We mapped why students stop progressing at every stage of the funnel. Then we use behavioral and motivational science to build a GuidePost for each reason, and test them against a randomized holdout.
From sending a transcript to re-enrolling, we mapped the actions students have to complete at each stage, and why they stop. Every GuidePost starts with one of them. Open a stage to see its list.
No separate action. It comes through in the affirmations we use at every stage.
Every stage also gets positive affirmations, on top of these 83 actions.
Every GuidePost pairs two things: a motivational principle (the reason a student would act) and a behavioral strategy (how the message asks). There are 9 principles and 14 strategies. Pick a student to see the pair we’d use.
One of the 5 started application actions from step one, under Application.
One of the 22 first-year retention actions from step one, under Campus support.
One of the 21 second-year retention actions from step one, under Getting started.
One of the 15 stop-out recovery actions from step one, under Enrollment steps.
Cognitive dissonance. Closing the gap between stated goals and current action.
Concrete expressions of care. Specific, human signals that someone is paying attention.
Self-efficacy. Belief that effort will succeed: “I can actually finish this.”
Attribution. Setbacks read as fixable circumstances, not personal failure.
Urgency. Time pressure on a specific deadline.
Reminders & tips. Timely nudges that remove friction.
Tiny habits. One small, easy step right now.
Reframing. A missed term becomes a fresh start.
We tag every message this way, so the holdout shows which pairings work at which stage.
We tag every message this way, so the holdout shows which pairings work at which stage.
We tag every message this way, so the holdout shows which pairings work at which stage.
We tag every message this way, so the holdout shows which pairings work at which stage.
GuidePost draws on decades of research into why students act, stall and persist. It was originated by a behavioral science PhD and is now built into the platform, our team’s training and our playbooks, so the method holds no matter who runs your campaign.
Average effect of motivation interventions in education, across 74 studies. Roughly half a standard deviation.
Lazowski & Hulleman, “Motivation Interventions in Education: A Meta-Analytic Review,” Review of Educational Research, 2016.
That’s the research base. Our own results are measured separately, against your holdout.
GuidePost tags make every campaign a test of which principles and strategies work, at which stage, for which students.
Holdout results show which principles and strategies move each stage, and where playbooks need to shift.
Every asset is stored with its tags, so proven creative can be reused and remixed fast.
Past results point to the pairings most likely to work for a school like yours before launch.
More campaigns, more holdout data, sharper first drafts for every partner.
Pick one audience and one goal: submitted applications, deposits, fall registration. We run it against a 5% holdout and show you the lift.
