Labster came to Sterling for assistance in taking their interactive virtual laboratory simulations for science gateway courses to a new level of visibility within the educational technology (edtech) industry. The trend for virtual delivery of classroom coursework was supercharged in the post-pandemic period and presented an opportunity to extend the Labster footprint in North America, enabled by the closure of a $47M funding round.
The Sterling playbook? Focusing on a few tried-and-true public relations activities for building the Labster brand while making the budget stretch. The key is steady tactical execution: 1. content cadence; 2. awards applications; 3. influencer relations; and 4. regular announcements.
Creating compelling content
Sterling’s expert content team were able to pull multiple narratives from a discovery conversation with Labster’s thought leaders and spin their insights into nine published articles in a two-year period, including in key edtech media such as EdTech Digest, eCampus News, and eSchoolNews, as well as Forbes. These opinion pieces helped Labster demonstrate involvement in topical conversations around STEM, gamification, the metaverse, artificial intelligence, and the hybrid classroom.
Gathering accolades
Third-party validation bolsters messaging by providing evidence-based assessments of the effectiveness of the technology in real-world educational settings. The robust awards program Sterling spearheaded helped Labster achieve 24 industry “best of” designations, including winner or finalist placements in more than a dozen competitions run by TIME Magazine, Tech4Good, EdTech Digest, EdTechX, The Edvocate, Bett UK, EdTech Breakthrough, and others. Sterling’s expertise at crafting a compelling application built results over time, with Labster increasingly appearing on the lists of “top edtech companies” in industry blogs and in feature articles in media outlets such as Scientific Inquirer and GovTech.
Involving influencers
An award logo alone is not enough to convince educators, administrators, and journalists jaded by years of edtech vendor claims. Tapping into Labster’s vast user database, Sterling secured a joint interview on the MyEdTechLife podcast for a Labster expert with an enthusiastic high school teacher. Sterling also leveraged Labster-focused university research for announcements and media outreach, and even identified unaligned professors and edtech thought leaders to participate in Labster webinars.
Sending signals to the market
Maintaining a consistent announcement cadence is vital for startups. Sterling supported Labster in producing 31 announcements in two years, showcasing milestones, innovations, and partnerships that established positive momentum and attracted attention from current and prospective customers and investors.
The Sterling PR playbook put Labster in the sightline of important influencers in edtech, garnering the attention of venture capitalists and journalists alike. As a result, Business Insider named Labster to its list of the 25 most promising edtech startups, and TIME Magazine included Labster in its list of the World’s Top Edtech Companies.
Verbatim
“Sterling has been an invaluable partner and has really helped us bump up Labster to a new level of industry recognition. They are dogged in their proactive identification and pursuit of media opportunities and edtech influencer relationships that they feel could benefit us. I value their advice and enjoy our positive working relationship.”
— April Ondis, Senior Director of Corporate Communications, Labster