Hi everyone, and welcome back to another S&A Bulletin. This week we want to focus on something we notice regularly while browsing the social media pages of schools and agents in our industry. Rather than talking about what to do more of, this one is about what to stop doing – or at least do differently.

Always give your posts context

One of the most common things I come across is photos posted with no caption, no explanation and no story. For those of us who know the industry well, it might be obvious what the image is showing. But for a parent discovering your school for the first time or a student weighing up their options, a photo without context can confuse or even be misinterpreted entirely.

Every post needs to tell a story. It doesn’t have to be lengthy (a couple of sentences is often enough) but giving a clear context makes a real difference to engagement. People interact with posts they understand, and they just scroll past the ones they don’t.

Put people in your photos

The second thing worth addressing is the tendency to post images of empty spaces – classrooms, tennis courts, swimming pools, outdoor areas. These photos show off your facilities, which is valuable, but they consistently underperform compared to photos featuring people. Students, staff, host families, visiting agents, group leaders – any human element in a photo significantly boosts its reach, likes and comments. The difference can be striking.

Want to test this? Post a photo of an empty space this week, then post the same or a similar photo with people in it. The results will speak for themselves.

As we head into the final stretch of the summer season, it’s a great time to review what you’re sharing and make sure every post is working as hard as it can for you.

Written by Stephanie Clark