NOT SURE WHERE TO START WITH SCHOOL SOCIA MEDIA?
"We know we need to be on social media account - but where to begin?"
You want to promote school news, celebrate student success, and connect with your community — but you can’t be everywhere at once. If you’re only setting up one account to begin with, which platform is actually going to deliver?
Each platform has its strengths — Instagram is polished, Facebook is familiar, TikTok is attention-grabbing. But when you focus on who you need to reach and how content actually spreads, one platform stands out as the smartest place to begin.
Start With Facebook — Here’s Why
If your goal is to reach parents (especially prospective ones), raise awareness of achievements, and grow local visibility, Facebook is still the smartest first step for most schools.
Yes, it may feel a little old-school. But it offers something no other platform does:
You can share your posts directly into local community groups.
This feature alone massively increases your reach, helping your school be seen by thousands of local people who don’t follow you — but might want to know more.
Real-World Results: The Power of Group Sharing
To show how powerful this can be, take a look at two real Facebook posts from a school account:
One post about a student success was shared into a local Facebook group. It reached over 2,500 people, with 92% of them being non-followers.
A similar post that wasn’t shared anywhere stayed within the page’s usual reach — less than a hundred views.
Post on Page
Post Shared to Group
Why Instagram Isn’t the Best Starting Point
Instagram is fantastic for visuals, and it absolutely has a place in a school’s long-term social media plan — particularly for engaging older students, alumni, or building a polished brand identity.
But if you’re just starting out, and don’t yet have a strong following, Instagram makes it harder to get your content in front of new local audiences.
- You can’t share into groups
- Discovery relies on hashtags, Reels, or paid promotion
- Organic reach is limited if you don’t already have followers
For a school trying to raise awareness in its local community, that’s a tough place to begin.
How to Get Started: Sharing a Post into a Local Group
Here’s a quick walkthrough showing how to take a standard Facebook post and share it into a local group to maximise its reach.
Key Takeaways
Begin with Facebook: It remains the go-to platform for most parents and provides unparalleled local reach.
Leverage community groups: Sharing your posts in local groups is the simplest way to connect with new audiences.
Add Instagram later: After gaining confidence and establishing a steady content flow, expanding to Instagram is a natural next step.
Starting with Facebook doesn’t lock you in. Once your team feels comfortable sharing updates and momentum builds, you can easily adapt content for Instagram or other platforms like TikTok, depending on who you want to reach.
If you’re focusing on just one platform initially, Facebook offers the quickest and most effective route to visibility.
SEE WHAT OUR SCHOOLS ARE SAYING
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"Before working with Chris, marketing always fell to the bottom of our to-do list. His step-by-step approach made it easy to showcase our school’s unique strengths, attracting more families than ever before.
Thanks to his expertise, we’ve had our highest number of in-year transfers in five years (over 30 students!) and our Reception intake for September 2025 is nearly full!
Implementing his system put St Augustine’s on the map—bringing in parents who never even knew we existed!"
Sarah, Headteacher
St Augustine's Catholic Primary
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