Beyond Word-of-Mouth: How to Solicit Independent School Reviews

Traditionally, independent schools cite that their number-one source of leads is “word of mouth”. Today, word of mouth is no longer just neighbors talking; it encompasses your digital footprint and what people are saying online. Before a prospective family schedules a campus tour or fills out an inquiry form, they are vetting your school by searching your website, school directories, and your social media presence.

Knowing your school needs reviews is one thing, but knowing how and when to ask for them is another. Here are tips to intentionally solicit high-impact reviews for your private school.

1. Start with School Directories

A dedicated testimonials page on your school website is important, but directing all your review-generation efforts there is a missed opportunity. Parents are using reviews on third-party websites to research your school more than ever.

According to a recent survey by Niche, user-generated content, including reviews and testimonials, is one of the most influential factors for parents researching K-12 options. School directories also weigh parent and student feedback into their annual algorithms. If your school lacks online reviews, you are giving your competition a leg up.

Your solicitation strategy should guide parents to review your school on key platforms, including GreatSchools.org, PrivateSchoolReview.com, boardingschoolreview.com, Findingschool.net,  Niche.com, and more. School-centric directories are where parents actively compare school profiles. Higher numbers of positive reviews on these platforms can boost your organic rankings within the directory itself at times. A higher organic ranking should drive more qualified traffic to key admissions pages on your website.

2. Timing is Everything

To get positive responses, plan requests around when parents are feeling connected and grateful for your school. 

• Post-Re-Enrollment: When a family signs their contract for the upcoming year, they have just recommitted. These families understand the power of your school and are active members of your community. 
• Following a Milestone Event: Did your theater department just pull off a spectacular spring musical? Did the eighth-grade class just return from an impactful service trip? Parents and students love sharing their wins with the community. Encourage them to write about these events that make your school unique. 
• Graduation Season: Parents and soon-to-be alums are often feeling nostalgic and eager to give back. Frame the request as a way for them to share the community they love with future families.

3. Remove the Friction

“Write a school review" sits at the bottom of a very long to-do list for busy families. To increase your conversion rate, remove every ounce of friction.

When you send your email request, provide direct, clickable links and do not just say, "Please write us a review." Instead, give them prompts to guide a response:

• “What has surprised you most about your child’s growth this year?”
• “Is there a faculty member who has gone the extra mile for your child?”

Be sure to give constituents the quick links to the exact profiles you'd like the review on. Providing a couple of options can go a long way. For example, someone may not be active on Facebook or want to create a niche account, and they opt for greatschools.org.

4. Combine Video and Written Testimonials

Don’t limit your reviews to short text on directories. Consider requesting parents, alum or students leave a video testimonial, or write a longer form narrative directly to the school.

• The Power of Video: Video content is a powerful way to connect emotionally with prospective families. A video testimonial captures the warmth, tone, and genuine enthusiasm of a current parent or recent graduate. Send a link using VideoAsk, VocalVideo, or an easy-to-use app and ask parents or students to record a 60-second response to a simple prompt: “What was the moment you knew our school was the right fit for your child?”
• Written Reviews Across Channels: Written reviews are crucial for your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategies. They provide the keyword-rich, searchable content that Google, Bing, and ChatGPT love. Parents can provide a letter, a paragraph, or two that your school can then publish to your website and organic social media profiles with the reviewer’s permission.
  
  

5. Record Results & Recycle the Content

When taking time to solicit the reviews, it’s important to keep track of the requests and the results. Don’t keep asking the same people over and over; move on and focus on the responses you do get. Here’s how:

• Record Your Results: Keep an Excel spreadsheet, or running list, of the families you are contacting, grades, and where they left a review. Benchmarking the success and seeing the growth, or lack thereof, is critical. 
• Repurpose the Review: After you have taken the time to solicit the feedback, it is key to share those reviews and testimonials. You can add these reviews to a Google Business post, create a graphic to share on social media, or use a snippet in your digital ads. Share these testimonials with the Admissions team so they can highlight them to prospective families or use them in emails. 
  
  

Reviews Cultivate a Culture of Feedback

Managing your school's online reputation is not just a summer project. It's an ongoing component of your marketing strategy. Schools cannot simply solicit reviews through a newsletter each month and expect that to work incrementally. Review solicitations should be thoughtfully planned and requested just like any development campaign or enrollment initiative.  

Are you ready to elevate your school's digital marketing and maximize your enrollment funnel? Connect with the team at Enroll Media Group to build a custom digital strategy tailored to your school's unique goals.