LifeGames

LifeGames is an educational publisher whose aim is to help create a better society by teaching kids important life and social skills, which are arguably lacking in our current education system.

To achieve this, the organisation created a collection of fun games and activities for children aged 3 to 12 years that can be integrated into current classroom teaching activities by way of a downloadable app or a teachers manual.

My role at LifeGames was varied; in addition to aiding in the development of the activities, books and the app itself, I was also tasked with handling the PR and marketing strategy and production for the launch. As a result I created a wide range of copy pieces.

Website

The website is the central point for most businesses these days and LifeGames was no exception. It was vital to explain LifeGames’ mission and how the app and books serve to address the identified issue of a growing lack of life and social schools in today’s educational establishments, something teachers have been increasingly expressing. Keeping it simple was key and so the copy was short and to-the-point.

Email series

Part of the promotional efforts involved contacting schools across the UK and Ireland via email with details of the LifeGames app and book. The approach I took when creating the first email consisted of focusing on the growing concern regarding student behaviour issues in schools, and placing LifeGames as a potential solution.

The subject line included the fact that the app is free and that it has been designed to tackle these student behaviour issues. It proved to be a good choice, resulting in an open rate of 9.9%.

For the body of the email, my main focus was on setting out the problem of student behaviour issues, what the LifeGames research deduced was the root cause of this (ie. a lack of life and social skills), and how LifeGames could serve as a solution – and a free one at that. There was a lot of information to include, so breaking it up into easier to digest sections was essential. Of the recipients who opened the email, 12.3% clicked through to learn more.

For the second email, my aim was to analyse the results of the first email and try to improve upon them by tweaking the copy. Since the LifeGames research had indicated that the teaching of life and social skills had somehow become ‘lost’ in a sea of rigid curricular requirements, I wanted to introduce this idea into the subject line as a way to pique interest and connect with teachers on a more personal level. This seemed to work well; sending to those who received but didn’t open the first email, 11.9% opened the second email, an improvement of 2% just by tweaking the subject line.

In terms of the body copy, I felt reducing the length and creating a more succinct email would result in an improved click thru rate. I chose to largely eliminate the ‘Why?’ section of the first email; I felt there was little need to emphasise what teachers already know through their own experience, focusing instead on what can be done about it. Of the recipients who opened the second email, 15.1% clicked through to learn more, an improvement of 2.8% over the original email.

Editorial and advert in The Educator magazine

I acquired a 2-page spread consisting of editorial and advert in one of the leading educational publications in the UK and Ireland, The Educator magazine, and I was tasked with writing the copy.

In order to reach the target market – teachers – I thought a Q&A style piece would be an effective approach, given that most readers would be browsing through the magazine on their break in the staff room and may not have the time or inclination to read a lengthy, boring discussion.

I also chose this approach as it placed the focus on the two teachers who designed the activities for the LifeGames collection. This was crucial for reaching the teacher readers, who are already being told left, right and centre what to teach and how to teach it, so the last thing they needed was more of the same.

By having teachers share their reasons for developing the activities and addressing objections that their fellow teachers may have regarding the use of LifeGames, barriers are bypassed and a connection is made, and this started with the headline itself.

The intro set a sense of urgent need for the piece by highlighting the growing incidence of violence and bad behaviour in schools, helping to place LifeGames as a solution.

The minimal copy in the advert was used to reinforce the idea and appeal of a teacher-driven solution while highlighting the key traits LifeGames develops through activities that the kids will find fun.

I wrote many other pieces for the promotion of LifeGames, which you can find in the Education category of my Portfolio.

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