Ep. 16: Engaging New Audiences with Community-Generated AI Images

How can we build audiences in our secondary social channels in a meaningful way? That’s what Andrew Cassel, Senior Social Strategist at Middlebury College sought out to answer. He engaged his community in submitting prompts which he then used to generate beautiful AI images. He posted the images on Pinterest, LinkedIn, and other secondary platforms. His results? On the form, 53 prompts were submitted, surpassing his 30 prompt goal. On Pinterest, a 50% audience increase. On LinkedIn, incredibly meaningful engagement with an alumna. While he’s holding on rolling this out more broadly, it’s a great example of how we can do social listening, co-create content with community, and meaningfully grow audiences with one simple tactic.Follow Middlebury College on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/middleburycollege/ Today's Guest: Andrew Cassel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/abcassel/ Guest Bio: Andrew Cassel has been creating and curating social media content for higher ed since 2011. Cassel speaks regularly about social media content including appearances at ContentEd 2021, HigherEd Experts 2018, 2019 and 2020, the American Geophysical Union 2022 annual fall meeting. Cassel was awarded a best in track Red Stapler at the 2017 High Ed Web annual conference and is a five-time winner of Aurora Awards of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of America - Alaska including the 2018 Grand Award of Excellence. In 2019 he was a host for Higher Ed Live - Marketing Live. He is the sole author of the paper “Divesting from Facebook and Instagram”, based on a HEWeb 2022 session, which will be published in the winter 2023 peer reviewed Journal of Education Advancement & Marketing. He is a regular contributor to Volt.edu. Cassel is currently the Senior Social Strategist and Content Producer at Middlebury College. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Dayana Kibildshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dayanakibilds/About The Enrollify Podcast Network:Talking Tactics is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too! Some of our favorites include Mission Admissions and Higher Ed Pulse.Enrollify is made possible by Element451 —  the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.Attend the 2025 Engage Summit! The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register