We’re again with one other installment of the Publish Efficiency Report (PPR)—a collection the place we compile and analyze social media posts and campaigns inspiring us, and break down what makes them so genius. We don’t simply look at the flawless artistic execution of each publish or marketing campaign, however the model impression, too.
Ah back-to-school season. On social, the ritual is marked by procuring hauls, first day of faculty snapshots and RushTok deep dives. For college social groups, it’s primetime to achieve incoming college students. From welcome week spotlight reels to campus excursions, the appropriate content material units the tone for the scholar expertise, whereas additionally fueling recruitment efforts, fundraising and alumni engagement.
Right here’s our lineup of upper ed establishments making the grade on social in the course of the back-to-school season, and key takeaways you may apply to your individual technique.
MIT: Serialized tales on YouTube
Massachusetts Institute of Know-how (MIT) is a top-rated college in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The college is well-known for its achievements in STEM, and is well known globally for its status. MIT’s social staff has crafted a YouTube technique that displays the establishment’s repute, weaving collectively its tutorial achievements and tales from life on campus.
On their YouTube channel, MIT has playlists devoted to school information, scholar tasks and progressive findings from its analysis applications.
In addition they have video recordings of their podcast, Curiosity Unbounded, and have channels of various MIT organizations and faculties—together with their alumni affiliation, faculty of engineering and scholar life sector.
All of MIT’s YouTube content material underscores its dedication to tutorial prowess and progressive analysis. But, video material is clearly tailor-made to distinct audiences. Movies within the “From across the institute” playlist are catered to potential and present college students, whereas the “MIT information” and “Mould it. Make it. Bend it. Break it.” playlists converse to the tutorial neighborhood at giant.
MIT’s method to YouTube is a component of a bigger technique to amplify their analysis and repute, serving to them safe main honors and keep a wholesome pool of prime candidates.
The play: Up in opposition to regulatory limitations on different networks, universities are turning to YouTube to construct out their video content material library. To construct your presence on the community, take a cue from MIT by publishing long-form video collection that target your college’s core strengths and values, whereas nonetheless following SOSEO greatest practices and understanding the nuance of YouTube’s algorithm.
For instance, in case your college is concentrated on amplifying your athletic division, you could possibly launch a long-form video collection about your program’s coaches, gamers and sporting occasion traditions.
College of Auckland: Dwelling candy campus
The College of Auckland is New Zealand’s main and largest greater ed establishment. Because the college boosts its international profile, it has leaned into social media to draw college students from all around the world.
A very entertaining collection is known as the “Better of U of A.” Within the creator-style movies, the staff finds one of the best eating places on campus and shares their favourite orders—the uni model of the Meals Community feed. From poke to sushi, viewers see the number of scrumptious on-site eats.
The college additionally shares day-in-the-life movies shot by their college students. The content material reveals prospects what attending Auckland is like, and the way it’s potential to steadiness tutorial commitments with general wellbeing.
To round-out their scholar life focus, the College of Auckland shares ambient ASMR-style movies from totally different mainstays on campus.
The social staff’s efforts coincide with the continued growth of a new scholar lodging facility, which would be the largest in New Zealand—underscoring the significance in elevating the enchantment of dwelling on campus.
The play: A fast search on Reddit or TikTok will reveal simply how divisive dorm dwelling might be. Some customers share horror tales, whereas others say it modified their life for the higher. There are even subreddits for many main universities devoted to questions first yr college students and prospects have about what campus life is truly like. Present college students and alumni reply with candor.
Step one is utilizing social listening to research these conversations. The second is growing content material that solutions your viewers’s prime questions and addresses their suggestions. Use the College of Auckland’s content material as inspiration for exhibiting viewers one of the best of your campus, whereas taking insights about what can enhance to management.
Penn State: Taking TikTok by storm
The Pennsylvania State College (Penn State) is well known for its vibrant campus tradition, in addition to its prime engineering and enterprise applications and alumni community. They faucet into that on TikTok—main the best way for different universities, with practically 200,000 followers and 5.6 million likes up to now.
A lot of their greatest performing TikTok content material is scholar or alumni-generated, like this dorm tour.
In different movies, they drum up pleasure for campus occasions, just like the return of soccer season. In addition they playfully nod to the moment connection between fellow Penn State alumni and the camaraderie of carrying Penn State gear.
The play: US universities are standing by whereas TikTok’s destiny within the nation is set. However worldwide greater training establishments rely on the community for reaching college students. In the meantime, TikTok has rolled out new Campus Verification options that assist college students join with their classmates (harking back to the early days of Fb), which may make it a necessity for college entrepreneurs worldwide.
Penn State stands out as one of many few American universities at the moment going all-in. If investing on TikTok is sensible in your technique, take a web page from Penn State’s playbook by experimenting with user-generated content material and lo-fi movies.
London College of Economics: Threading collectively unfiltered ideas
London College of Economics (LSE) was named the 2025 College of the Yr by the Instances, in addition to the highest faculty within the UK. LSE’s rigorous analysis applications and tutorial departments are revered globally.
Whereas there’s little doubt that the college stands out for its achievements, it additionally stands out for its spectacular Threads technique, with practically 90,000 followers up to now.
On the community, LSE adopts a voice that feels particular to Threads. Their greatest performing posts are all barely irreverent, sarcastic and steeped in web humor. They showcase how properly they “get” their college students by sharing seemingly unfiltered ideas that would come proper from a flatmate group chat. But, they by no means cross the road and go fully off-brand.
They’ve a very intelligent manner of utilizing Threads’ mark spoiler function to cover their punchlines and encourage engagement, like on this publish the place you need to faucet to see what L stands for.
Or this publish, the place you faucet to disclose an surprising (however fully relatable) college routine: by accident scrolling memes within the library for 2 hours.
As LSE boosts its profile on Threads, it additionally launched a dual-degree program with distinguished US college NYU. Notably, Individuals are among the many prime customers of Threads—making it an optimum channel for reaching their new viewers within the nation.
The play: Many manufacturers—together with universities—are nonetheless attempting to determine the best way to benefit from Threads. LSE demonstrates that it does take a sure persona to interrupt by way of on the community, however that doesn’t imply going fully unhinged. As an alternative, Threads requires trustworthy and relatable posts that sound like an actual human wrote them.
Northwestern College: Passing down folklore
Northwestern is the #6 greatest college within the US. Located in a North Shore suburb of Chicago, the college is understood equally for its tutorial prowess as it’s for its gorgeous campus on Lake Michigan.
The idyllic lakefront campus is the principle character of a lot of Northwestern’s social media posts. Together with this playful one, impressed by Taylor Swift’s Folklore album.
Or this Carousel that oozes academia core. Full with gothic structure, autumn leaves and moments on the quad.
The campus—with its cobblestone walkways, previous world buildings, and immaculately polished buildings and grounds—is continuously listed among the many most stunning within the nation (and the world). It’s actually a draw for brand spanking new college students, but it surely additionally conjures up nostalgia for alumni and attracts the eye of the worldwide academia neighborhood.
The play: What’s it that makes your establishment distinctive? Is it the professor-to-student ratio? Greek life? Alumni? No matter your differentiators are, promote them on social. Slightly than touting your accolades or achievements, present what these traits imply to your college students like Northwestern does.
Texas A&M: Miss Rev, reporting for obligation
Texas A&M College is extremely regarded for its robust teachers, notably in engineering, agriculture and veterinary drugs. The college can also be acknowledged for its sturdy ROTC program and wealthy historical past as a army school. But it surely’s maybe most well-known for its passionate fanbase, and robust “Aggie” spirit and traditions.
Probably the most beloved is its mascot, Reveille X—or as she’s recognized on campus, Miss Rev. Miss Rev is an actual Tough Collie from an extended line of canine who’ve served as the varsity’s mascot since 1931. Miss Rev is technically the very best rating member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, and even has her personal social media presence as well.
On her account, the Texas A&M staff posts images of her round campus. Like this one, the place she’s having fun with ice cream on the campus creamery. Not solely are the images and movies lovable, additionally they educate prospects, college students and alumni in regards to the faculty’s historical past.
Whereas Texas A&M isn’t the one faculty to have a web page devoted to their mascot, the love for Miss Rev is especially palpable. When Miss Rev just lately underwent a process, a joint publish from her account and the college obtained nearly 20,000 engagements on Instagram alone.
Miss Rev’s account is a part of a community of many accounts the Texas A&M staff manages. As Krista Berend, Director of Advertising and marketing and Communications on the college instructed us, “We handle 5 totally different manufacturers exterior our institutional accounts…Individuals take their ardour for the college to the web, so over the past a number of years, we’ve been in a position to faucet into that on-line neighborhood and develop it.”
The play: Constructing a web-based neighborhood is difficult for manufacturers throughout industries. However universities have a bonus as a result of they’ve so many IRL communities to drag from—sports activities followers, alumni, golf equipment, departments and extra.
Like Texas A&M, your social presence is usually a place for rallying, rising and fascinating these communities. The secret’s bottling up the magic of the in-person expertise and translating it to the digital sphere.
To make the grade, college groups want social media
That concludes this month’s installment of the PPR. Keep tuned for subsequent month’s version, the place we’ll function our lineup of our manufacturers in regulated industries making social much less spooky. Within the meantime, bear in mind these key takeaways:
Publish Efficiency Key Takeaways:
- Serialized storytelling builds authority. Lengthy-form video content material and curated playlists give establishments house to spotlight their strengths whereas reaching distinct audiences in an intentional manner. Showcasing genuine campus life resonates. Creator-style, student-led movies and day-in-the-life content material assist potential college students envision themselves on campus whereas strengthening neighborhood delight.
- Lean into distinctive differentiators. Whether or not it’s a beloved custom, gorgeous campus surroundings or a hidden gem, highlighting what makes your establishment distinct deepens emotional reference to audiences.
- Communities thrive when celebrated on-line. From alumni and sports activities followers to area of interest scholar teams, social groups that faucet into current IRL communities on-line create stronger engagement and model advocacy.
For extra in regards to the content material and engagement audiences crave right this moment, obtain The 2025 Content material Benchmarks Report: Faculties & Training.
And in case you see a social publish or marketing campaign that deserves to be highlighted, tag us @sproutsocial and use #PostPerformanceReport to have your concept included in a future article.
