The student story content type was created to help DCE harness the power of student voices. While student stories have been in the mix for a while, these pages put an emphasis on the student’s own words and lets them do the talking for you. See an example of a student story here.
Student stories should be used to address the biggest hesitations prospective students face in starting a program. The student voice is a much more powerful to persuade and validate than marketing copy DCE can write itself.
Some of the big hesitations found in our summer 2020 survey included:
- Balancing program with life demands
- Time to complete coursework
- Accumulating debt
- Return on investment
Student stories should be woven throughout the site — carefully curated to meet prospects where they are at each stage of their journey based on the page you’re working with. Don’t expect them to visit the student stories listing page and find the story that fits them best.
Here are some things to keep in mind when creating student stories.
- Let students tell their own stories. Avoid institutional voice and overly-written stories. Instead, lean into Q+As.
- Acknowledge the struggles. Keeping stories real will build trust.
- Depict students as relatable and aspirational. Combine beautiful portraits with authentic accounts of DCE experiences and post-program success.
- Highlight the personalities of your diverse student body.
- Celebrate students throughout the site by pulling teases into key pages and moments
