Education marketing is entering another year of tight budgets, longer decision cycles, and higher expectations from districts. The uncertainty is familiar now, but the pressure to make smart, focused choices has not eased. As teams plan for the next school year, the real challenge is not doing more. It is doing fewer things with greater intention.

In this episode, Elana Leoni reflects on recent conversations across the education ecosystem to surface what matters most right now. From how districts are thinking about efficacy and technology use, to where marketers should actually invest limited resources, the episode focuses on signals that can guide smarter decisions in 2026. The goal is not optimism for optimism’s sake, but clarity about where attention, time, and budget are best spent.

See resources and more in the episode show notes: leoniconsultinggroup.com/podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

EdTech Planner 2026

Planning a full year of education marketing takes time, and you need a clear path that helps you stay relevant, consistent, and aligned with the moments that matter. Ready to make 2026 your most intentional (and effective!) year yet in education marketing? What The EdTech Marketer’s 2026 Planner helps you do: Focus on what matters most to your brand and audience Plan campaigns around key education events Use proven strategies tailored to K–12 and higher ed Build a system that fuels visibility, engagement, and leads For six years, thousands of education and EdTech marketers have used this planner to guide their yearly campaigns and stay aligned with the school calendar. Download here: https://www.leoniconsultinggroup.com/edtech-marketers-planner

In EdTech, things can start moving quickly. A new idea gets attention. A stakeholder asks for leads. A competitor launches something similar. Before long, teams feel pressure to act fast and show progress.

The problem is that moving fast does not always mean moving in the right direction. When teams skip validation, meaning they have not yet confirmed that real educators or leaders truly need what they are building, speed can create more problems than momentum. Budgets get stretched, marketing efforts chase the wrong signals, and educators are asked to spend time on tools that do not actually solve a meaningful problem.

In this episode, Kate Busby joins our CEO, Elana Leoni, to talk about what validation really looks like in EdTech. We break down how to tell the difference between early interest and real demand, why this work is often messy, and how marketers can use AI to test ideas, messaging, and prototypes faster without losing sight of the people they are trying to serve.

1. A simple four-stage way to think about validation, from idea to scaling
2. Why “friends, family, and fools” feedback is a signal, but not proof
3. How to spot when you are still in hustle mode, even if you call it traction
4. Where pivots are most realistic, and when they get expensive
5. How to use competitor reviews, sales transcripts, and lightweight surveys to speed up market research
6. A practical method for pairing real-world insights with synthetic personas to test positioning
7. Why prototyping is one of the most useful AI applications for marketers right now
8. The discovery question more founders should ask, and how it can shape your SEO, copy, and campaigns

For quick wins from the lightning round and details on resources mentioned, visit the episode show notes: https://www.leoniconsultinggroup.com/podcasts/is-your-edtech-product-is-ready-to-go-to-market

Mentioned in this episode:

EdTech Planner 2026

Planning a full year of education marketing takes time, and you need a clear path that helps you stay relevant, consistent, and aligned with the moments that matter. Ready to make 2026 your most intentional (and effective!) year yet in education marketing? What The EdTech Marketer’s 2026 Planner helps you do: Focus on what matters most to your brand and audience Plan campaigns around key education events Use proven strategies tailored to K–12 and higher ed Build a system that fuels visibility, engagement, and leads For six years, thousands of education and EdTech marketers have used this planner to guide their yearly campaigns and stay aligned with the school calendar. Download here: https://www.leoniconsultinggroup.com/edtech-marketers-planner

December in K-12 is two weeks of chaos wrapped in out-of-office replies. Teachers are hanging on until winter break, district leaders are buried in celebrations and strategy, and your carefully crafted sales push is not getting the response your dashboard hoped for. If you are still banking on December to hit revenue targets, this episode is a reality check and a reset.

In this episode, Elana breaks down what December really looks like for teachers and decision makers, how to show up with human first marketing, and why your smartest plays now are relationship building, evergreen content, and getting January ready before you log off. She also shares fresh LinkedIn and Instagram trends, plus an insight from Education Week that might change how you think about pillar content.

Episode show notes.

Mentioned in this episode:

EdTech Planner 2026

Planning a full year of education marketing takes time, and you need a clear path that helps you stay relevant, consistent, and aligned with the moments that matter. Ready to make 2026 your most intentional (and effective!) year yet in education marketing? What The EdTech Marketer’s 2026 Planner helps you do: Focus on what matters most to your brand and audience Plan campaigns around key education events Use proven strategies tailored to K–12 and higher ed Build a system that fuels visibility, engagement, and leads For six years, thousands of education and EdTech marketers have used this planner to guide their yearly campaigns and stay aligned with the school calendar. Download here: https://www.leoniconsultinggroup.com/edtech-marketers-planner

Most education organizations are under pressure to do more with less. Teams are lean, hiring is frozen, and yet the demand for leads, pipeline, and proof of ROI keeps growing. At the same time, the buying cycle in K12 has never felt more compressed or more high stakes. You cannot afford to waste effort on campaigns, events, or RFPs that do not convert.

That is where fractional marketing leadership comes in. When you only have a limited number of hours, every decision has to count. You have to land quickly, read the politics, find the true priorities, and show impact fast while still building a sustainable system behind the scenes.

In this episode, long time marketing leader and fractional strategist Allison Maudlin joins Elana to talk about what it really takes to step into an education company, stabilize the chaos, and create momentum. They dig into how to start when leadership only cares about “more leads now,” where the real low hanging fruit usually hides, and why RFPs are a strategic marketing channel, not just paperwork for sales to handle.

They also get tactical about landing pages, forms, and workflows that quietly kill conversion, how to think about state specific strategy, and why the future of education marketing is people plus AI, not one or the other.

Read the rest of the show notes here.

Mentioned in this episode:

EdTech Planner 2026

Planning a full year of education marketing takes time, and you need a clear path that helps you stay relevant, consistent, and aligned with the moments that matter. Ready to make 2026 your most intentional (and effective!) year yet in education marketing? What The EdTech Marketer’s 2026 Planner helps you do: Focus on what matters most to your brand and audience Plan campaigns around key education events Use proven strategies tailored to K–12 and higher ed Build a system that fuels visibility, engagement, and leads For six years, thousands of education and EdTech marketers have used this planner to guide their yearly campaigns and stay aligned with the school calendar. Download here: https://www.leoniconsultinggroup.com/edtech-marketers-planner

What happens when attention dips before the holiday break, buying cycles heat up for 2025–26 budgets, and your channels keep changing the rules at the same time? You get November, a short, high-leverage month that rewards focus and relationship building.

In this episode, Elana gets tactical. She maps the November mindset for educators, lays out timely moments you can use without feeling gimmicky, and gives specific, platform-by-platform plays you can run this week. She closes with two sharp prompts from LinkedIn that will force you to rethink how you invest in your network and your schedule.

• How to show up with real gratitude that uplifts educators, customers, advocates, and your team
• Why November demands high-utility content and PD that lightens the classroom load
• Timely November moments to use well, World Kindness Day, NaNoWriMo, Thanksgiving, and post-holiday retail windows
• Exactly what to prioritize on Instagram, heavy Reels, created and scheduled in app
• What is actually working on LinkedIn, carousel storytelling, micro frameworks, short visual lessons, plus a reach boost tied to new commenters
• A simple Facebook format that still drives group and page engagement
• How to keep your brand visible while leaders research vendors and set budgets for 2025–26
• Two mindset checks to strengthen your network and your calendar discipline

Access the full episode show notes.

Most education brands know email should be their strongest channel and yet it rarely delivers on its potential. Between inconsistent sends, generic copy, and the pressure to sound “professional,” messages that could build real connection often end up sounding like noise.

Email strategist Liz Wilcox joins Elana to share how education organizations can shift from transactional messaging to meaningful communication. She breaks down why simplicity outperforms polish, how to build trust through steady, human touchpoints, and what the best senders are doing differently in 2025.

She outlines her “follower, friend, customer” framework, a 20-minute approach to writing newsletters that actually get read, and the mindset shift from selling to serving. Liz also explains how a strong onboarding sequence sets the tone for every future interaction—and why owning your mistakes in email can make people trust you more, not less.

If you’ve ever hesitated to hit send or wondered what to say next, this episode will reset how you think about email.

What You’ll Learn

• Why email should be the backbone of your marketing strategy—not an afterthought
• How to turn your list into a community through consistency and simplicity
• The “follower, friend, customer” model for long-term trust and engagement
• The 20-minute newsletter framework that makes authentic communication sustainable
• How to balance professionalism with personality (and why both matter)
• Why transparency, even in mistakes, builds loyalty faster than polish

Access the full show notes.

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What happens when districts set budgets, educators finally breathe after back-to-school, and conferences flood the calendar—all at once? You get October, the single most important month in the education marketing cycle.

In this special solo episode, Elana shares why October is such a pivotal moment for vendors, partners, and school leaders. She breaks down how to support current users, align with budget planning, build your list, and show up at conferences with real value—not just swag. Along the way, she reflects on lessons learned from colleagues like Allison Modlin (on why success is a square, not a line) and Matt Stinson (on why most vendors should stop chasing cold RFPs).

Whether you’re leading sales, marketing, or customer success, this episode will help you focus on what actually matters before the year slips away.

• Why October is the only “full” month left in the calendar year and how to make the most of it
• How to double down on customer success and PD to boost adoption and renewals
• Why aligning sales, marketing, product, and customer success as a “square” matters more than ever
• How budget-setting cycles give you a chance to position your product for 2026 (and beyond)
• Smart ways to use conferences for list-building and relationship-building
• The right (and wrong) way to jump on seasonal or cultural trends
• Why it’s time to prioritize ethical list-building through lead magnets, webinars, and email

In education, timing is everything. October is when educators are ready to deepen usage, district leaders are finalizing budgets, and conferences create endless opportunities for connection. If you miss this window, you risk falling behind on renewals, losing visibility in the budget cycle, and scrambling to catch up in the new year.

Mentioned in this episode:

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What would happen if EdTech stopped chasing features and aligned around two simple goals: postsecondary readiness and clear ROI for districts?

Matthew Kennard, CEO of BetterLesson, joins Elana to unpack how EdTech can move beyond features and usage stats to what really matters: outcomes. He shares his path from finance to education, why accountability is essential for both vendors and leaders, and how outcome-based professional learning can drive real change. Together, they explore the Guskey framework, the need for resilient systems, and what it takes to partner with districts in a time of shrinking budgets and rising expectations.

Whether you’re a founder, a marketer, or a school leader, this conversation will push you to rethink how your work ties back to student outcomes.

What You’ll Learn

• Why EdTech isn’t really B2B, and how that changes the ways we successfully market and sell
• The two outcomes district leaders are truly held accountable for (and how vendors can support them)
• How to use the Guskey framework to evaluate professional learning and product impact
• Practical baby steps for moving toward outcomes-based measurement without a massive budget
• Why building system resiliency matters more than point solutions in times of uncertainty
• How to help district leaders become better storytellers of impact

Why It Matters

Districts are being asked to do more with less, while showing evidence of ROI and preparing every student for a postsecondary pathway. Vendors who only talk features or usage risk being cut. As Matt puts it, our industry has to simplify what matters and hold ourselves accountable to outcomes that truly move the system forward.

Show notes on our website.