Open Day Marketing for Schools: A Six-Week Countdown

An open day is the most valuable marketing event a school runs. It is also the one most likely to be promoted in the final fortnight, with a flurry of posts and a rushed email. The schools that fill the room, and then convert the room, plan backwards from the date.

Here is the six-week countdown we use as a starting point. Adjust it to your own calendar, but keep the order.

Six weeks out: get the foundations right

•      Set a target for sign-ups, not just attendance. Know how many families you want in the room and how many you want to register afterwards.

•      Build a dedicated open day page with one clear call to action. Dates, times, what to expect and a booking form that takes under a minute on a phone.

•      Check tracking. Every sign-up should be attributable to a source, so you know what worked.

Five weeks out: announce, then tell families what is in it for them

Announce to your existing community first: current parents, nursery and prep school contacts, and your enquiry list. Parents who have already enquired are the warmest audience you have and are often forgotten.

Say what the visit will actually be like. "Meet the head, see lessons in action, talk to current pupils and parents, and walk away knowing whether your child would thrive here" is more persuasive than "come and see our beautiful campus".

Four weeks out: switch on paid and search

This is the point to run targeted search and social campaigns around the area and the age groups you need. Keep them narrow. A modest budget aimed at the right postcodes and year groups will beat a broad one.

Make sure your Google Business Profile shows the event, and that the school's page answers the questions families are asking AI tools: fees, entry points, what makes you different. Where you show children in campaign imagery, keep to your safeguarding approach.

Three weeks out: give people a reason to book now

Send a second email with a human voice. A short note from the head or admissions registrar, or a short video from a member of staff, works better than a polished graphic. Introduce one or two real people families will meet on the day.

Two weeks out: remove every barrier

•      Add parking, travel and accessibility information.

•      Offer an option for families who cannot attend, such as a private tour or a virtual session.

•      Send reminders by email and, where you have permission, by text.

The week of: prepare the experience

Brief every member of staff who will speak to parents. The best open days feel warm and unrehearsed, and that takes preparation. Decide in advance who greets, who follows up and how names and contact details are captured. Make it easy for a parent to say "yes, I would like to register" before they have left the building.

The day after: this is where registrations are won

The follow-up matters more than the event. Within 24 hours, send a personal thank-you with the next step: a registration link, a personal tour, a conversation with the head. A week later, follow up again with something useful, such as a short guide to the admissions process or a sibling-friendly open event.

If you only improve one thing, make it this. Many schools put weeks into the lead-up and then send a generic email with no clear next step.

What to review afterwards

Within a fortnight, look at attendance against your target, source of each sign-up, how many visitors went on to register, and what families said they liked or wanted more of. Put those notes somewhere you will find them next year.

Want a second pair of eyes on your school's marketing? Book a discovery call with Pulse and we will tell you plainly where the quickest wins are.