FAQs

As long as a business school has relevant and interesting content for journalists, they could see results within a matter of weeks.

But, and here’s the important bit, chasing press coverage for the sake of it is not the route to a strong reputation.

Business schools that see the best return on their media relations have clear objectives guiding their strategy.

For example:

• Do they want to recruit students from a particular geographic area?
• Are they looking for more corporate partnerships?
• Do they want to be known for a particular area of expertise?

Developing a strong reputation takes years and is a long-term commitment that pays huge dividends for business schools in the long-term.

There are multiple benefits of business school PR.

Press coverage falls into the category of earned media – in other words, discussion and content related to a business school’s brand on other people’s channels.

Critically, it confers third-party endorsement on a business school – in this case, via journalists.

This is why PR is more cost-effective than advertising.

It is also a valuable way to build trust. The way people buy products and services has changed beyond all recognition. A potential student considering investing in business education does a significant amount of research before choosing their school. Showing up in articles about business education is a powerful way to influence their choice.

But business school PR is not just about attracting students. It:

• Raises awareness of schools in different markets
• Helps them become known as leaders
• Helps start conversations with corporate and executive education clients
• Makes them visible to government and policymakers
• Elevates them amongst their peers
• Strengthens their online visibility, increasing website clicks and enquiries
• Builds a bank of powerful assets to share and re-share on social media, boosting sales and marketing campaigns.

Media training is also a great way to ensure that your spokespeople are prepared to handle interview questions.

If that still sounds too scary, consider this. Consumers are more likely to trust information from a third-party source as opposed to paid-for advertising.

Yes!

We have seen business school PR make a huge difference to our client’s reputations.

For example:

Sasin School of Management in Thailand, wanted a bigger international reputation to compete with other schools. They had a clear focus, developed clear differentiation and targeted outlets known to influence student choice. The result was a huge uptick in their international visibility with in-depth articles in titles such as the Financial Times. You can read more about how they did it HERE.

Grenoble Grande Ecole de Management in France wanted to increase awareness of the school in the international media to attract new students, recruit top faculty and secure new corporate partnerships. They took a quality over quantity approach, targeting specific, high-value international media outlets and doubling down on newsworthiness to stand out in a crowded market and increase awareness internationally. Read more HERE.

University of Exeter Business School wanted to increase awareness of its MBA and attract more enquiries from prospective students. They dug deep into their sustainability credentials, were highly selective with their media targets and tapped into the wider news agenda. The result was a 1,600% increase in press coverage and a 25% spike in MBA applications during the campaign period. Read more HERE.

But getting media coverage is tricky.

Journalists are extremely busy and time-poor and getting their attention is hard. Reporters are extremely focused on their readers and they don’t want self-promoting stories. Business schools are now competing against a host of organisations from the newest EdTech providers to business groups and consultancies – it’s easy to be overlooked. The bar for media stories is higher than ever – weak stories won’t cut it.

Business schools considering PR need to think about whether they have the time, skills and resources to do it, or whether an expert would help them reach their goals more quickly.

Often, business schools opt for a hybrid approach, with an in-house team AND an external consultancy.

We often get asked this question by academics who are worried that their quote is going to be taken out of context or that the journalist will get something wrong.

The short answer is that (with a few exceptions) most journalists don’t allow you to vet their copy before publication.

Media relations falls into the category of “earned media which means that you are persuading a third party to cover your story. How they do that, or the content they choose to use is up to them.

The good news is that you can influence this by carefully crafting your pitch, pictures or data.

Media training is also a great way to ensure that your spokespeople are prepared to handle interview questions.

If that still sounds too scary, consider this. Consumers are more likely to trust information from a third-party source as opposed to paid-for advertising.

Roe Communications was co-founded in 2016 by Vicki and Toby Roe.

We’ve both worked in PR for nearly 30 years and love helping marketing and communications teams get positive press coverage.

We know that business schools have fascinating stories to tell – from memorable student experiences to new research or ways of teaching.

But we also know they sometimes struggle to make themselves heard in a highly competitive media environment.

We thrive on helping business schools focus on their “why” so that their PR campaigns deliver meaningful results. We help them shape their stories to be more attractive to reporters. And we help them develop productive relationships with journalists.

Since 2016, we have been helping business schools and universities to build powerful reputations.

We are specialists in business education, having worked for some of the world’s most prominent business schools including Oxford Saïd Business School, Grenoble Grande Ecole de Management, IESE, University of Sydney Business School, Sasin School of Management, University of Exeter Business School and Barcelona School of Management.

We are experienced consultants who advise senior people in business schools around the world.

We believe that the academic and business communities should work closely together, and we are experts at providing a bridge between the two.

Everything we do is about providing a focus, so business schools get results that make an impact and make the most of their resources.

We do not believe in doing PR for PR’s sake – it is not about the number of press cuttings, but how PR can help implement a school’s strategy and engage your key audiences.

We help elevate awareness of our clients, differentiate them and position them as leaders.

We are based near Oxford in the UK and work with business schools worldwide.