Key points
  • Blogging is a key part of many schools’ inbound marketing strategy — but knowing what to write about can create big headaches!
  • Rather than spend your time brainstorming ideas, Digistorm has put together 20 prompts that can help you write content that your audience actually wants to read.
  • The key to writing interesting and engaging content is to think about who you are writing for and address their interests and pain points directly.

It’s that time again. You know you need to write a new post for your school blog, but every time you go to write, you find yourself staring at a blank computer screen, waiting for inspiration to strike. 

If you’ve been blogging for your school for a while, you may find yourself recycling the same kinds of content over and over again. Newsletters, notices, event updates...these are all very common content pieces that schools rely on to inform their readers and build engagement.

You’d love to shake things up in 2023 — to write posts that you know your school families would love to read — but it’s hard to know where to begin. Never fear! Digistorm is here to help. We’ve put together our top 20 new and creative blog topics that you can put into practice today

All you need to do is open up your content calendar and start scheduling! Read on to learn more about the following topics:

  1. Back-to-school tips
  2. Problem-solving at home
  3. Easy school recipes
  4. Chore checklists
  5. Strategies for tackling homework
  6. Informational interviews
  7. Student success stories
  8. A message from your principal
  9. Spotlight on school traditions
  10. Classroom tours
  11. Insight into a sporting team
  12. Updates from various clubs
  13. Special education offerings
  14. A run-down of your tech program
  15. Diversity and inclusivity
  16. Tackling gender bias
  17. Understanding cybersecurity
  18. Preventing bullying 
  19. Supporting emotional health 
  20. A meaningful book review

Blog post ideas that are useful (and shareable)

Parents rely on informational articles that help them to support their child’s education. Why not offer them this important information straight from the horse’s mouth, rather than leaving them to trawl for it on Google? If they find the content useful, they’ll also be more inclined to share these on social media - and if you hit the right keywords, you may even give your school website an overall boost on Google and other search engines.

1. Back to school tips

This topic is a goldmine for families with students of all ages. There is so much to remember when kids are getting ready to head back to school, and you can provide all of the information that a parent will need in one place. 

Posts like ‘Getting kids back into a routine, and ‘How to order the right size uniforms to last the year’ are two perfect examples of content that is incredibly useful and shareable. Collate your best tips and advice and structure them into a series of easy-to-follow blog posts that families will absolutely love.

2. Problem-solving at home

Schools understand that families who can model effective problem-solving at home can support their children to think creatively and thoughtfully about issues they will encounter at school (and later on in their life as well!). Your blog can provide helpful information that will show families how to get started.

Encourage problem-solving outside of school hours by offering exercises and topics for a variety of ages. If you don’t have an educational background, ask the teachers at your school for a little advice, as we’re sure they’d be happy to help.

3. Easy school recipes

Busy families are always on the lookout for quick and easy school recipes — whether it be healthy lunchbox ideas or 15-minute dinners, they’ll be sure to appreciate the time-saving aspect of this post. Start by crowd-sourcing your readers’ best recipe ideas and ask if you can publish them in a regular blog post series. Make sure to highlight a few vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free and nut-free options to cover all your bases.

4. Chore checklists

Ah, chores. Families have been struggling to get their kids on board with household tasks since the dawn of time,  but there are definitely strategies that can help! You can pair your chore strategy posts with a helpful PDF download that families can print off and use.

(Bonus: downloads can be a fantastic lead magnet!) Create a DIY how-to for a chore checklist or wheel that grown-ups and kids can collaborate on before implementing.

5. Strategies for tackling homework

Homework can be a tricky beast for families to tackle, however, your blog can provide them with the tools they need to ensure homework is completed with as little resistance as possible.

Give families a few solid, easy-to-implement strategies they can use with their kids when that inevitable homework resistance crops up. Reach out to teachers, or do a little research of your own, to come up with solid techniques and a bunch of handy resources that can be compiled into a master post of sorts.

 Blog post ideas that take you ‘behind the scenes’

As they’re not present throughout the school day, families often rely on a few mumbled words from their children to learn about their activities. But, it doesn’t have to be that way! Giving families a behind-the-scenes look at your school’s operations helps them to learn more about who’s educating their kids. 

6. Informational interviews

Even if most of your families are really engaged with the school community, there will still be people they don’t know. Conduct light, fun interviews with people in various positions and share them on your blog. This is also great for prospective family uptake, as it’ll let them know who’s who and give them insight into the kind of people their children will be interacting with regularly.

7. Student success stories

Spotlight a student that’s achieved something great on your blog. Not only does this give them well-earned kudos, but it adds social proof to your school. The same goes for your alumni — prospective families love nothing more than learning that education at your school is the path to success.

8. A message from your principal

Connect families with the headmaster or mistress at your school by scheduling a regular blog post that includes information about current goings-on, future plans and more. Often heads can seem a little intimidating, but we promise they’re not — a blog post will confirm this to everyone.

9. Spotlight on school traditions 

Do you have some weird and wonderful traditions that set your school apart? Take a behind-the-scenes deep dive into the origins of the tradition and why they’re so meaningful for your school community today.

Blog post ideas that showcase your school

10. Classroom tours

Take your readers on a tour of a school classroom with words and photos. Behind the scenes, insight is great for prospective families, as it shows them what their children could be a part of if they were to enrol at your school. Using quotes, images and even stats here will keep your readers engaged and excited.

11. Insight into a sporting team

A lot of families (and kids!) don’t know what they’re getting themselves into when it comes to school sports, so a play-by-play of the whole experience — from training through to game day — could be a fun and unique idea for blog content. Snap some pics, and take quotes from the coaches and kids to really encourage new players come intake time.

12. Updates from various clubs

Most schools have quite a few clubs or societies students can join, especially in their senior years. However, you’d be surprised at how many families don’t even know these exist! Ask a student or faculty leader to give a summary of what a specific club does, who it’s for and why it’s fun, then post it on your blog to encourage new sign-ups!

13. Special education offerings

Finding a great schooling program is hard, but finding a great special education program can be almost impossible! Make this process easier for prospective families by creating a post that details what you offer, the learning methods you use and a little about each of your teachers. They’ll breathe a sigh of relief knowing their child is in good hands from the get-go.

14. A run-down of your tech programs

Some tech-savvy families are very up-to-speed on the programs their kids are, and more importantly, should be using. Technological literacy is so important, so you’ll need to show prospective families how you’re fostering it amongst students. Do you have any special software the kids can use? How about advancement programs? Let families know; they’ll love you for it!

Blog post ideas that address the tough topics

Both families and kids have a lot of vested interest in some of the heavier topics, such as bullying, cybersecurity, inclusivity and more. Although they may sound difficult to write about, addressing them is key. 

Your blog has the opportunity to encourage parent-child dialogue and spark broader discussions about some of the important issues occurring at your school. 

15. Diversity and inclusivity

Your school blog is also a great way to tackle the topics that mean a lot to you. One theme worth discussing with kids is inclusivity, and how they can foster a more accepting nature at a young age. 

If you think families would be receptive to this, offer some topics they can discuss with their kids in a blog post, as well as language prompts and further resources to learn more. You could also provide a list of age-appropriate reading material that families can share with their children.

16. Tackling gender bias

Gender bias is more pervasive in schools than you may think, but it’s definitely something most institutions are trying to stamp out. To help with any efforts you may execute in the classroom, write an accompanying blog post that encourages families to discuss this topic with their kids. 

Your school can tailor different questions to different age groups, and provide information about how your school is planning on tackling this difficult issue.

17. Understanding cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is a continually hot topic, as we see breaches left, right and centre in our digitally saturated world. It’s something all kids using the internet should be aware of, even if they’re just playing with apps on your phone. 

Foster safety online by creating a checklist or compilation of dos and don’ts families can discuss with kids. You can keep the information fresh by repurposing the content regularly with new apps or websites that families should be aware of, and the security measures they can put in place to protect their children.

18. Preventing bullying

A great article that’ll draw families in from the get-go, this post can be used to discuss different strategies for approaching bullying. Families may not know the right way to go about addressing the issue when their child is being bullied, or on the other hand, is the one doing the bullying. Including logical, safe strategies (as recommended by your teaching staff and counsellors) is key.

19. Supporting emotional health

School no longer involves learning the three Rs. The pressure is mounting, and it’s happening at a younger and younger age. That’s why it’s important to ensure families are aware of the emotional health support options available for their kids to access. Create a post detailing these so families are aware and know where to turn if things start to get overwhelming.

20. A meaningful book review

Books are a wonderful way for families to open up conversations with children about difficult topics, but it can be hard to know where to begin! Your school can guide parents towards great books with meaningful themes by writing regular book reviews that highlight some of these resources.

Make sure there are multiple copies of the books that you review available in your school library — you never know, your reviews might place them in high demand!

 

Of course, these are just 20 blog post ideas to get you thinking more creatively. There are thousands of other options out there waiting to be explored on your school blog. All you need to do is think about your target audience and the type of content that they’d be most interested in reading from your school. 

Published 31 July 2021