The EdTech Startup Show

It's been a long time since there's been a new episode on the EdTech Startup Show feed!

Today, I (Gerard Dawson) am cross-posting my appearance on EdTech Sales Trainer Matt Gambino's Always A Teacher podcast. This was a great conversation about my journey from teaching to EdTech.

Learn more about Matt Gambino

• Listen to the Always A Teacher Podcast on Spotify
• Learn about Propel Skills, Matt's EdTech Sales Training business
• Connect with Matt Gambino on LinkedIn

Learn more about Gerard Dawson

• Visit Gerard Dawson's website
• Connect with Gerard Dawson on LinkedIn

Are you interested in hearing more episodes of the EdTech Startup Show? If so, let me know on LinkedIn or via email: [email protected].

Here's the second clip from my conversation with Graham Forman of Edovate Capital. The audio clears up for this one.

In this clip, Graham answers the question: "why do you choose to do seed-stage investing in EdTech?"

To read this as a Q/A article, click here.

When it comes to PR for EdTech, this episode is a masterclass. My guest is Jacob Hanson, CEO of PR with Panache. Background on Jacob:

A graduate of Fort Lewis College, Jacob graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Language. Spending subsequent years of his career dedicated to sales growth, marketing, and brand awareness, Jacob brings to PR with Panache! a fierce passion for education and extensive experience in moving high-quality companies and their brands to the forefront of the education marketplace.

A skilled communicator with a zest for life, he has the wherewithal to see the big picture, connecting the dots between sales, marketing, and public relations to create dynamic communication and integrated marketing plans to effectively tell your story. Jacob serves on the Board of Directors for a MN-based STEM non-profit, High Tech Kids, whose mission is to deliver fun, hands-on science, engineering, and technology programs and events that inspire Minnesota kids in their formative years.

A native of Minnesota with a strong affinity for the Rocky Mountains, Jacob enjoys spending time with his two wonderful children, Sawyer and Bexley, making fresh tracks and hiking with his hound dog, Dan.

From the PR with Panache website: "PR with Panache! develops and shares stories that captivate the K-12 education market and influence high-level conversations in the media. Our team includes expert journalists, editors, administrators, and former educators who have one thing in common: We are all storytellers at heart. We craft customized campaigns that stay true to your vision while leveraging the dynamic voice of your customers and establishing you as a thought leader in education. Together we craft stories that inspire decision-makers in K-12 education not just to take notice but to act. As your storytelling team, we earn you the attention and acclaim of your audience. And we do it all with passion and energy that’s unparalleled in the education industry."

• The history of Jacob's agency, PR with Panache, and how his mother started the company
• How Jacob went from a Spanish major to CEO of his company
• Why Jacob turned down a job at a startup in order to join his family business
• The origin story of the mother-son tag team at Jacob's company
• A complete description of PR with Panache, a boutique agency doing PR for EdTech and PreK-12 education companies
• An overview of the type of campaigns - both inbound marketing and brand awareness - Jacob runs for his clients
• What's it like to work in a family business? Jacob explains at 7:00
• Insights and tips on running a 100% virtual team
• The different business relationship Jacob had with his mother and father
• "Sorry to say this, but there is no silver bullet in education" - Jacob explains why there are no short cuts when doing PR for EdTech at 12:30
• The first step in crafting your message as an EdTech startup
• "It's not about your product, it's about the educators"
• Jacob breaks down why education is a relationship-based industry (advice especially relevant for newer companies)
• It's not "sell and tell," it's "earn." Jacob explains this marketing and sales strategy.
• There's no breaking news in education - Jacob explains how education entrepreneurs should work with this
• Why EdTech startups need to plan five-years ahead (17:15)
• Jacob gives a step-by-step breakdown of how EdTech startups can do their own PR
• The "Too big too soon" problem EdTech startups fall into (and the power of local media)
• 2 specific tips on pitching to media outlets at 23:00
• The incredible story of an 8-year-old who could never speak who comes home and says, "Hey Mom." (PR With Panache's work with RoboKind)
• Why focusing on impact and results is the secret to great storytelling for startups
• "The Common Core Aligned Effect" - the danger of slapping buzzwords on your education tool or product
• Jacob's advice on how EdTech startups can maximize the return on investment on attending live events (30:00)
• "We below $150,000 at conferences last year and have nothing to show for it" - Jacob's post-mortem on a founder who says something like this to him
• How to deal with tougher school SPAM filters and engaging in permission marketing
• The importance of educator voices in for PR for EdTech (and why context is the most important thing here)
• Jacob's current take on purchasing in schools and districts
• The 3 types of principals and how you can use this to your advantage

Sue Hanson, founder o...

This episode of the podcast is brought to you by The EdTech Shop – Copywriting & Marketing Strategy for Education Startups. Get more schools to sign up and buy with The 5-Day Copy fix. Click here to enroll for free.

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Brad Schiller is co-founder and the CEO of Prompt, a company focusing on making people better writers through a combination of software and providing writing tutoring at scale. Brad is a writer, having written extensively on such topics as college admissions essays and case interview preparation for aspiring consultants.

Previously, Brad founded Beacon Ventures, a consultancy to PE firms, PE portfolio companies, and the Fortune 500. Before that, Brad was the first employee (2nd person) at Airware, a Y Combinator and VC-backed drone start-up ($85M funding), and he spent nearly 5 years at McKinsey after graduating from MIT.

Prompt manages and supports the college application writing process. Students receive a Personalized Assignment List over everything they need to do to complete applications for their school list based on Prompt's database of every requirement for every school (e.g., essay prompts). Students use Prompt's Content Strategy and Essay Outlining tools to develop the content and structure for their applications – effectively eliminating bad first drafts. Organizations use Prompt's essay review tools and workflows to review essays or access personalized feedback on essays from Prompt's global network of writing specialists. Prompt is used by high schools, college access organizations, and hundreds of independent admissions consultants.

Brad encourages interesting people to reach out to him at [email protected].

• Brad's personal story of receiving valuable writing feedback at his first job
• The crazy story of DoesMyEssaySuck.com (yes, that was a real website!)
• Why content and structure are two focal points for the feedback given by Prompt instructors
• The tools Prompt has created to help students get started with college essays
• Take a guess: what % of student essays are submitted to Prompt within two weeks of the college app deadline? Hear the answer at 16:30
• Instructional and actionable: the two keywords for feedback on student writing
• The surprisingly quick rate that Brad's company helps students improve their essays
• No, AI isn't coming to steal teachers' jobs - Brad explains why at 22:50
• Brad's bet on writing help as a massive opportunity in EdTech
• Business development tip: The clever business partnership Prompt has with college admissions consultants
• Brad's strategy on growing out of the revenue Prompt creates and understanding market signals
• The decision-making process the Prompt team went through to plan its growth moves (35:12)
• An honest look into the decision not to raise venture capital funding - Brad explains it
• What's up next for Prompt?

If you liked this episode, then leave a review, and share it with a friend.

Thanks for listening!

Gerard Dawson

Today's guest on the EdTech Startup Show is Kelly Smith, founder and CEO of Prenda.

Prenda helps create flexible learning environments known as microschools. Often described as the “reinvention of the one-room school house,” microschools combine homeschooling, online education, smaller class sizes, mixed age-level groupings, flipped classrooms, and personalized learning.