Announcement:

Since the virus arrived, a few things have changed:

+ my business has picked up fast with existing clients and new clients

+ I'm working from home while my wife watches our two young boys with no breaks

+ like all other teachers, it's been an abrupt change to figure out remote learning

Because of that, I can't commit to making The Business of Learning Letter daily right now. Too many other priorities pulling at my time.

With that said, here's the kind of thing I'd like to share with you going forward, but less frequently. Hit reply and share your feedback.

Podcast: How to Build a K12 EdTech Sales Machine

This week's guest on the EdTech Startup Show was Kirby Salerno, founder of BroadReach EdTech Advisors. Kirby has a ton of valuable experience in EdTech sales and marketing, and this episode was like a high-quality lecture on sales in this industry.

• Here's a clip from the episode on Why K12 District Sales Is a "High Stakes Game" and What to Do Instead.
• And here's the post from the blog for this episode (the list of links to companies that Kirby mentions is a cool resource).

News: Prompt and Unruly Studios Make Moves

Brad Schiller from Prompt launches AP Exam Support:

AP exams are next month, and students are struggling to prepare given school closures and limited teacher access due to COVID-19. Prompt just launched AP Exam support for exams with a single essay (the 5 English and History subjects).

Students write practice exam essays, and Prompt coaches provide feedback on them in line with the AP rubrics within 48 hours. Prompt expects to provide many free reviews to students who received AP Exam fee waivers. They also have special offers for partnering with school districts on this. Learn more here. Listen to Brad's appearance on The EdTech Startup Show here.

Lauren Watkins from Unruly Studios launches Educator Grant program

Unruly Studios is launching the Unruly COVID19 Educator Grant program to give away $250,000 worth of Unruly Splats STEM learning tool to 500 educators across the US and Canada. Any educator can apply for the grant and 500 qualified applicants will be sent 2 free Unruly Splats with virtual activities for coding and playing at home.

Real-life Copywriting/Marketing Tip

Emojis convert.

That's it. That's the tip.

Seriously, I've been testing this out across emails, organic social media posts, and Facebook ads with clients for over a year. Of course, it depends on the exact market you're writing to. However, in general, I've noticed that using one topic-related emoji in a headline, subject line, or Facebook ad gets attention.

More:

• The meta-lesson here: it's helpful if your copy and content look as "native" as possible - this is why "advertorials" became a thing in newspapers
• Don't overuse the tactic in the micro - in other words, don't use 7 emojis in your next subject line or Facebook ad.
• If it works for you, then do overuse it in the macro - if an ethical marketing tactic works to help more teachers, parents, or school leaders learn about your product or service, than use it over and over until it stops working

That's what I've got for you today. My plan is to send something like this out once per week for now. What do you want more of? Less of? Reply and let me know.

Thanks,

Gerard Dawson

PS - Do you think you might want to work together in the future? I don't have time for any "just in time" projects right now beyond with clients I'm already working with. If you have a plan for a project you may want to do in May, June, or July, fill out this form about your project.