school.

Some content management systems have survey capabilities built right into their software, so the ability to measure opinion or start some healthy dialogue with parents is just a link away.

Family Engagement is the Key to Student Success

Building strong partnerships with families can dramatically improve student outcomes. By adopting a mobile-first strategy, encouraging family-created content, leveraging social media, and using surveys to foster dialogue, your school can enhance family involvement and, by extension, student achievement.

If you’re ready to improve how your school engages families, explore SchoolStatus, a platform designed to help schools connect with families, simplify communication, and track engagement for better outcomes.

Facebook has become an essential communication tool, with over 70% of U.S. internet users active on the platform. For schools, Facebook is a vital tool in the communication strategy. Many of your school’s families—and likely your students over 13—are already on the platform. A school Facebook page can help you share updates with these groups, as well as prospective students and community members.

Why Schools Need a Facebook Page

A school Facebook page provides a direct line to your community. Many of your school’s families and students are already on the platform, making it an accessible tool for announcements, event promotion, and meaningful community engagement. Here’s how to get your school’s page up and running and start making the most of its features.

Step 1: Create Your School’s Facebook Page

If you have a personal Facebook account, setting up your school’s page is straightforward.

1. Log in to Facebook and click the drop-down arrow in the top-right corner.
2. Select “Create a Page.”
3. Choose “Company, Organization, or Institution” and narrow down to “School.”
4. Name your page after your school. This will be the official name displayed to followers.

Need more guidance? Check out Facebook’s Create a Page Guide.

Step 2: Add Images to Your Page

Images make your page look professional and welcoming. Set a profile picture—your school logo or mascot is a great choice—and add a cover photo, like a picture of the school building or students. These visuals make your page more engaging and establish it as an official school resource.

Step 3: Write a Short Description

Use Facebook’s 255-character space to add a brief description of your school and the purpose of your page. This helps visitors quickly confirm they’re on the official school page.

Step 4: Assign Page Administrators

To keep the page active, assign a few key staff members as administrators. This could include your marketing or community relations director, a principal, and possibly a teacher.

1. Click “Edit Page” from your page settings.
2. Go to “Manage Page Roles.”
3. Assign different roles to your chosen administrators, ensuring they have access to post updates and manage the page.

For tips on managing administrators, see Facebook’s Page Roles Guide.

Step 5: Attract Followers

To start growing your audience:

• Like the page from your personal account to share it with friends.
• Encourage staff and administrators to share the page.
• Post valuable content regularly. Even with a small following, consistent posts establish your page as a trusted source.

Once you have 25 followers, you can create a custom URL like “www.facebook.com/ABCelementaryschool,” making it easier for families to find your page.

Pro Tips for Growing Your School’s Facebook Presence

• Like the Page: When staff members like the page, their friends are more likely to see and follow it.
• Share the Page: Encourage staff to share the page to grow an initial following.
• Post Consistently: Regular updates on school closures, events, lunch menus, and more make the page useful.
• Create a Custom URL: After reaching 25 followers, set up a custom URL for easier promotion.

Looking for more social media tips? Explore our School Communications Planning Guide.

Final Thoughts

There are lots of tips you can use to strengthen the impact of your school’s Facebook page. Facebook is too important to not be in your communications strategy. It’s also incredibly simple to set up and manage. You might be late to the Facebook party, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss it altogether. Get started on your school’s Facebook page today.

You’ve set up your school’s social media profiles—Facebook, Twitter (now X), Instagram, and maybe even LinkedIn—but now what? With so many channels, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by what to post, where to post it, and how to engage your audience effectively. Should you share news stories, event updates, or school closings? What about photos from last night’s volleyball game?

The key to maximizing your school’s social media presence is understanding the strengths and limitations of each platform. By tailoring your content to fit the unique nature of each social media channel, you’ll improve engagement with parents, students, and the broader school community.

Facebook: Engage Your Community, but Know the Limits

Facebook remains a dominant platform, especially among users aged 35 to 50, which makes it an essential tool for reaching parents and community members. However, its complicated algorithm, Edgerank, determines which posts are shown in users’ feeds. This means that not all of your posts will reach every follower, and real-time, critical updates may get lost in the shuffle.

Here’s how your school can make the most of Facebook:

• Event Photos: Share pictures from school events like games or assemblies to boost community pride.
• Event Calendar: Use Facebook’s built-in event feature to promote upcoming events.
• News and Stories: Share positive news about students, teachers, and community initiatives.

While you can’t depend on Facebook for time-sensitive updates, it’s a great platform for building a sense of community. Consider using Facebook Boosts to ensure that important posts reach a larger audience. Boosts are relatively inexpensive and allow you to target specific demographics, such as parents of students at your school.

For more tips on using social media effectively, check out the SchoolStatus blog.

Twitter (X): Your School’s Real-Time Newsfeed

Twitter (now rebranded as X) is fast, versatile, and widely used by students, media, and younger families. It’s ideal for real-time updates, news announcements, and instant communication. Tweets appear in chronological order, making it easier for followers to stay updated on the latest happenings.

Here’s how your school can use Twitter effectively:

• Real-Time Updates: Share updates on events, sports scores, or school closings.
• Engage with the Community: Use hashtags to categorize content, and connect with local influencers, media, and other schools.
• Professional Development: Share educational resources, articles, or events aimed at faculty and staff.

To make Twitter work for your school, aim for frequent, timely posts. You can also create X Lists to organize followers, such as alumni, faculty, community leaders, or local media. This makes it easier to track and engage with specific groups.

For more insights on how social media can enhance school communication, check out this guide.

Instagram: Show Your School’s Story in Pictures

Instagram is the fastest-growing social media platform, particularly popular with younger audiences. It’s perfect for sharing your school’s story through images and short videos. With its simple, mobile-only design, Instagram allows schools to personalize their online presence and connect with the community in authentic ways.

How your school can use Instagram:

• Behind-the-Scenes Photos: Show the daily life of your school, from classrooms to pep rallies.
• Short Videos: Post 15-second clips of students, teachers, or events to capture quick, engaging moments.
• Visual Announcements: Use Instagram Stories for time-sensitive updates or reminders.

Instagram’s hashtag feature also helps to organize your posts around specific themes or events, making it easier for users to find relevant content. Start using hashtags like #schoolpride or #yourcommunityname to enhance engagement.

Pinterest: A Visual Bulletin Board for Schools

Pinterest may not be as widely used by schools yet, but it offers a unique platform to organize and share visual content. Think of Pinterest as a digital bulletin board where you can group images into collections, or “boards,” that are relevant to different aspects of school life.

Ideas for Pinterest boards:

• Classroom Projects: Showcase student artwork, science projects, or class presentations.
• Teacher Resources: Pin helpful educational resources for teachers and parents.
• Event Highlights: Create boards for events like graduations, plays, or sports games, grouping together images from each occasion.

Pinterest can be a powerful tool to showcase your school’s accomplishments, but like all social platforms, it requires consistent engagement. Share, like, and follow other Pinterest users to build your school’s following.

LinkedIn: Professional Networking for Your School

LinkedIn is traditionally viewed as a professional networking site, but schools can benefit from using it to connect with alumni, teachers, and prospective staff. Many universities already use LinkedIn to help graduates find jobs, and K-12 schools can use it to foster professional development and networking opportunities.

How your school can use LinkedIn:

• Recruitment: Promote job openings and attract top-tier candidates for your school district.
• Professional Development: Share articles, training opportunities, and resources for teachers and administrators.
• Networking: Connect with educational organizations, local businesses, and other schools to foster collaboration.

LinkedIn is also a valuable resource for students preparing for the workforce. Schools can create groups or pages that offer networking opportunities, resume tips, and insights into different careers.

Crafting a Comprehensive Social Media Strategy

To make the most of social media, your school needs a well-rounded strategy that leverages the strengths of each platform. Here’s a quick overview:

• Facebook: Great for community engagement, sharing stories, and posting event updates.
• Twitter (X): Best for real-time updates, emergency information, and connecting with students and media.
• Instagram: Ideal for personalizing your school’s image through photos and short videos.
• Pinterest: A creative way to organize and display school-related content.
• LinkedIn: Useful for professional networking, recruiting staff, and fostering alumni relations.

Conclusion

The world of social media offers schools incredible opportunities to connect, engage, and grow their communities. However, it’s crucial to understand the specific benefits and limitations of each platform. A one-size-fits-all approach won’t work—customizing your content to fit each channel will maximize its impact.

While Facebook and Instagram build community through visuals and stories, Twitter serves as a real-time newsfeed for updates and alerts. Meanwhile, Pinterest and LinkedIn cater to more niche audiences—visual learners and professionals.

To stay ahead of the curve and deepen your school’s digital engagement, check out the latest insights and tools from SchoolStatus, designed to simplify and enhance school communications.

With the right strategy, social media can become a powerful tool in your school’s communication arsenal.

In today’s competitive school landscape, your marketing efforts are essential. From investing in your school’s website to producing a four-color newsletter and running email campaigns, schools are trying multiple strategies to reach their audiences. But what about using Facebook advertising?

If you’re thinking, “We keep our Facebook feed updated, isn’t that enough?”—you might want to reconsider. Many schools already use Facebook to engage families, but to amplify your reach and impact, the platform’s paid advertising offers an opportunity you shouldn’t overlook.

Why Facebook Ads for Schools?

Facebook advertising has become more effective than traditional media like television in some sectors, according to AdAge. This shift in audience behavior means that schools can now tap into these same strategies to reach parents, students, and communities more efficiently.

If you want to stand out and attract more families, Facebook ads can help promote your school’s key messages and improve engagement.

Boosting Enrollment with Facebook Ads

For public schools, Facebook ads can support school choice campaigns and help win open enrollment battles. For private and charter schools, they can help meet enrollment goals by reaching families directly. Whether it’s promoting events, gaining support for tax levies, or sharing success stories, Facebook offers schools the ability to deliver targeted messages to their community in a highly efficient manner.

How Facebook Ads Work for Schools

Facebook ads target specific audiences based on users’ interests and demographics. You can customize your ads to reach parents, students, or even community members within a specific geographic area. Ads can be shown at key moments, appearing between posts or as users scroll through their feeds, ensuring they remain part of the user experience.

Types of Facebook Ads

Facebook offers various ad formats that schools can leverage. Whether you’re promoting an event, selling tickets, or sharing important updates, Facebook’s tools allow you to create targeted campaigns that drive engagement.

Each ad consists of:

• Call to Action (CTA): A button guiding users to take the next step—whether that’s visiting your website, registering for an event, or completing a survey.f the ad: someone reads more information on your website, someone registers for an event, buys some spirit wear or some other fundraising goal, etc.

• Title: A compelling headline that grabs attention.

• Body Text: A message that explains the offer or information.

• Image: A visual that catches the user’s eye.

Ad Display Areas

As mentioned before, Facebook ads will be displayed on different areas of Facebook’s site. This provides more opportunities for a families, students, teachers, or community members to click the ad.

On a mobile device—and we know that’s how more and more families are engaging your school’s communications—there are even multi-image carousels where you can place multiple images and messages that are swiped by the user for a more engaging experience. This also provides ways for you to show more information and even target each image in the carousel to a different URL landing page somewhere else.

Benefits of Facebook Ads for Schools

• Cost-Effective: Creating a school Facebook page costs nothing, and you can start running ads on a limited budget with highly targeted campaigns.
• Targeted Audience: Ads allow you to zero in on users by location, interests, demographics, and behaviors.
• Increased Reach: Facebook ads can extend beyond the limited reach of organic posts, ensuring your message is seen by more people.
• Improved Engagement: Ads with images and clear CTAs encourage clicks, conversions, and further interactions with your school’s content.

A Low-Risk, High-Reward Strategy

If your school already has a strong social media presence, Facebook advertising is a natural next step. With its highly targeted approach and ability to track performance, Facebook ads offer schools a low-cost, high-impact way to reach more families and grow engagement.

Final Thoughts

Schools of all types are finding success by incorporating Facebook ads into their marketing strategies. By understanding how these ads work and tailoring them to your school’s needs, you can amplify your message, increase enrollment, and build stronger connections with your community.

Facebook has become integrated deeply into the fabric of everyday communication. Many schools realize Facebook is a powerful way to reach an audience. However, as commonplace as Facebook is in everyday life, some schools are still lagging behind in using it as an official communication channel.

Since communication with families is such an important issue, schools should consider ways to leverage the opportunity Facebook presents as a quick and easy way to engage families, broadcast news and information, and build an audience around the school itself.

First, we’ll mention why you should use Facebook pages for schools. Then we’ll review some of the challenges and potential pitfalls of social media and education. That way, you’ll be able to avoid these. Finally, you’ll see some examples of how schools and school districts are using Facebook pages to their best effect. Learn more about how to create an engaging Facebook page here!

Colleges, private schools, and public school districts are all using Facebook pages effectively. As long as you follow a few straightforward guidelines, you can take advantage of the communications clout this social media platform has to offer your organization.

Your Facebook page is about a lot more than “Likes” and sharing when holidays or closures are scheduled. It can be a strong marketing tool that gets your message directly to your most interested audience.

The first thing a communicator should understand is what you’re doing with Facebook and why. The purpose of Facebook pages for schools is to communicate with potential and attending students, their families, and the community. It’s your opportunity to get the message you want out in front of the most interested audience.

Avoid Pitfalls of Social Media for Schools

One of the biggest concerns with social media for schools is over legal issues and overall governance of information and communication. When a teacher or administrator makes an unwise statement on social media, it can quickly lead to a whirlwind of activity leading up to possible disciplinary action or firing. These employees represent the organization they work for, after all.

Therefore, to protect students and the school, it’s best to consider the content you will be sharing before you begin. Check with your school board or college governance, as they may already have policies in place clarifying what content is acceptable and what is not.

Concerns of legal matters and student protection can be completely avoided by deciding what kind of content you will be sharing before you begin. Make sure you’re in line with any existing governance policies.

Examples of Engaging Facebook Content for Schools

As a quick example, let’s look at Indianapolis Public Schools. You can see how they’ve broadcasted an alert about an event being postponed due to inclement weather.

Anyone who likes and follows the Indianapolis Public Schools page may see this alert appear in their timeline. Since Facebook is used so heavily, there’s a good chance this alert will be seen by someone using Facebook on their computer or via the Facebook mobile app.

Having a Facebook page also gives a great opportunity for you to share branding, as Cincinnati Public Schools has done here:

The next question school staff members typically have is “What content should I share?” The best advice I can give is to think like a student or parent. What information would you want to discover if you attended the school or had a child attending the school?

The school calendar and photos of those events are easy answers. With a little more introspection, you can think of ways that stimulate engagement between the viewers and your page.

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Read the School Social Media Guide here

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Success with Facebook pages for schools means engagement with the audience: visitors are responding to your posts, asking meaningful questions, and increasing the interest level of other students and parents who see it. This kind of engagement is far more powerful than mere “Likes,” as they indicate a level of emotional involvement with your school to anyone reading.

With social media, engagement tends to create further engagement, which means a little goes a long way. Prospective students seeing strong post engagement will be much more impressed than by a high “Like” total but a dry and unengaged page.

Kinds of School Content to Share

When it comes to the actual content, think like a visitor. As a parent or student, what would you want to see? What would interest you the most?

Plan a calendar for a steady release of information on your Facebook page, and the work will not only be much easier for you—it’ll begin to have an underlying theme. Instead of leaving it to chance, plan your content. Planning out your content with a release calendar will also help your branding and keep the content from becoming a mishmash of disconnected posts.

Facebook pages for schools allow you to reach an existing, highly interested audience and communicate with them. They are straightforward to set up and maintain. Check out Andrea Gribble’s article on Top 10 Best-Performing Facebook Posts for Schools for not only some great ideas but a breakdown of why they’re high-performing and engaging.

You’ve seen why you should use Facebook pages for schools: that’s where your audience is. This is a powerful opportunity to market to prospective and existing students and parents, as well as the community.

If your school’s social media presence feels a bit neglected, it’s time to revitalize your Facebook page to maximize its impact. Whether you’re a private school looking to boost enrollment or a public district seeking to engage your community, maintaining an updated and engaging Facebook page is essential for showcasing your school’s achievements and offerings.

Social media platforms, especially Facebook, are powerful tools that can transform school communications. Think of social media as digital networking—it’s not just about what you share, but how you connect. Presenting a polished, clear, and current image is key to making the most of your online presence.

Here are some quick and easy improvements for any school’s Facebook page. These tips will help enhance your social media presence, attract more followers, and keep your community engaged. A well-maintained Facebook page will increase your school’s reach, meaning more parents, students, and staff will be exposed to the valuable content you share. Additionally, fresh content isn’t just loved by your audience—Google prioritizes updated content, improving your school’s visibility in search results.

Ready to give your school’s Facebook page a boost? Here are a few tips to make your school’s page more engaging, relevant, and effective.

1. Change Your Cover Image Monthly

Let’s start with the cover image. With the short-attention-span world we live in these days, keep your Facebook homepage fresh and intriguing by changing your cover page photo at least once a month. Look around, there’s a new pic as closer as your smartphone. Pick a horizontal view and one that’s inviting. Give credit where credit is due on the photo and drop in your school logo on the cover or profile picture while you’re at it. Each time you change the photo it is shows up on all of your fans newsfeed. What better way to share something nice that is also inviting to you community.

Other ideas:

• Add the appropriate image related to the holidays. Think about how nice a Veteran’s Day ceremony picture at your school would look right around the patriotic holidays
• Add timely images related to current events at school (e.g., school festival, talent show, sporting event)
• Add images related to the seasons (e.g., your school back-dropped by fall foliage, snow, spring and summer images)
• Add images of a teacher or students receiving awards
• Images related to your mission
• Technology in the classroom

2. Improve Your Descriptions

Optimize Your School’s Page Description

Make sure to complete both the short and long descriptions for your school’s Facebook page. These descriptions are important not only for visitors to your page but also for how your school appears in search results.

Short Description:

• Go to the “Settings” section of your Facebook page
• Find and complete the “About/short description” field
• Be descriptive and highlight what makes your school unique
• Explain why people should follow your page
• Include your school’s website URL at the end (consider using a link shortener if the URL is too long)

Long Description:

• In “Settings,” scroll down to “Page Info”
• Locate and fill out the “Long Description” field
• Include keywords relevant to your school (e.g., “Chicago public school” if applicable)
• Provide more detailed information about your school’s features and image
• Be thorough but concise

Remember, both descriptions contribute to your school’s visibility on Facebook and in search engines, so use them effectively.

Short description example:

• LPSS is committed to helping children become better people and prepare for the real work. Stay connected to the latest updates as we prepare kids for the future and serve the community. www.lpssonline.com

Long Description example:

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• Mapledale Academy is a private school located in the northern suburb of Mapledale, Texas. Ranked 9th in the nation among both public and private high schools, Mapledale features a competitive environment that develops students intellectually and socially. A combined junior high and high school, Mapledale has approximately 800 in each grade 7 through 12, and over 55 faculty members.

• While academic excellence is the primary goal for each student, the Mapledale faculty and staff work to develop the whole student, making sure he or she strikes a balance between the rigors of one of the most demanding academic curriculum in the state, and all the extra-curricular activities Mapledale has to offer. 20% of our graduates in the past 10 years have been admitted to Ivy League universities, 90% received academic scholarships, 9% athletics scholarships, and we boast a 97% participation in clubs, sports and other extra-curricular activities.

• Admission to Mapledale is based on a comprehensive entrance exam consisting of math, English, and an essay writing section. All students must take the entrance exam. As of 2013, potential students must achieve an establish 8 junior high schools in the Mapledale High School District, with admissions for 25 students from each corresponding school. A minimum GPA must be maintained for all students, and if students fail to stay above the minimum for 2 semesters, they are dismissed from Mapledale and enrolled in their home district’s junior high or high school.

3. Properly Size Your Images

We recognize not everyone is a designer, but it is important to develop skills for image preparation for social media. With all the hard work you do managing these channels, you wouldn’t want to look inexperienced because you did not make an image the right size by taking some easy technical steps.

It is certainly okay to upload photos off your smart phone and camera when needed, however, if you have important images that are to be featured, such as the main header image, put the extra time in and make it look great. Facebook recently changed all of its dimensions and made everything larger, for the most part. It is also important to prepare the images for the pages from your website you are sharing, such as the superintendent’s blog, to ensure they look their best.

4. When Sharing Links, Engage the Audience

Let’s not forget why you are sharing links. When articles are being shared, provide a short, concise description and let your fans know why you are sharing it. They are going to see the title of the link and the description, so there is no need to repeat that. Also, don’t be afraid to ask a question.

Remember, long descriptions (see tip no. 2 above) on your post won’t even show up without the viewer clicking the “See More” to continue reading. Use a short description of your post along with the URL.

5. Be Timely When Scheduling Posts

Schedule your posts and news releases when they’ll do you the most good. There are several web analytic services (Stat Counter, Google Analytics, Clicky) that show you such valuable information as the amount of traffic per hour. Check the peaks and valleys of your traffic, then publish posts accordingly.

So, take these 5 tips on how to improve your school’s Facebook page, get your school’s web team up to speed on them, and then watch how the improvements change how your Facebook page is used. Then once you have these down, like the shampoo folks say: Lather. Rinse. Repeat. That is, re-visit these tips routinely to keep your school’s Facebook page fresh and working for your school.

Colleges, universities, and even some preschools are embracing the power of social media to honor their students. As your school district gears up for graduation season, are you making the most of social media to celebrate this milestone? Beyond showcasing smiling graduates, it’s an excellent opportunity to highlight what makes your school district unique and engaging for students, families, and the community.

Creative Graduation Social Media Ideas

Graduation isn’t just about the cap-and-gown photos. It’s a pivotal moment to reflect on your district’s mission, achievements, and the success stories that embody the value of your education system. Consider diversifying your graduation-themed content to include:

• Graduate Success Stats: Share the number of graduates and the percentage pursuing higher education or entering specific career fields.
• School Initiatives: Highlight key programs, new facilities, or leadership initiatives that have shaped student success.
• Alumni Spotlights: Feature stories from alumni (#XYZschoolAlumni) showcasing how your graduates have excelled post-graduation.
• Student and Staff Profiles: Don’t just focus on the top students—highlight various achievements and contributions from teachers, guidance counselors, and non-instructional staff.

These content ideas do more than celebrate the occasion—they build on the brand of your school, reinforcing its commitment to academic and personal development.

Maximize Engagement with Frequent Posts

Consistent posting is key to maintaining engagement. Make sure you’re not only crafting compelling posts but actively engaging with others by sharing, liking, commenting, and retweeting posts from students, families, and the broader community. Graduation season is a perfect time to showcase the spirit of your district.

Platform-Specific Strategies

Twitter (X)

Twitter (rebranded now as X) is a quick, engaging platform to share updates. Create a custom hashtag, like #MapledaleGrad or #XYZSchoolGrad, to encourage participation and make your content easy to find. Don’t forget to pair tweets with vibrant images, GIFs, or stickers. The goal is to build excitement and generate conversations with your school community.

Facebook & Facebook Live

As the go-to platform for school districts, Facebook offers multiple ways to promote graduation before and during the event. Use it to share critical details such as event times, locations, and directions to make sure everyone stays informed. Consider broadcasting parts of the ceremony via Facebook Live to allow family members and community members who can’t attend in person to still feel connected.

Additionally, share behind-the-scenes content and human-interest stories to give a personal touch to your graduation coverage. You can later embed the recorded Facebook Live video on your school’s website, offering long-lasting engagement.

Instagram

Instagram is perfect for sharing the vibrant, visual moments of graduation day. Make use of hashtags to broaden your reach and @mention students, faculty, and community members in your captions. You can also sync your Instagram posts to other social platforms to maximize visibility and engagement.

Broaden Your Graduation Content Strategy

While graduation is a significant event in a student’s life, it’s also an ideal time to strengthen community connections. Share diverse content types across platforms—such as historical graduation photos, success stories, and preparations for the event—to foster pride in your school’s legacy and forward-thinking initiatives. Consider expanding your communication strategy with tools like SchoolStatus to streamline messaging and ensure consistent branding.

Final Thoughts

Graduation is more than a ceremony—it’s a reflection of your district’s values, achievements, and community spirit. With strategic use of social media, you can engage students, families, and alumni in a way that extends beyond graduation day. Leverage platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even LinkedIn to share meaningful content, celebrate student achievements, and highlight your school district’s ongoing commitment to success.

By thoughtfully curating and sharing content, you’ll not only boost engagement during graduation season but also enhance your school district’s reputation for years to come.

Explore how SchoolStatus can help you simplify communication and boost engagement with tools tailored for schools. Ready to elevate your district’s graduation coverage? Get started today.

Social media remains a powerful tool for schools to connect with their community, and Instagram continues to be a key platform for engaging students and families. While newer platforms like TikTok have gained popularity, Instagram’s blend of photos, videos, and Stories offers a versatile way to showcase your school’s unique narrative.

Instagram’s visual focus allows you to vividly capture and share the daily life, achievements, and spirit of your school community. From classroom activities and sports events to student art projects and campus improvements, the platform provides an ideal space to highlight what makes your school special.

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View the School Social Media Guide here

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The app’s features like Reels, Stories, and IGTV enable you to create diverse content that appeals to different age groups within your school community. Families might appreciate behind-the-scenes glimpses of school operations, while students could be more drawn to fun, short-form video content.

By consistently sharing engaging visual content, you can foster a stronger sense of community and school pride. Instagram also offers opportunities for two-way communication through comments and direct messages, allowing for more direct engagement with students, parents, and alumni.

Pro Tip: Remember to stay informed about privacy settings and best practices for schools on social media to ensure you’re using the platform responsibly and effectively.

1. Build a Team

Your first step in using Instagram at your school is to get some help posting photos. Assemble a team of staffers who understand your mission, are willing to participate and contribute, and are comfortable sharing the responsibility of helping manage the Instagram process.

Getting a team together will also help generate interest and accelerate use of Instagram as an ongoing way to share school happenings. Remember, more than one person can take and share the pictures. Collaboration is important so you’re not saddled with running the whole show yourself.

You can appoint various team members to be responsible for certain content areas and submit photos accordingly. Like a photo editor running your school’s own photo publishing empire, you can designate or assign individuals to cover both planned events and ad hoc photo opportunities.

Also, while there are some photo enhancement apps available to stylize and dress up your photos, don’t overdo it. The photos don’t need to be perfect. People like authentic scenes.

2. Put Together an Instagram Plan

Part of your team’s first task is to determine if your school will have more than one official Instagram account. We recommend having just one account to start, but if your team has a high degree of participation and enthusiasm for the channel, you can create and manage multiple Instagram accounts. You might want to create one for each school, or certain departments (e.g., athletics, theater, arts, band) and designate those as official school accounts.

Remember, individuals (students and staff) might also be contributing and sharing through their own personal accounts, so you want to make it easy on your photo-snapping contributors to switch from one Instagram account to another. Similarly, if you’re the designated master Instagram editor for your district—managing multiple account across or within schools—you’re going to want to be able to toggle easily from one account to another.

3. Schedule Your Posts

While much of the beauty of social media is the spontaneous nature of sharing ideas and images, you should also understand that you can plan and schedule your Instagram posts. For the busy school communications professional whose day doesn’t end when the last school bell rings, you might want to look into some Instagram scheduling tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, and SproutSocial.

Using tools such as these can go a long way to extend your Instagram reach at times when you know real-time posts won’t be occurring. You can keep positive sharing happening after school hours, over the weekend, and anytime you want to reach your school community. Instagram scheduling tools are especially important when you want to be strategic with your photo sharing (e.g., promote an event, announce achievements, share results.)

Remember that your school Instagram activity is not all about generating original content from and about your school, but sharing photos from those following your school. “Re-gramming” is a vital strategic tool for your school to use to share important and relevant content you want to link to your school.

Be on the lookout for the kinds of imagery and ideas you want to share with your students, faculty, staff, families, and the community, then “re-gram’ them.

4. Instagram as an Invitation

Think of Instagram as an appetizer or teaser to entice visitors to drill down for deeper information if they choose. While a photo can stand on its own as it’s own story (see the old adage: a picture is worth a thousand words), it can also serve to push viewers to a deeper dive on where that picture was taken, what the picture is about, or search for other snapshots of similar events on the rest of your page.

Give your audiences a taste of what you’re talking about through a photo and a snappy caption. Just like Yahoo or MSN does it on their homepage, the right image can go a long way in keeping people in your content space. Also, be sure to tag people (link to names/accounts) in your photos. When tagging photos, if you don’t see the person’s name in the dropdown menu, tap “search for person” to find if they have an account.

5. Build Your Following

Like the rest of your social media, Instagram content is easy to share across other channels.

Whether it’s a quick pic on the spot, or a photo you’ve scheduled to post in advance, a simple adjustment on your Instagram settings menu you can automatically distribute that same content to your choice of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr and other popular social media. Go into your profile, select “Share Settings” from the “Preferences” menu and choose the other social media to which you want to feed your Instagram post.

The use of hashtags (#) on your photos and videos will also help spread your posts. Hashtags, remember, help group your content by category. Use the caption field to include a hashtag (e.g., MapledaleTitansHoops).

Remember, besides sharing images and ideas, your goal with Instagram is to gain followers and build your community, so automatic sharing and hashtags are real workhorses in helping spread the word.

The crisp air and colorful leaves signal more than just the arrival of fall — they also mark the season for private school open houses. In many neighborhoods, lawns are filled with “Open House” signs, outlasting even the political campaign signs.

But here’s the question: Why are open houses and marketing efforts mainly associated with private schools? You might see an occasional public school open house, but it’s rare.

The answer is simple: open houses are a marketing tool, and many assume “marketing” doesn’t apply to public schools. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

In past decades, public schools didn’t feel the need to market themselves because communities were filled with families who inherently trusted their local schools. However, times have changed. As this Forbes article points out, many school districts are seeing fewer households with children, which means they now need marketing to stay relevant and demonstrate their value.

It’s time for public schools to embrace marketing, just as private schools and colleges have. Here’s how marketing can play a vital role in your school district’s communication strategy.

It’s time for public schools to embrace marketing, just as private schools and colleges have. Here’s how marketing can play a vital role in your school district’s communication strategy.

Why Public Schools Need Marketing

Marketing isn’t just for the private sector. Public schools face competition from private institutions, charter schools, and even other public schools through open enrollment and school choice programs. It’s time to shift the mindset: public schools need marketing just as much as private schools to highlight their strengths and attract students, staff, and community support.

Here’s how marketing can benefit your district:

Building Your School’s Brand

Marketing helps public schools develop a clear and cohesive brand. Your school’s brand isn’t limited to a logo; it encompasses everything from your website and social media presence to the way your buildings and staff present themselves. A consistent and well-communicated brand builds trust and recognition within the community. Hosting events like open houses plays a crucial role in solidifying that brand and engaging stakeholders.

Boosting Campaigns

Public schools are no strangers to campaigning when it comes to raising funds, whether it’s through tax levies or school-specific programs. Marketing techniques can enhance these efforts, helping to reach broader audiences, communicate more effectively, and encourage community support for fundraising initiatives.

Recruiting Students, Staff, and Volunteers

In an era of school choice, marketing helps public schools compete for students—and with state funding tied to enrollment numbers, every student counts. Effective marketing also extends beyond students. It can improve staff recruitment and attract dedicated volunteers by showcasing a modern, forward-thinking district.

Five Key Tips for Marketing Your School District

To successfully market your district, follow these five tips:

1. Identify Your Audience

You can’t market effectively without knowing who you’re targeting. Start by collecting demographic information on your district’s parents, families, and community members. Beyond basic data, survey your existing families to gather personal insights. Use this profile to guide your marketing efforts, ensuring you’re focusing on the right messages for your key audiences.

2. Organize Design Assets

Your design assets—logos, brochures, newsletters, videos, and more—are essential to your marketing efforts. These materials need to be visually consistent to reinforce your brand. If your district’s materials are outdated or lack uniformity, consider hiring a designer to create cohesive assets that represent your school’s image across all platforms.

3. Conduct a Brand Survey

Before moving forward with your marketing strategy, you need to understand where your brand stands. Conduct a brand survey to gauge how your community perceives your district compared to private or charter schools in the area. You can use services like SurveyMonkey to collect data, or hire a marketing firm for a more in-depth analysis. This feedback will help you address any weaknesses and adjust your brand accordingly.

4. Participate in Community Events

Establishing a presence at community events is an excellent way to increase visibility and connect with local families. Partner with local businesses, arts institutions, and civic organizations to tap into new networks. Hosting your own events, such as open houses, is equally important. Schedule open houses at least three times a year, avoiding conflicts with other community activities, to give people a chance to experience what your school has to offer firsthand.

5. Try New Marketing Strategies

Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Traditional marketing outlets, such as newsletters and printed materials, still work, but you should also experiment with digital channels. Email newsletters, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, and even targeted ads through tools like Facebook marketing can help expand your reach. Highlight your school’s achievements, profile standout staff, and showcase student success stories to humanize your marketing efforts.

It’s Time for Districts to Think Like Marketers

Public schools must start thinking like marketers. Healthy competition exists in education, and schools must actively inform their communities about the quality of education they provide. Communications directors can take the lead by developing a simple, effective marketing plan that includes identifying audiences, creating cohesive designs, conducting brand surveys, and hosting events.

So, you’ve started posting videos or even created your school’s YouTube channel—now what? This is where the fun truly begins! The possibilities for school video content are endless. Consider what your students, families, teachers, and the broader community would find engaging and informative. Also, think about how video content can make your school more appealing to prospective students and families.

According to school social media expert Andrea Gribble from #SocialSchool4EDU, video is the hottest medium in social media today. Beyond YouTube, platforms like Instagram (with its short-form videos) and Vimeo are gaining traction among school communicators.

Here are some creative video ideas to get you started:

• Teacher Spotlights: Have teachers share why they love their job.
• Superintendent Shout-Outs: Weekly recognitions highlighting outstanding students.
• Student Projects: Let students explain their artwork or class projects.
• Family Testimonials: Showcase families expressing what they love about your school district.
• Fun Student Content: Keep it light with students telling jokes or sharing fun facts.

Experimenting with various content types can keep your community engaged and expand your school’s digital presence. For additional social media tips, check out the SchoolStatus Blog and the Smore Blog.

Popular Topics for School YouTube Videos

If you’re unsure where to start, here are some tried-and-true video ideas for school YouTube channels:

1. Classroom Updates

Spend time in a different classroom each week. Record interviews with students and highlight what the class is working on. These updates give parents a glimpse into their child’s school day while exciting students to see themselves online.

2. Field Trip Highlights

Capture the fun of class field trips by recording highlights. Teachers, chaperones, and even students (if allowed) can contribute clips. Use YouTube’s editor to create a memorable montage.

3. Extracurricular Activities

Share highlights from sports events, school plays, talent shows, and cultural performances. These videos can encourage more community members to attend future events.

4. Behind the Scenes

Give a behind-the-scenes look at extracurricular groups like the band, drama club, or robotics team. These videos can help recruit new members and showcase what makes each group special.

5. School News Updates

Deliver important announcements through video updates. Make it more engaging by recruiting students to act as news anchors.

6. Teacher and Administrator Messages

Teachers or administrators can record quick updates for their groups or classes. These videos can be uploaded to the channel for easy sharing.

7. Faculty and Staff Highlights

Celebrate your staff by featuring one faculty member each week. Include classroom footage and testimonials from colleagues and students to showcase their impact.

8. Lesson Reviews

Teachers can record quick reviews of lessons using a whiteboard or presentation slides. These videos provide students with helpful resources for at-home assignments.

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Why YouTube Is a Must-Have for Schools

YouTube offers endless possibilities for schools to engage with their communities, distribute important information, and even recruit new students. It’s free, easy to use, and a highly effective way to tell your school’s story.

With time, you can build a library of videos that educate, inspire, and entertain. Don’t worry if your first efforts aren’t perfect; your content will grow in quality and reach as you gain experience.

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Award-Winning School Video Ideas

Andrea Gribble’s article on 33 Ideas for Social Media Videos offers inspiration for schools looking to enhance their YouTube presence. Additionally, the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) recognizes schools producing exceptional video content through its Electronic Media Awards.

Here are some award-winning video topics:

• Green initiatives
• Community garden projects
• Graduation ceremonies
• Superintendent’s holiday greetings
• Teacher and staff features
• Fundraisers and school levy votes
• Food and nutrition programs
• Mobile learning initiatives

For inspiration, copy and paste some of these topics into YouTube’s search bar to see how other schools are creating impactful content.

Start Building Your School’s YouTube Library

Your school’s YouTube channel can be the most powerful tool in your digital communication strategy. From showcasing classroom updates to celebrating achievements, the potential for connection and engagement is unmatched.

Ready to take the plunge? Check out this guide to creating a YouTube channel for your school and start sharing your story today!

This version emphasizes keywords like “school YouTube channel,” “school video content,” and “video ideas for schools” while improving readability. Let me know if you’d like further refinements!

Live streaming is becoming a crucial tool for school communications and remote learning, especially with the rise of virtual education. Whether you’re delivering urgent updates, broadcasting events, or supporting distance learning, live streaming can help your school connect with its community in real time.

Live streaming video allows your audience to watch and participate as events unfold, making it a powerful addition to your communication strategy. Plus, the benefits don’t end once the stream is over—recorded live videos can be stored and repurposed as a valuable content library for future use.

With the right tools and preparation, live streaming can become a central part of your school’s digital communications plan. It’s not only easy to view and share but also simple to create, making it accessible for teachers, students, administrators, and even parents.

What Makes a Good School Live Stream?

The possibilities for live-streamed content are nearly endless. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Online classrooms: Deliver lessons in real-time to students at home.
• School board and PTO meetings: Allow parents and stakeholders to attend virtually.
• Superintendent or principal messages: Provide regular updates directly from school leaders.
• Sporting events and performances: Stream pep rallies, assemblies, games, concerts, and plays.
• Graduations and ceremonies: Celebrate milestones with families who can’t attend in person.

These live events are valuable to parents and community members who want to stay connected but can’t always attend in person. With live streaming, they won’t miss a moment.

Live Streaming and Remote Learning

Of all the potential uses for live streaming, remote learning has taken center stage. Schools are increasingly adopting live streaming as part of their distance learning and hybrid learning models. As Steve Williams, founder of SchoolNow, points out, “Live streaming is going to play an increasingly bigger role in the K12 experience—even beyond this current crisis.”

Imagine daily live morning announcements from your principal, live parent-teacher conferences, or classroom lessons streamed to students at home. Live streaming allows schools to maintain a sense of community, even when in-person gatherings aren’t possible.

Production Tips for Live Streaming

Good live streaming is not just about capturing video; it’s about delivering a high-quality experience. Here’s how to ensure your live streams are successful:

1. Video Equipment

While professional equipment can improve the quality, it’s not always necessary. Here’s a breakdown of what you can use:

• Smartphones: Modern smartphones have excellent video quality and are highly portable. Teachers, staff, and even students can easily use them to create live streams.
• Webcams: A step up from smartphones, webcams are lightweight, affordable, and offer more stability for stationary streams, such as school announcements or classroom lessons.
• HDMI Cameras: These provide high-quality video and more control over zoom and focus but require additional equipment like a capture card for live streaming.

2. Sound Equipment

Poor sound quality can ruin an otherwise great video. In large spaces like gyms or auditoriums, camera mics might not capture clear audio. Instead, consider using handheld or lapel microphones for better sound.

3. Training

Provide basic training for staff and students who will be using the equipment. This can be as simple as a quick run-through during a staff meeting. Students can also be valuable contributors as videographers and content creators.

Streaming Platforms for Schools

Several free platforms can help your school get started with live streaming. Here are a few popular options:

• Zoom: Widely used in schools for virtual classrooms and meetings. Teachers and students can get free accounts by completing a K12 verification form.
• Google Meet: Part of the Google for Education suite, it allows real-time connection with parents and students.
• Facebook Live: Easy to use and accessible, Facebook Live lets schools stream directly to their social media followers.
• YouTube Live: With YouTube’s vast audience, live streaming via YouTube is a great way to reach a broader community. Plus, YouTube automatically generates closed captions, improving accessibility.

Promoting and Sharing Your Live Stream

Once you’ve planned your live stream, promotion is key to making sure people tune in. Here are some tips:

1. Plan Ahead

Incorporate live streaming into your content calendar. Plan streams for important events like school plays, assemblies, and meetings. Test your equipment ahead of time to ensure smooth streaming.

2. Promote the Event

Introduce live streaming to your community through emails, newsletters, and social media. Explain how families can access the stream and share the schedule of upcoming events.

3. Post on Your Website

Make your school’s website the central hub for live streaming announcements. Post links to upcoming streams on your homepage and event pages. For a step-by-step guide on improving your school website, visit our article on effective school website design.

Streaming to Build Community Engagement

Live streaming offers a unique opportunity for schools to engage with their communities in new and exciting ways. Whether you’re broadcasting a school board meeting, celebrating a graduation, or hosting a virtual classroom, live streaming helps your school reach a wider audience and stay connected.

As you get more comfortable with live streaming, experiment with new ideas and formats. With the right tools and preparation, live streaming will become an integral part of your school’s communication strategy—one that brings your community closer together.

For more tips on leveraging technology in school communications, check out SchoolStatus, where you’ll find tools and resources to improve your school’s engagement.

Setting up a YouTube channel for your school is an excellent way to engage your community, share events, and showcase student and staff achievements. With a few steps, you can create a professional, welcoming channel that represents your school well. Here’s a quick guide, along with links to helpful resources for maintaining a dynamic, engaging channel.

1. Create a Dedicated Google Account for Your School

Start by setting up a Google account specifically for your school. This makes it easy to manage access and ensures that only authorized staff can upload and manage content on the channel. Through YouTube’s settings, you can control activities on your channel, such as commenting and subscribing, to encourage engagement while keeping it positive.

You have three privacy options for your channel:

• Public: Best for broad reach and searchability.
• Unlisted: Share content with specific individuals via direct link, making it viewable only to those with the link.
• Private: Restrict viewership entirely to select users.

For more details on these privacy settings, refer to the YouTube Help Center.

2. Set Production Standards for School YouTube Videos

Now that your channel is set up, focus on creating videos with consistent production quality. You don’t need professional gear—modern smartphones can deliver excellent quality. Here are some essentials:

• Landscape Mode: Record in landscape to avoid black bars on YouTube.
• Good Lighting and Sound Quality: Shoot videos in well-lit areas, and consider using a microphone for clear sound.
• Use the YouTube Video Editor: YouTube’s built-in editor lets you trim clips, add music, captions, and transitions. SchoolStatus provides additional resources for school video production tips.

3. Build a School YouTube Production Crew

Involve students, teachers, and staff as contributors. Assign roles such as associate producers, videographers, or hosts, to keep content fresh and representative of the school. Student involvement in content creation fosters school pride and creativity, helping make the channel an authentic reflection of school life. 

4. Keep Your YouTube Channel Active

Regular uploads show your community that your school is engaged and thriving. Consider sharing updates on events, announcements, or day-to-day highlights. Posting regularly also signals to YouTube’s algorithm that your content is active, which helps improve your channel’s visibility in searches.

Pro-tip: Establish a posting schedule—weekly or monthly—to maintain a steady flow of content that keeps your audience coming back.

5. Get the Full YouTube Picture for Your School

Explore various types of content other schools are using, from student spotlights to school tours. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating a YouTube channel that effectively connects with your community. For more ideas on using video to tell your school’s story, check out this guide on school communications from SchoolStatus.

By taking these steps, your school’s YouTube channel will be up and running in no time, engaging families and the community and showcasing the best of your school.

Struggling to increase the reach of your school’s social media posts? Frustrated that only about 10% of your followers see your content? What are the key ingredients for crafting top-performing Facebook posts for schools?

Facebook’s ever-changing algorithm can be tricky to navigate. It prioritizes posts based on likes, comments, and shares—or overall “engagement.” While no one can predict exactly which post will generate the most engagement, we can learn a lot by analyzing high-performing posts from the past.

In this article, we’ll examine ten standout posts from various school districts. By reviewing the engagement statistics—or “scorecards”—of each post, we’ll break down why they were so successful. These examples will offer insights and inspiration for applying similar strategies to boost your own school district’s social media performance.

1. New Principal Selfie

https://on.fb.me/1W4dB5n
Reach: 9,920
Likes: 323
Comments: 67
Shares: 13

Magic Formula explained:

• The power of a #selfie. It really is magic! It’s up close and personal. Social media watchers relate well to these photos. Mr. Schmidt also made sure to capture the Cameron Middle School sign in the background. This is genius, considering his new role as middle school principal.
• A heartfelt letter cannot be beat. Usually, the shorter the written post, the better. But in this case, Mr. Schmidt opens himself up from the personal and professional side. He also explains his open door policy, which is a great extension of accessibility to the community.
• He’s a great teacher. He has obviously made a huge impression over the years, which is why he received so many comments like this one:

“Mr. Schmidt was my fourth grade teacher about 8 years ago. He was one of my favorites and was full of energy and passion. If we luck, he’d even do flips off of the desks. I’m sure he’ll be a wonderful addition. ”

Note: the statistics that can be viewed by the administrator of the page differ than those seen on the actual post by others. For instance, this post had 294 likes on the original post and another 29 on the post after it was shared. There were 59 comments on the original post, but another 8 on the shared posts.

2. Video to Support an Ill Student

https://on.fb.me/1QiKTdn
Reach: 7,488
Likes: 199
Comments: 36
Shares: 66

Magic Formula explained:

• Cancer has unfortunately touched so many of our lives. This issue is relatable on many levels so it was easy for people to hit the like and share button on this video tribute. Many fans also made comments like: “I’m so proud to be part of such an awesome community. My family is thinking of you, Carter!!”
• The Frederic school district put a lot of effort into creating this video for Carter. Absolutely everyone was involved, from the middle school football team to the janitors to the elementary students to the high school volleyball team. The quick-moving video scenes were entertaining to watch and made the viewer want to stay tuned to see what else these creative students put together.
• “Keep Your Head Up” by Andy Grammer, provides the perfect music to background this video. When you can find lyrics that relate well to the topic at hand, it is key. And you’ll notice that this video included sound bites, but the music continued as background throughout. This is a great way to involve the audience.

3. Bedtime Chart

http://on.fb.me/1W4esTM
Reach: 7,279
Likes: 82
Comments: 53
Shares: 56

Magic Formula explained:

• This informative post was shared on the school page right before school was to start. It has nothing to do with the school itself, but pertains to students everywhere, which is probably why it got 56 shares.
• The easy to follow chart is one that families can show their kids to justify bed times. Perfect! They are not the “bad guy” when it comes to putting their children to bed on time. This specific post did strike up some controversy, with some parents saying it was unrealistic to follow. It is up to your followers on whether they want to put information to use in their own home.

Quick Tip: The information and photos that you share on your school page don’t all need to be original content. Share an article that talks about homework advice for parents. Encourage followers to check out the latest video explaining how math is being taught the “new way.” Being a source of good information that relates to students and your school is a meaningful way to keep students and parents tuning in to your Facebook page.

4. Teacher’s 42nd First Day

http://on.fb.me/1Lj0M48
Reach: 6,221
Likes: 442
Comments: 47
Shares: 7

Magic Formula explained:

• Visual content is king and this photo tells the complete story because the teacher is holding the small sign. If the post creator would have just typed the 42 years in the post text, it would not have had the reach it did. The text here is typed and printed. This is one approach, but others can work. You can hold a handwritten note. There are also tons of apps out there like Word Swag and Phonto that allow you to put text on your photos after you’ve taken them. It allows you to be creative but only takes a few minutes to do right from your mobile device.
• This story just screams for people to interact and respond. The numerous comments helped get this in front of people all over the country. Whether past students had her for a teacher or someone was just shouting out “congrats,” it was a compelling reason to take the time to type a response.
• The text in the post was kept to just five words. Great advice for most posts. And one of those words they chose to use was the school hashtag #ColfaxPride. We hope you have already established one for your school, but if not, get some great inspiration from these 10 cool hashtags other schools are using.

5. Addressing a Community Tragedy

https://on.fb.me/1LiWpG9
Reach: 5,322
Likes: 117
Comments: 15
Shares: 32

Magic Formula explained:

• Facing a tragedy like suicide in a school is not easy. It is not the kind of news we ever want to share on Facebook, but yet it needs to be addressed by the school. The professionalism in the post and the sincerity behind it reflect how deeply the school cares.
• Usually photos are needed with social media. At times like these, they are not. The short post was shared over 30 times, as people were moved get the word out. Wouldn’t it be great if all of the positive messages we put out there were shared as often?
• News like this calls for many to comment. The one noteworthy post was from a nearby small school, who posted: “The Clayton School District sends our sincere sympathy to the entire New Auburn community. You are in our thoughts and prayers!”

6. Elementary Homecoming Tunnel

https://on.fb.me/1FiJSBv
Reach: 5,100
Likes 200
Comments: 25
Shares: 19

Magic Formula explained:

• Many students were involved in the 21 photos that were used for this one post. That alone will get many of your fans to tap on the post to look for photos of kids they may know. In events where you have numerous photos, don’t be afraid to post a bunch!
• The excitement on the students’ faces says so much. I think each person browsing through Facebook smiled as they looked at this post, thinking of how cool this might have been for them when they were elementary school. Capturing true emotion with photos is a great way to earn likes.
• This was another event that attracted comments like this one: “What a great group of young men! This is such a huge deal for the kids.” And another, “We have such a great group of kids and teachers! I love this school and their school spirit!!!”

7. Middle School Dance Party

http://on.fb.me/1QIpxGX
Reach: 4,443
Likes: 121
Comments: 16
Shares: 11

Magic Formula explained:

• This video was uploaded directly to Facebook. While uploading to YouTube and sharing the link on other social media channels has been the traditional route, Facebook gives significant priority to videos that are native to its platform. When possible, I strongly encourage you to directly post videos to Facebook. You can always add them to your YouTube channel as well, but the direct post will garner a bigger reach.
• Nearly every student in the middle school was shown in this video. Including a large number of students helps encourage more people to watch to see if they, their child, their grandchild, their neighbor, or someone else they know is in the video.
• The music to which the students were dancing is the newest dance craze! How neat to be able to dance and go to school. I know I need to watch a few more times so that I can learn it, and then try to impress my girls when I show that Mom knows how to do it.

8. Special Announcement

http://on.fb.me/1NFAxXq
Reach: 2,917
Likes: 95
Comments: 14
Shares: 37

Magic Formula explained:

• The written post did not give away the message. People had to watch the video to find out what it was. Curiosity helps! Get creative with your short messages and video links.
• Great job to the principal f or choosing video content! He could have written a post announcing the same message, but instead he took the short 16 seconds of time to put it out as a video. As I stated above, if this school had directly uploaded it into Facebook instead of going through YouTube, they would have reached even more people.
• Good news travels fast! This is going to save a LOT of money for students (and by this I truly mean parents, of course). It also helps encourage team spirit. More students will attend the athletic events.

9. Football Angel Photo

http://on.fb.me/1QiJZNS

Reach: 2,313
Likes: 166
Comments: 17
Shares: 14

Magic Formula explained:

• If you’ve seen the movie Angels in the Outfield, you’ll so get this. This image is so cool! It truly does look like an angel over the football field. If you can photograph things in nature like this, the posts do well on social media. Make sure to watch what is spelled out in your cereal or what images show up on your toast as well; you never know when it could be your school mascot.
• A parent actually shared this image on their personal Facebook page and used the school hashtag #GoFrederic. You have hundreds of “reporters” out there with the ability to capture cool photos involving your school if you encourage the use of the hashtag.
• The simple and short description for the post helped, along with the statement, “Hope it’s a good sign.” These simple words welcome people to hit the like button. It’s as if they are saying, “me too!”

10. #ThrowbackThursday

http://on.fb.me/1KoC90N
Reach: 2,130
Likes: 40
Comments: 35
Shares: 3

Magic Formula explained:

• #TBT or #ThrowbackThursday is always a big one for the school districts I work with. Each Thursday morning at 6 a.m. we share a photo or two from one of the yearbooks. This gets the alumni involved and current students love to see them as well.
• We asked a question, “What year was it?” It’s easy to answer, and look how many people ended up commenting! Make sure you throw in questions on your posts. This helps encourage the participation from your followers.
• The photo here clearly shows so many faces! How many can you count? People are likely to comment when they recognize someone.

The Magic Formula for Facebook Posts

There you have it. Ten posts that have each reached thousands of people. Common threads among these posts are great visuals, short descriptions, native videos and a motivating reason to comment. Keep these ingredients in mind as you go out to tell the story of your school this week.

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For more information on planning and managing your school social media, check out the School Social Media Guide.