Getting teachers to open post!

[GrendelsMum]

Sorry to try to pick your brains on here, especially over the holidays.

I've got some material to send out to secondary teachers. It is genuinely useful / important, very much not spam or marketing junk. However, we're worried that the envelopes will get lost in the mass of post.

Is there anything we could do that encourages you to open an envelope, rather than put them to one side? We have the charity's logo on the envelope, for example, and we have a choice of white and brown envelopes.

Get the name of the teacher. Any post not addressed to me personally or with an exam board logo gets relegated to the junk pile and believe me it's a big pile

Oh yeah and the right teacher's name not someone who was acting head of department five years ago. That still makes it's way to me too.

You definitely need the name of teacher that you want to read the information. Even if it says 'head of maths' they will think its junk.

I doubt if any teacher opens post not personally addressed. Even then, many delegate to the office and trust them to filter appropriately. And trust me, a charity logo won't stand out amongst the crowd.

I can only suggest you emblazon the envelope with something that will genuinely invite interest.

Good luck.

Sorry, but no matter what you do or how important it is, it will be opened next to the bin and 'filed' appropriately unless it is of immediate relevance.

What is it?

Hmm, okay! Sounds like the view is pretty universal on this one. We need to get as many teachers' names as possible.

I'm don't want to out myself, but it's a teaching resource of a type we know is very popular and on a core curriculum topic.

We were going to contact teachers via our e-mail list and let them know to watch out for it?

Stick a free pen in it, I always open the stuff with free pens in !!

You demanding lot!

email is useful, but the problem as a teacher is that there are dozens of new, exciting initiatives that get stuck in your pigeon hole every week. Especially if you head a core subject.
So with your plate already stacked high with must-do tasks, avoiding opening an unnecessary envelope can mean you don't add to the already insane stack.
You may think your stuff is invaluable, but it still needs assessing by a member of staff, if it is useful, working out where it will fit in and how it impact on the learning.

True - I have to admit that a lot of the things that land on my desk get the quick once over and then head to the recycling bin.

IME schools get hundreds of marketing emails - an email telling a teacher more marketing stuff is on the way would be deleted without reading.

The only post certain to get opened is a plain, hand-written envelope personally addressed and marked private and confidential. Even then, if it contains obvious brochures/marketing materials it will go straight in the bin, unless the offer is very eye-catching and interesting to the individual. Sorry!

If it's relevant we'll use it, if it's not we'll bin it. Whether you put it in a white or brown envelope won't make any difference. Sorry!

I chuck everything in the bin unless it has the exam board logo on it, or looks like it might be an interesting course with a nice lunch.

Most stuff doesn't even get opened.

YY to free pen! Or reward stickers, or post-it notes.

I open everything I get, because not a lot comes my way!

I think you should be trying to meet as many teachers as you can. Phone offices and ask for appointments with 'the Head of Maths' or whatever. Then treat every appointment as Dragons Den, including bringing freebies.

That is what it would take to get me to buy your product.

Also go to shows. Teachers there are off duty so more relaxed and some lucky buggers might have the school credit card in their pocket!

Or pitch it to NQTs and their training days. They are always bursting with enthusiasm and positivity and seem to be good at opening post too.

Add a note saying there are free post it notes inside. It may not get to the teacher but it will get opened

Thanks very much - I really appreciate all your thoughts. I'll do my best to put them into practice, and will definitely look at the free post-its and free pens for the future!

Is whatever you're offering free? If not, it goes straight in the recycling. No money in my school for new initiatives, no matter how amazing.

Also, how much of the teacher's time will it take up? Consider when you send it out - first week back, everyone is madly busy, so unlikely to have time to give it proper attention. Three or four weeks in, people are potentially a bit more settled. I tend to open post at breaktime, so will go through things with a coffee and then bin anything not important. If my head is already full of stuff, I will give it less time.

I will third free pen.

add
memory stick and lanyard.

correctly spelt name.

Link to free resource online if you email. Put 'free resource' in subject line. And make sure it's appropriate for the KS as well.
Tired of receiving free stuff for KS2 when my colleagues at the feeder schools don't get sent anything.