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Hey, Marketing Pals!
Is it just me or is email getting tougher and tougher these days? That’s a rhetorical question. I know the answer.
So, let me ask you something: are you still sending emails from your brand name? If so, it might be time to test sending from an actual human.
Ann Handley (the undisputed GOAT of content marketing) shared this reminder in a recent edition of her newsletter, Total Annarchy:
“The From line matters more than the Subject line, because the storyteller is the new correspondent. Make your newsletter from a person. More than that: Make it sound like it is.”
If you run the test, give it at least 3 months, or until you have enough data to actually trust the results. One lucky send does not a trend make.
And don’t stop at the From line. With AI so prevalent, injecting voice into your emails is also critical. It’s the uniqueness that you bring that will differentiate you from the noise.
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Your WirED Marketer,
—Melissa, Senior Director, Marketing at Education Week
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✨ In this edition you’ll find:
- Vibe coding has made its way into K-12 (and why you should care)
- Tips on staying relevant when your product can be built internally
- Quiz Yourself: Is Your EdTech Strategy Aligned With What Districts Want?
✨ What’s Trending: Vibe Coding at the District Level ✨
The TL;DR – districts are using AI to build their own tools, and some are cancelling vendor contracts to do it.
Five years ago, if you asked me what vibe coding was, I’d look at you with a befuddled expression. Now it’s made its way to K-12, and that, my friends, is how we know it’s mainstream. 😂 Kind of like when my dad (an old hippy in his 70s) told me he knew about “Six Seven.” I knew immediately it was no longer cool.
Ok, back to vibe coding. EdWeek Market Brief just released an exclusive article titled Vibe Coding is Giving Districts More Power. Ed-Tech Vendors Should Take Notice.
A few take-aways from this article:
- Products most at risk are those that are lower cost, around $10K–$50K. Single-purpose subscriptions (reports, dashboards, simple workflows) are the easiest to replace. $150K+ enterprise systems are much harder.
- Peninsula School District rebuilt a financial reporting function from a $75,000-a-year product in about 45 minutes once its infrastructure was in place. The CIO has a computer science background, so this district is an outlier, not the norm.
Read the full article here. It’s pretty wild.
Oh, and back in June I shared data from the EdWeek Research Center about what’s blocking district leaders’ HR and PD deals: 24% said they can accomplish what they need in-house. So, there’s that.
DO THIS: 👇 Sell What Districts Can’t Build
Market the “invisible” stuff.
Security, privacy compliance, SSO, integrations, and maintenance used to be table stakes buried in an RFP. Now they’re your differentiators. Put them in your messaging, your case studies, and your sales decks. It’s like saying, “we handle the hard parts so you don’t have to.”
Lead with caution, not fearmongering.
If a district’s homegrown app gets breached, there’s no vendor to call. The district is the vendor. Gently framing your product as accountability and liability protection will resonate with cautious CIOs and superintendents.
Let districts build on top of you.
The districts experimenting with AI are only going to increase. Think about offering APIs, extensions, or customization options so they can tinker on your platform instead of around it. You want to be the foundation, not the thing they’re replacing.
Quick Poll 📊
In the last edition I asked how you’d describe the K-12 market right now. Just over half of you said it was chaotic. Cool. Cool. Everything’s fiiiiine.
This edition’s question:
Pick your poison for the next 365 days. Would you rather…
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| GRANT EVERY SALES REPS’ WISH |
| QUIT AI COLD TURKEY |
What We’re Reading 📚
What Do State, District Screen Time Policies Actually Look Like? Here’s What We Know
First things first, bookmark this page because the tracker is updated on an ongoing basis. Then, read up on the latest.
What We’re Listening To🎧
Podcast: Why K–12 EdTech Sales Requires More Than a Great Demo
This podcast is a “must listen” for me. I walk away each time with actionable takeaways and food for thought. I particularly enjoyed this episode.
Events on Our Radar 🎯
An In-Person Event You Don’t Want to Miss: The EdWeek Market Brief Summit
November 11-13 | Nashville, TN
Keynote speaker is announced - Patrick Leddin. His session: Disrupt Everything — And Win: Leveraging Your Strengths, Courage, and Resilience to Create Opportunities for Success
On the fence about whether or not to attend the event? Here’s what past attendees have said: 👇
“The Market Brief Summit is one of my favorite events of the year. Every time I attend, I walk away with tremendous insight, fresh perspectives, and renewed energy for the work we do in educational technology… The conversations here always spark new ideas about how we can better support educators and students alike.”
—Felicia Zorn, VP of Growth and Partnerships, Edthena | 2025 Attendee
“The Summit certainly has met and exceeded my expectations. It’s an amazing balance of sit-and-get presentations with really great content coming from thought leaders and interactivity with key partners — both folks in our industry and the folks representing the districts and the customers that we’re looking to serve. It’s been well worth it, and we’re excited to come back next year.”
—Scott Brown, CMO, Solution Tree | 2025 Attendee
Join me in Nashville! Buy your ticket here.
Pop Quiz ⚡
Is Your EdTech Strategy Aligned With What Districts Want?
What do most districts say is a requirement before buying new PD, devices, or cybersecurity tools?
a. A reference from a peer district
b. An all-inclusive warranty
c. A pilot or trial period
d. A case study from a vendor
Say What?! 🦜
What we’ve heard at the watercooler, on social, out and about…
That’s all folks. Thanks for reading.
Your WirED Marketer,
Melissa AND team, because every marketer knows, it takes a village.
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We can help you develop a successful campaign tailored to your unique marketing goals. To learn more, contact Advertising & Marketing Solutions Director Mike Bell at mbell@educationweek.org.