A family interview guide is a structured set of recorded conversations with local parents, including families who applied and chose another school, that shows what drives enrollment decisions and gives you the language to market to them.
HEEDGROUP ran this process for a network of schools where one campus was recruiting new families more slowly than the others. The schools were similar, so the enrollment team could not tell whether the issue was the campus, the neighborhood, or the message. We interviewed families, recorded every conversation, reported back to the enrollment team, and wrote advertising copy from the parents' own words. This guide gives you the same steps.
Download the Family Interview Guide (PDF)
What we found
Aftercare and children feeling safe were non-negotiable for every family we interviewed. We have found that the factors families rank highest are often the ones a school's marketing mentions last. Interviews with families who said no showed the gap fastest, because they could name exactly what they were weighing.
Step 1: Build the screener
Recruit two groups: families registered in similar neighborhoods to the school, and families who applied and chose another school. Screen on these points.
- Lives within the school's target neighborhoods
- Has a child at or near the entry grade
- Was the primary decision maker in choosing a school
- Applied to your school, or considered it, in the last 18 months
- Chose another school or has not enrolled (for the second group)
Aim for 8 to 12 interviews. We have found that the themes repeat well before the last conversation.
Step 2: Ask these 14 questions
The first eleven cover the decision, the words that drew families in, and where they did their research. The last three cover the teacher, the facilities, and the school's communication, which families often rate as separate reasons to enroll or to leave.
- Walk me through how you started looking for a school for your child.
- What did you want your child's school day to look like, start to finish?
- What did you need from the hours after the school day ends?
- When you picture your child feeling safe at school, what do you see?
- Which schools did you seriously consider, and what put them on the list?
- What words or phrases made you want to take a closer look at our school?
- Where did you go to learn more about us, and about the other schools you considered?
- What was the one thing that tipped your decision?
- What almost changed your mind?
- If a friend asked you to describe the right school in one sentence, what would you say?
- What would you want a school to tell you that no school has told you yet?
- What matters most to you in your child's teacher, and what did you learn about the teachers at our school?
- What did you think of the school's facilities, and what would you have wanted to see?
- How happy were you with the communication you received from the school, and what would you change?
For families who chose another school, add: "What would our school have needed to offer for it to be your first choice?"
Step 3: Schedule, record, and run the interviews
Keep each interview to 30 to 45 minutes. Offer evening and weekend slots, and ask each parent for permission to record. We recorded every interview, and we recommend you do the same. The recordings give you a record of the actual conversation, so no finding depends on someone's notes or memory. Ask follow-ups on any answer that names a feeling, such as "tell me more about what safe means for you." Send a thank-you note within a day.
Step 4: Report back to the enrollment team
Sort every comment into themes and count how many families raised each one. Present the top three themes with direct quotes, then list what the school already offers that matches each theme. Report separately on teachers, facilities, and communication, because each one points to a different fix. Tally where families did their research, such as search, social media, word of mouth, the school's website, or a tour, because that list tells you where your ads need to run. Share the recordings with the team so they can hear parents say it in their own voices. The gap between what families ask for and what the marketing says is your messaging brief.
Step 5: Turn parents' words into ad copy
Use this worksheet for each top theme. The PDF includes a printable version.
- Theme: the need families named
- Their words: three verbatim quotes, pulled from the recordings
- Repeated phrases: words or phrases at least three families used, including the ones that made them look at the school
- Proof from our school: the program, policy, or story that answers the need
- Headline draft: built from a repeated phrase, in a parent's voice
- Where it runs: the channels families said they used for research
- Test: read it to a parent in the neighborhood and ask if it sounds like them
Copy built this way sounds like the families you want to reach, because the language came from families like them.
When to run this
Run it when one location lags the others, before a rebrand, or ahead of an enrollment season campaign. It works for any organization that wins customers through a considered decision.
Not used, deliberately
We left out surveys and online reviews. Surveys limit answers to the choices you wrote, and reviews skip the families who never enrolled.
Frequently asked questions
What is a family interview guide?
It is a screener, a set of interview questions, a reporting method, and a copy worksheet for learning what families want from a school and turning their language into marketing.
How many family interviews do we need?
We recommend 8 to 12 interviews across enrolled, prospective, and non-enrolling families in the same neighborhoods.
Why interview families who chose another school?
They can name the exact reason they said no, which is the fastest way to find the gap in your message.
What should we ask families about the school?
Ask about the school day, aftercare, safety, the teacher, the facilities, the school's communication, the words that made them look at your school, and where they did their research.
Should we record the interviews?
Yes, with each parent's permission. A recording gives you the actual conversation to return to, supplies exact quotes for ad copy, and lets your team hear the families directly.
Can HEEDGROUP run this for us?
Yes. HEEDGROUP handles the screener, recruiting, scheduling, interviews, every recording, the report, and the ad copy through our Audience and Market Research service.