I’m involved in a business. How do I advertise on Classlist?

There are multiple sponsorship options on Classlist. You can get in touch with us at advertise@classlist.com and we will help you decide which option is right for you, or you can use the self service option by creating your account from the link below.

Create an Account

From a computer, please visit https://app.classlist.com/business/#/ to create your account (sorry this isn't available on mobile yet). This takes less than a minute. After completing your business details you will be transferred to the “Your Campaigns” page.

NB: We offer a paid ads service. Classlist users are not permitted to use any of the parent communication channels as a platform to promote goods and services outside of this. See our terms and conditions for more details.

How do I set up a Campaign?

Once your account is ready you can create as many campaigns as you want. The first step is to name your campaign - we suggest using your business name followed by the date and the description of your target sector, for example “Yaleminster Vets February 2020 Local Schools”. Once you have named your campaign you need to select your business sector from the drop down list. Most advertisers fall into one sector, but if your business has different strands which you wish to cover in one campaign, you can select all that apply. Accurate sector selection matters because Classlist advertising is exclusive - only one advertiser per sector is permitted at each school.

Once your campaign is set up, you can select your target schools; choose your campaign duration; upload your artwork; and pay to have your campaign go live. You can then modify and update your campaign materials, and access performance reports whenever you wish.

How do I select schools to advertise on?

In the Select Schools section you type in an area, street address or postcode (not the school name), then select a search radius. A map will then show all schools using Classlist in this area which have good parent activity levels. Schools which are available for advertising are shown in green. Schools which are not available due to all slots taken, or where your sector has already been booked by another advertiser, are shown in purple. Schools which are full today can free up tomorrow. If you wish to be notified about particular schools please email us at advertise@classlist.com.

If you wish to add schools from multiple locations, select your first set of schools and then add them to your basket. Then chose another area on the map, select more schools, and again add these schools to your basket. Your growing list of schools is shown in your basket. You can delete any which you don’t need.

As a special bonus, once your campaign is live, we automatically check nearby schools each week to see if they have advertising slots available. If they do, these “bonus” schools may be added, at no cost, to your campaign. If you don’t wish to take advantage of this, and only want your ads displayed on your selected schools, please contact us at advertise@classlist.com. We can also assist once your campaign is live if you wish to modify your selected schools, or add more.

How does Classlist offer sector exclusivity?

Advertising on Classlist is on a sector exclusive basis to avoid two businesses which compete directly with other advertising on the same school at the same time.

Once an advertiser has selected a school and paid for their advertising slot other competitors are not permitted to advertise on this school.

When you review the School Map you can see which schools are full or have already been taken by businesses in your sector.

Creating your advert

You need five elements to build your ad:

1. A landscape image in 4:3 format (or 620 x 400 pixels) in png or jpeg format. It is important not to cram this with too much detail or text - we recommend a minimum 24 font size. You can also add your logo or message to this image. There are several examples of ads on the dashboard - one is shown below. In general, simpler is always better for your image and text design.
2. Text highlighting your offer (to go above your ad), with a limit of 140 characters (including spaces).
3. Your logo, in a format suitable for display inside a small circle. This circular format is widely used on social media sites (for example Facebook).
4. A URL link to your website, which must start with “https://”. URLs which start with “www.” or “http://” are not sufficiently secure and we will not be able to link to them.
5. Text for a Call to Action button. The default text is “View More”. You can modify this text as you wish, with a 20 character limit including spaces.

Once you have entered these elements you can view your ad on the “Preview & Payment” screen, or on by clicking “Show Preview” for each campaign on the “My Campaigns” dashboard. Your ad may occasionally be shown on webpages without the accompanying text, so incorporating a message or logo into the landscape design can be helpful. You can every element of your design at any time, at no charge.

If you want to experiment with different designs and text, the simplest way is to set up a couple of different campaigns and test what looks good. Strong simple messages are much better than trying to explain everything in 12 font typeface. Once you are happy with you can continue to the Preview and Payment final section.

Content obviously does need to be appropriate for the school/parent audience! You have control of your sponsorship and we can update your artwork whenever you like in order to keep it fresh and relevant for the audience.  

One optional extra, currently offered at no additional charge, is the Instant Enquiry Form. Once a parent clicks on your advert, a form pops up asking if they would like more info. If they click again to consent to you emailing them in compliance with GDPR, we forward you their name and email. You are then free to follow up with this parent, which we recommend you do as soon as possible. Their contact details will be sent to the email address shown on your advertiser profile. If you wish to take advantage of the Instant Enquiry Form you need to provide a link to your Privacy Notice, so that parents can review this if they wish.

Classlist does not share parent contact details with sponsors without their consent.

How much does Classlist advertising cost?

Our pricing is related to how many parents use the app at the schools you want to reach and how long a campaign you want to run.

The longer the campaign, and the more parents you want to get in front of, the lower the average price per parent.

Email Advertise@classlist.com  with the type of campaign you're looking to run e.g. junior/senior schools, location of schools etc and the team will be happy to talk through which schools would fit your needs and the corresponding prices for those schools.

Paying for your Ad

You pay for your Classlist campaign online, using Paypal or credit card. Your ad is then submitted for approval and you won’t be able to edit it. A Classlist staff member then needs to approve your ad, which generally happens within a few hours. Your ad will then be live!

How does my ad appear to parents?

Parents access Classlist via our app. Depending on their notification preferences they also receive daily and/or weekly emails and digests summarising what is happening on their school site.  It is clear to parent members when a sponsor has put an ad on Classlist, as they look different to parent messages. Classlist emails have a 40% open rate with some schools reaching 70%.

For each school that you select, your advert:

1. will appear as an in app banner when parents access Classlist through desktop or tablet.
2. will be integrated as a sponsored post within the Classlist activity stream on the app.
3. will be integrated as an email banner within the content in the weekly and daily parent digests and other email communications.

In all three locations users can click to link straight through to your corporate website.

Only seven advertisers are permitted in each school using these formats. Ads are picked at random so your ad will appear when selected for each format.

How can I review my performance and change my ad?

We will provide you with regular reports on the effectiveness of your campaign. Your “My Campaigns” dashboard has a reports section where you can review your overall company performance and update your ad.

We recommend refreshing your image at least once per month. Once you have submitted an update your existing ad will continue until your new advert is approved by a Classlist staff member. If you wish to modify your selected schools or select additional schools, please contact advertise@classlist.com.