Parents decide on WhatsApp: how private schools can tell their story

The decision about where a child goes to school is among the biggest a Kenyan family makes, and it increasingly begins in a chat. A parent asks the estate WhatsApp group, "Which schools around here are good?" Recommendations, screenshots and links fly. By the time the family visits, they have often narrowed it down to two or three.

A school that is absent from those conversations, or present only as a phone number, is at a disadvantage, however good its teaching.

What parents are looking for

Parents are not buying a building. They are buying confidence. In video, that means showing:

• Teachers who care: a lesson in progress, a teacher helping a child
• Safety: the gate, the transport, how children are collected
• Learning that works: practical projects, reading corners, science work, especially as the competency-based curriculum puts more emphasis on hands-on learning
• The whole child: sport, music, clubs, a clean canteen
• Fees and practical details, clearly

Consent comes first

Schools are full of children, and that changes everything about how you make content. Only show pupils whose parents or guardians have agreed in writing. Many schools now ask for consent at enrolment, with an option to opt out.

AI video offers a careful alternative: illustrate a scene without showing real pupils. With Tari Studio, you can describe a classroom scene and have it generated, or attach photos of your empty classrooms, labs and compound and build from those. Either way, avoid showing generated children as if they were your actual pupils, and never imitate a real child. Privacy and pictures of people.

Keep it simple and regular

A school does not need a big campaign. It needs a steady flow:

• one clip a week from school life (sports day, a science fair, a music performance, with consent)
• one clear poster at the start of each admissions window with fees, dates and how to apply
• a short welcome video from the head teacher

For posters with fees and dates, pick Ideogram 4 (clear text) on the quote, then check every figure.

Speak to parents in their language

Many parents are comfortable in English, but a message in Kiswahili or the Kiswahili-English mix can feel warmer, especially for the welcome message or the admissions explainer. Set the language of speech and on-screen words on the quote, and prices and phone numbers stay exactly as you typed them.

Make the next step easy

End each video with one action: book a visit, request the fee structure, or chat on WhatsApp. A tracked link shows which video brought each enquiry, and a shared inbox lets the admissions office and the head teacher see the same conversation. WhatsApp and leads.

Honesty protects the school

Never show facilities you do not have or results you did not get. Parents talk, and they compare. The schools that grow steadily are the ones whose videos match the visit.

Make your school's first clip.