How to Write to Attract Higher Ed Students

If we’ve learned anything through our research at Unibuddy, it’s that how you communicate with prospective students matters. Instead of picture-perfect brochures and stuffy language, Gen Z students demand authenticity – at every level of study.

Figuring out how to deliver authentic messaging at scale can be challenging for universities. Still, the most important thing to remember is that writing to attract students in higher ed is different on every platform.

Let’s talk about how to write to attract higher ed students:

Writing for higher ed websites

For most Gen Z students, your website is the first stop on the higher education journey – and you get one chance to make a good first impression.

Nearly 3 in 4 say they look there first to determine if a school is a good fit for them. Most check in on pages related to academics, majors, and financial information before moving onto campus life and exploring sports, events, and more.

And if those students can’t spot the “good vibes” they’re looking for immediately, you’ll lose 10% of them.

As you write for your website, use the kind of language that will give potential students the same feeling they’d have walking onto your campus. Also be sure to provide them with outlets to connect with current students enrolled at your school with similar interests who can answer their questions.

You might, for example, provide a direct line of communication to a current graduate student ambassador or supervising faculty member on a program-specific school of graduate studies page. In addition to injecting a human touch to your website, chat options provide prospective students with a live contact from whom to gather a second opinion from – something 92% of Gen Z say helps them make a decision about where to study.

Creating for Social media

Over half of Gen Z students use social media as their main source of information, meaning it outranks even the likes of Google. Of course they’re going to use it to learn about your school.

Gen Z students are looking for social media accounts that offer detailed information and an authentic look at on-campus life. And because 55% say they look at social media first, you must be prepared.

As you build your social media presence, be sure you’re not relying on uninteresting social media trends like generic paid campaigns or email blasts that feel impersonal. The lack of authenticity – not to mention the institutional feel and stiff language that come with those sorts of assets – will cost you.

Instead, lean into the trends that will make you stand out. Think along the lines of posts that feature visual content, short videos, and branded hashtags. If you’re not sure where to start, the best rule of thumb is to gravitate toward the platforms Gen Z spend the most time on, like Reddit, TikTok, and Discord.

Remember, Gen Z wants to hear from peers who speak their language and talk to them without an agenda – that’s the main driver behind social media influencers’ success. While you may not have influencers at your disposal, you have something better: your student ambassadors.

Who better to offer valuable advice and insights than current students who live on campus? It might sound counterintuitive to give them free rein on your social media platforms, but giving them the freedom to connect with others and express themselves in their own way will resonate more with prospective students.

Writing for email marketing

When it comes to authenticity, email marketing is one of the most challenging channels to master. Creating effective email campaigns isn’t impossible, but they only work if they’re personalized to each student.

That means no more mass message outreach.

In our survey, one student said that receiving too many spam emails from a university caused them to change their mind altogether. Another said that receiving what were “very clearly blanket emails” signaled that the university wasn’t interested in building a personal connection with them.

Instead, focus on reaching out only with relevant, interesting emails that come from real faculty, staff, and students. Or, alternatively, leverage email communications to help connect prospective students with student ambassadors or invite them to student community groups. In addition to ensuring your intentions register as authentic, you can leverage student ambassadors and community groups to create highly personalized and targeted campaigns (e.g. “I’d like to connect you with a group of current students at our school who originate from your hometown.”).

Virtual events

Virtual events are a great way for schools to connect with students, provide valuable information, and cultivate a community from afar.

But again, you have to speak to them the right way. That means finding unique ways to engage, including group chats, Q&A opportunities, live sessions, and virtual campus tours. Consider inviting your student ambassadors to participate as well; not only will they be able to answer questions with first-hand knowledge but they’ll also be able to keep conversations going.

Just like email blasts, you can’t just group all the attendees together. Focus on segmenting them by topics, subjects, or even location to offer a more authentic, tailored experience.

Writing for Graduate Students

Unlike their undergraduate counterparts, graduate students are seasoned students who more or less know what they’re looking for, what they want to study, and often have a general idea of where. The primary difference to note here is that they work off different motivations and have different higher ed needs – from work-life balance to access to faculty to career options and networking opportunities to juggling family life. Graduate students are most-likely looking to speak with someone about the program and their concerns as soon as possible to make a decision about where to attend – and who to study under.

While the same rules apply for speaking with this group, like being authentic and engaging, connecting these students with the right people is imperative to graduate enrollment success. Consider including ways to connect with current students or supervising faculty relevant to their program to help them feel wanted, help their graduate school goals appear doable, and get them excited about enrolling at your school.

Writing for higher ed

To write for higher ed, you need two things: the right data and a way to connect students and peers.

When it comes to data, SaaS solutions like Unibuddy will give you the actionable insights you need.

Unibuddy’s Platform keeps you competitive by arming you with AI that allows a look into the needs, demands, and even concerns of the students you’re trying to reach.

The funnel snapshot features allows you to see where any given student is in the recruitment process in real-time. Combine that with a learning language model that summarizes what students are thinking about and the option to drill down into specific data, and you’ll be able to offer a personalized experience unlike any other.

Moreover, the Conversation Insights gleaned from Unibuddy Chat and Unibuddy Community reveal, almost in real time, what’s going through students’ minds. This allows you to create a personalized experience, and it can be segmented by student interests, location, and more.

Finally, the most essential part of writing for higher ed is creating the type of authenticity that Gen Z wants.

How? By connecting them with other students and ambassadors. Don’t underestimate the power of connection: 92% of Gen Z says that speaking directly to current students can help them decide where to study.

Our platforms were built to foster that kind of connection and help you get your message across effectively without sounding generic.

Unibuddy Chat connects student ambassadors with students who have questions about campus life and want authentic answers.

Also helpful is Unibuddy Community, which allows students to get to know each other as well as ambassadors and even faculty in Groups that are based on specific categories and interests.

Each of our tools is built to help you create outstanding content across every one of your platforms. To see how Unibuddy can help your recruitment efforts, schedule a demo today.