In the latest episode of All Things Marketing and Education, we chat with Thomas Rodgers, Vice President and Head of K-12 Communications at Whiteboard Advisors. Thomas is an expert in leveraging earned media, brand storytelling, and influencer engagement to advance educational missions, with a particular emphasis on K-12 education. This conversation delves into how EdTech companies can effectively collaborate with the media, exploring successful strategies and potential pitfalls. Additionally, Thomas offers tips for pitching to conferences and securing visibility in panels and events.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
EdTech Evidence Exchange: houses research on EdTech tools in an accessible place for educators.
EdTech Genome Project: houses the teacher's perspective on many EdTech tools
InnovateEDU: mission is to eliminate the opportunity gap in education by accelerating innovation in next-generation learning models and tools that serve, inform, and enhance teaching and learning, which houses EdTech Evidence Exchange.
Twitter lists about education reporters: a list on Twitter with education media contacts your brand could pitch to.
2023 EdTech Marketer’s Planner: a resource Thomas mentioned (that we made ;) ) that would be helpful to find natural media points to connect with your stories to make it timely for outlets you’re pitching to.
The Biggest Mistakes Education Companies Make on Social Media: an article featuring both Thomas and Elana
Elana Leoni, Host
Elana Leoni has dedicated the majority of her career to improving K-12 education. Prior to founding LCG, she spent eight years leading the marketing and community strategy for the George Lucas Educational Foundation where she grew Edutopia’s social media presence exponentially to reach over 20 million education change-makers every month.
Thomas Rodgers, Guest
An experienced communications strategist, Thomas advises innovative organizations and entrepreneurs on how multi-dimensional campaigns leverage earned media, brand storytelling, and influencer engagement to advance their missions. He is a trusted advisor to editors and reporters at national outlets and trade publications that cover the PK-12 education and learning space.
Prior to joining Whiteboard, Thomas led communications for a K-12 education nonprofit in Louisiana, where he was responsible for ensuring the organization’s media and engagement strategies advanced its education initiatives at the state and local level. He previously worked on the communications and marketing team for the Vice President of Student Affairs at Louisiana State University and completed a policy and management fellowship at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
About All Things Marketing and Education
What if marketing was judged solely by the level of value it brings to its audience? Welcome to All Things Marketing and Education, a podcast that lives at the intersection of marketing and you guessed it, education. Each week, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, highlights innovative social media marketing, community-building, and content marketing strategies that can significantly increase reach, relationships, and revenue.
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