The Problem
Being Second Best Is Only a Problem If Nobody Knows You’re First at Something Else.
A well-regarded Denver private school was ranked second in the city. The brand was strong, the academics were excellent, but press coverage wasn’t reflecting what made the school genuinely different. And without earned media, the school was relying on its reputation alone to close the gap.
The Work
I Recognized a Story Because I Had Spent Years Looking for Them.
The school had quietly given a student permission to design their own curriculum through a self-directed learning experiment. It was an unusual, human story about trust, education philosophy, and what happens when you get out of a kid’s way. I recognized it as exactly the kind of story NPR looks for — specific, counterintuitive, and bigger than the school itself.
I helped write the pitch letter, drawing on years of journalism experience to frame the story the way an editor would want to receive it. Not as a school promotion. As a story about a kid and an idea.
The best press isn’t bought. It’s earned.
The strategic shift behind the work
The Outcome
National Coverage. No Media Budget Required.
The NPR story elevated the school’s profile beyond Denver’s private school market. It increased interest in the school and gave admissions a proof point that no paid campaign could manufacture — independent, national validation of what made the school worth choosing.
National NPR coverage secured at no cost. Story reached an audience no paid media budget was targeting.