5 Ways to Gather Testimonials for Your School Website

Websites

Think about the last book you read, new restaurant you tried or class you took at the gym.

Chances are, you tried these things based on the recommendations of other people: whether it’s a scan of the Amazon reviews, a conversation with a friend, or a read through comments on Yelp.

Other people’s opinions matter, throughout our lives– and they matter on your school’s website, too.

Younger generations have come to look for outside opinions and experiences to help their decision-making process: 84% of millennials say that content created by users—and not a brand itself—plays a role in their decision-making.¹

So, you need some meaningful testimonials– but where do you find them?

Talk to faculty and administration

You’ll find great stories by talking to the people who know the students best. Faculty and administration know the standout students and the inspiring stories.

Browse existing marketing collateral

Yes, it’s okay to use a testimonial in more than one place, so grab all the admissions and alumni collateral you can find to search for the testimonials that will make a fantastic callout on your website.

Ask the students

Seems obvious, right? But this is often overlooked. Turn to social media, your school’s intranet and email to make a direct ask for student success stories.

Talk to parents

Testimonials from parents provide a unique perspective into the experience of sending a child to your school, and the benefit they saw in their child. This isn’t just a tactic for independent schools– in certain areas of higher education websites, sharing parent testimonials can provide other parents peace of mind and encouragement during the school decision process.

Reach out to your alumni network

Long-term accomplishments are meaningful and provide a perspective current students can’t. Reach out to successful alumni to see if they would be willing to share stories of how their education at your school benefitted them.

When you extend your reach to gather a variety of testimonials, you’ll be able to utilize your entire school community to welcome in the next generation.

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