Most early-stage EdTech companies build in a familiar order: product first, sales next, marketing whenever there's budget left over. It's an understandable instinct in a sector where school budgets are tight and every dollar needs to prove itself quickly. But that order also means many companies spend years chasing the credibility they could have built from day one.

Karen Borchert, founder and CEO of Alpaca, a school culture and teacher retention platform, took the opposite approach. When she started the company four years ago, her first hire wasn't an engineer or a salesperson. It was a marketing leader, brought on the payroll before Borchert herself was. That decision has shaped how Alpaca has grown into a trusted name among school leaders with a small team and a category that didn't fit neatly into anyone's existing playbook.

The conversation traces how that early bet on marketing played out: a listening-first culture that shaped Alpaca's brand before it ever built software, a resource library that earned trust with principals long before any sales conversation began, and the hard lessons about when long-term brand building needs to give way to a more direct sales motion.

What You’ll Learn

• Why Alpaca's founder hired a marketing leader before she was even on payroll, and what that decision signaled about how the company planned to grow
• How a "listen first" approach, including days spent interviewing educators for what became a book-length story, shaped Alpaca's brand and messaging from the start
• Why earning trust with school principals meant giving away complete, standalone value, like a full resource library, instead of gated previews of the product
• How pairing every resource download with CRM data turned free content into a warm, ready-to-call sales pipeline
• Why Alpaca initially avoided conferences, and what changed once the team started booking meetings on the spot instead of just showing up with a booth
• How keeping marketing and sales leaders working side by side, rather than in separate lanes, kept both teams aligned as the company scaled

Why it Matters

Most EdTech marketers are told to prove ROI fast, which often means marketing gets treated as something to add later, once there's revenue to defend it. Alpaca's experience complicates that narrative. Every dollar the company put into brand and listening before it had a sales team became the foundation that made later sales conversations easier, not a distraction from them. For marketers working with tight budgets and skeptical school buyers, the lesson isn't to skip short-term tactics like conferences or paid outreach. It's to recognize that the trust those tactics eventually convert depends on credibility built well before anyone asks for a demo.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Alpaca Resources Hub
• Free downloadable resources created for school leaders and educators, including the staff recognition and culture-building tools referenced throughout the episode.
• The School Culture Report 2026
• Referenced during the discussion of educator wellbeing, leadership confidence, and school culture trends.
• The Secret to Sales & Marketing Success? A Shared Revenue Mindset
• The earlier LCG episode with Dan O'Reilly that Elana references when talking about sales and marketing working in lockstep.
• Little Wins Newsletter
• Alpaca's weekly newsletter for school leaders, the same low-lift, high-trust channel Karen described building from 200 subscribers to thousands.
• Alpaca
• Karen's company site.
• Karen Borchert on Substack (Team Letter)
• Karen's real-time chronicle of building Alpaca, referenced when Elana points listeners to it for more of her story.
• Karen Borchert on LinkedIn

There is a real tension building in K-12 right now. The "no screens" conversation that started with cell phone bans has moved into legislative territory, with 17 states introducing screen time bills in 2026 alone and four already enacting laws that go beyond phones to target district-issued devices and classroom technology directly. If your product sells into schools, this is no longer a trend to monitor. It is a business reality to plan around.

At the same time, summer is not a selling season, and pretending otherwise is a fast way to lose trust with the educators and administrators you need on your side come fall. The question is not whether to show up in July. It is how to show up in a way that actually serves the people already using your product and the ones about to start.

This field notes episode covers what is moving fast right now: the legislative landscape around EdTech and screens, what smart marketing looks like in a non-buying season, what is working on LinkedIn this summer, and a few posts from district leaders and educators worth paying close attention to.

What You’ll Learn

1️⃣ Why the no-screens movement has moved from conversation to legislation

What started as cell phone bans has expanded into bills targeting district-issued devices and classroom technology in 17 states in 2026 alone. For EdTech companies, this is no longer a sentiment issue. It is a product positioning and sales reality that requires a clear, proactive stance.

2️⃣ What smart marketing actually looks like in a non-buying season

July is not a selling window, but that does not mean going quiet. The brands that show up well right now are shifting into implementation and support mode, meeting educators where they are and building the kind of trust that converts when procurement opens back up.

3️⃣ Why LinkedIn carousels are one of the biggest underused opportunities right now

Carousel posts make up less than 5% of content on LinkedIn and still drive some of the highest reach and engagement of any post format. The bar for standing out is low, and the data-backed best practices are straightforward.

Why It Matters

Education marketers are heading into one of the most complex back-to-school seasons in recent memory. Legislation is reshaping what schools can buy and use. Budgets are tighter. Educators are more skeptical of vendor outreach than ever. And AI is changing how content gets surfaced and who gets trusted as a credible voice in the space.

Showing up in July with the same playbook as the rest of the year is not just ineffective. It signals that you do not understand how schools actually operate. The marketers who will be in the best position come fall are the ones using this window to support, listen, and build credibility in ways that compound over time.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Screen Time Legislation Tracker (Claire Hollenbeck) and Clare Harrison
• A free tracker of screen time and device legislation across all 50 states, built by the co-founders of AlchemyK12. As of June 2026, 42 states have enacted phone laws or policies and 17 states have introduced screen time legislation this year alone.
• Elana Leoni on the screen time debate
• Elana's own take on the no-screens movement, including what EdTech companies should be doing proactively to get ahead of it.
• Andy Marcinek on LinkedIn
• Referenced for his framing of the critical questions educators and companies should be asking about technology in the classroom: Why is this tool here? Are students creating or consuming? What did the screen actually cost and what did it add?
• The SAMR Model (Edutopia)
• A widely used framework for evaluating how technology augments or transforms learning. Referenced as a useful lens for understanding when and how technology adds real value in the classroom.
• Amos Fodchuk on LinkedIn: AI Adoption Gap
• Shared a graph from Microsoft's AI Diffusion report showing that AI usage in metropolitan counties (32.9%) is nearly double that of rural counties (16.2%). A critical equity signal for EdTech marketers.
• Kip Glazer on LinkedIn
• School principal and author of Lead with AI, referenced for her honest post about the complexity of school leadership, inherited tech stacks, and the resistance leaders face when trying to make change.
• Kyle Brumbaugh repost: Build Products Our Agents Can Use
• A post from Chris Hagel, CIO at Peninsula School District, about why the future of EdTech is not more chatbots but district-owned agents that coordinate safely across every system a district runs. A signal vendors should not ignore.
• Richard van der Blom / Just Connecting HUB
• Referenced for his LinkedIn algorithm report and the three-positive-signals framework for social selling. Elana cites him as her go-to authority on growing reach and engagement intentionally on LinkedIn.
• Richard Moore on LinkedIn
• Founder of The Art of Sales community, referenced for his practical approach to social selling. Note: please confirm this is the correct LinkedIn handle.
• Connect with Elana: LinkedIn | Have a question or topic you'd like covered? DM Elana directly.

Selling into schools is rarely as straightforward as most teams expect.

District leaders are navigating competing priorities, long approval cycles, staffing challenges, and increasing pressure to justify every decision. At the same time, EdTech companies are trying to build trust, move deals forward, and prove their value in a crowded market.

Nancy Livingston, CEO of the National Summer School Initiative (NSSI), joins Elana for an honest conversation about what actually drives K-12 purchasing decisions and why so many organizations misunderstand the realities of selling into education.

Drawing from experience on both sides of the table, Nancy shares what surprised her most after moving from district leadership into sales, where deals typically stall, and why trust-building looks very different in education than in other industries.

The conversation explores the tension between empathy and momentum, the hidden complexity of procurement, and the role marketing plays in helping districts feel informed, confident, and ready to move forward.

If your team is trying to better understand how decisions really happen inside schools, this episode offers a grounded look at the process behind the partnership.

What You’ll Learn

• Why K-12 sales cycles are far more complex and relationship-driven than most teams expect
• How empathy, trust, and timing shape whether deals move forward or stall out
• Why the status quo is often a stronger competitor than another vendor
• What district leaders actually look for before committing to a partnership
• How procurement, funding structures, and internal approvals quietly influence decision-making
• The role marketing plays in building credibility long before a sales conversation begins

Why it Matters

Too many organizations approach education sales as a faster-moving commercial process. But school systems do not make decisions in isolation, and they rarely move quickly without trust, alignment, and internal clarity.

Nancy’s perspective is a valuable reminder that successful partnerships are built through patience, responsiveness, and a real understanding of how districts operate. For marketers especially, this shifts the work away from pushing urgency and toward creating the kind of credibility and education that helps decisions move forward over time.

Hello, World!

Most education brands know email should be their strongest channel and yet it rarely delivers on its potential. Between inconsistent sends, generic copy, and the pressure to sound “professional,” messages that could build real connection often end up sounding like noise.

Email strategist Liz Wilcox joins Elana to share how education organizations can shift from transactional messaging to meaningful communication. She breaks down why simplicity outperforms polish, how to build trust through steady, human touchpoints, and what the best senders are doing differently.

She outlines her “follower, friend, customer” framework, a 20-minute approach to writing newsletters that actually get read, and the mindset shift from selling to serving. Liz also explains how a strong onboarding sequence sets the tone for every future interaction—and why owning your mistakes in email can make people trust you more, not less.

If you’ve ever hesitated to hit send or wondered what to say next, this episode will reset how you think about email.

What You’ll Learn

• Why email should be the backbone of your marketing strategy—not an afterthought
• How to turn your list into a community through consistency and simplicity
• The “follower, friend, customer” model for long-term trust and engagement
• The 20-minute newsletter framework that makes authentic communication sustainable
• How to balance professionalism with personality (and why both matter)
• Why transparency, even in mistakes, builds loyalty faster than polish

Quick Wins from the Lightning Round

• Short, conversational subject lines outperform everything else
• The best send time is whenever you’ll actually send—consistency matters most
• Always use a P.S., it’s prime real estate
• Keep stories short and useful
• Stop overcomplicating; simple emails build trust faster

Why It Matters

The difference between noise and connection isn’t design or frequency; it’s trust. Liz reminds us that effective email marketing comes from showing up consistently, sounding like a real person, and making every message worth opening. When we stop chasing perfection and start focusing on relationships, email becomes less of a tactic and more of a long-term advantage.

There’s a shift happening in how technology is being talked about in education.

Questions around screen time, student well-being, and the role of EdTech are becoming more visible. At the same time, educators are still navigating the day-to-day reality of using these tools to support learning, manage time, and stay effective in the classroom.

That tension is creating a more layered conversation.

Elana Leoni sits down with educator, author, and Ditch That Textbook founder Matt Miller, a voice that resonates widely with teachers and regularly collaborates with education brands. Together, they unpack what is actually happening beneath the surface, from how teachers want to be supported to how technology and AI are showing up in real classrooms.

The conversation centers on a core question that continues to evolve. What is the true role of EdTech, and how do we ensure it stays grounded in teacher and student learning?

There’s a noticeable shift happening in how technology is being talked about in education.

What used to be a more measured conversation about tradeoffs and use is starting to move in a broader direction. In some cases, the conversation is moving faster than the reality inside classrooms, where educators are still figuring out how to use tools in thoughtful, practical ways.

That gap is becoming more visible.

At the same time, marketers are navigating a different kind of shift. AI is changing how content is surfaced and cited, and social media is starting to influence how professionals are discovered and evaluated in new ways.

In this field notes episode, Elana Leoni shares what she is seeing across both of these dynamics. She brings in perspectives from educators, connects them to what marketers should be paying attention to, and offers practical guidance on how to navigate this moment with more clarity and intention.

The episode show notes: http://leoniconsultinggroup.com/podcast

Jordan Moldenhauer

March 26, 2026

There is a growing gap between how education is marketed to and how it is actually experienced inside schools.

Leaders are navigating full days that require constant context switching, balancing relationships with students and teachers, operational demands, and long-term decisions about tools and systems.

At the same time, marketers and vendors are trying to break through with messages about value, innovation, and now, AI.

In this episode, Elana Leoni sits down with Chris Lehmann, founding principal of Science Leadership Academy, to ground that gap in reality. Chris shares what his day actually looks like, how he evaluates vendors, where marketing efforts fall apart, and what earns his attention over time. The conversation then moves into AI, where the tension between possibility and risk is not theoretical. It is showing up daily in classrooms, policies, and conversations about integrity.

This episode is a candid look at what it means to engage education leaders in a way that is useful, honest, and sustainable.

Explore the rest of the episode show notes here.

Mentioned in this episode:

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Education marketing often feels like two different worlds moving at once. The technology ecosystem shifts quickly, with AI tools introducing new ways for expertise to be discovered and trusted. At the same time, schools move on an entirely different rhythm shaped by academic calendars, testing seasons, and budget cycles.

For marketers in this space, success rarely comes from chasing every new tactic. It comes from understanding the signals that actually shape decisions inside schools.

In this “Field Notes” episode of All Things Marketing and Education, Elana Leoni reflects on several signals that have surfaced recently across AI, email marketing, and the education buying cycle. The discussion explores what LinkedIn’s role in AI responses may mean for professional authority, why unsubscribes are healthier for email programs than many teams assume, and how the spring portion of the school year affects marketing priorities.

Review the show notes: www.leoniconsultinggroup.com/podcasts/rai-signals-email-myths-and-spring-edtech

2 education has always required a different kind of sales approach. Long buying cycles. Multiple stakeholders. Deep accountability to students, families, and communities. But the environment today feels more measured than it did just a few years ago. District leaders are scrutinizing spend, thinking carefully about sustainability, and asking harder questions about long-term impact.

We are not operating in the same ESSER-funded landscape that allowed for rapid pilots and flexible experimentation. Funding conversations now center on justification, alignment, and durability. AI may be accelerating attention, but caution is shaping decisions.

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education, Elana Leoni sits down with Shelby Jones of FuelK12 to explore what that shift means for education sales and marketing teams. They unpack ghosting, budget objections, the tension between depth and scale, and the structural misalignment that often exists between marketing and sales. The conversation stays practical, focused on what actually builds trust inside districts right now.

See the resources and show notes here.

Education marketing is getting squeezed from both sides. Buyers are moving slower and asking for more proof, while the marketing landscape is moving faster than most teams can realistically track. AI is changing how people search and evaluate credibility. Conferences are still a major growth channel, but they are expensive and hard to measure. And social platforms keep rewriting the rules midstream.

In this solo “Field Notes” episode, Elana Leoni surfaces practical signals from the last few weeks across AI, conferences, K–12 funding, and social media. The throughline is focus. What matters now is less about chasing every update, and more about building a marketing system that can hold up in a noisy, high-scrutiny, high-stakes category.

Link to the episode show notes.