Using Stories to Market to International Students - A Conversation with Kris Achten

🎙 New Episode: Using Stories to Market to International Students

Guest: Kris Achten, Manager of International Marketing & Recruitment at Karel de Grote University College and Founder of People Like You.

We covered a lot in this one, from environmental triggers to user-generated content to a student who went from doubting he could afford college to landing a job at TikTok.

Here are the highlights for higher ed marketers:

✅ Stop telling stories about your institution.

Start telling stories about your students. Especially international ones who are facing a major life transition.

✅ Cultural context matters.

What works in Belgium might flop in Vietnam. Tailor content by region. Avoid assumptions.

✅ Environmental triggers > platforms.

Don’t promote bachelor’s degrees on LinkedIn. Show up where your audience already is, TikTok, Instagram, school counselor offices.

✅ Make the student the hero.

Your institution is the guide. If the story can’t be told without you, you’ve done your job.

✅ Don’t forget the parents.

KDG literally sends an email: “Forward this to your parents.” That link? A custom landing page written just for them.

✅ Trust > Features.

At KDG, storytelling starts with empathy. Capture emotional arcs—fear, uncertainty, belonging—not just course features or buildings.

✅ Mining the inbox for stories.

Shared inboxes are goldmines. Uncommon questions = content opportunities. Patterns = gaps to fill.

✅ Creator Academy.

Instead of chasing Gen Z trends, Kris trained student ambassadors to become short-form content creators. Content from students about student life performs better, and builds trust.

✅ Alumni stories close the loop.

Zoom out. Don’t just tell stories about enrollment. Tell stories about life after graduation, and how your institution helped get them there.

Want to hear Paul Christian’s story from Romania to TikTok?

Or why Kris still reads every email to [e-mail]?

It’s all in the episode.

🎧 Listen now!

Download Kris’s course on storytelling: peoplelikeyou.be

Connect with Kris: LinkedIn

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