Changing the College Conversation — One Reel at a Time

Let’s be honest: the way we talk about college has been stuck in the past. Stats, slogans, and one-size-fits-all promises just aren’t cutting through anymore. Students are skeptical. Parents are cautious. The vibe? Uncertain.

So when NASH (National Association of Higher Education Systems) teamed up with Good Rebellion for round two of the College Is Worth It campaign (CIWI 2), the mission was clear: flip the script.

And we did — with stories, not stats. Real people. Real platforms. Real talk.

From Top-Down to Grassroots

The first phase of CIWI taught us a lot, mostly what didn’t work. Static ads? Too flat. Broad messaging? Too blurry. The audience? Mostly older, and mostly not who we were trying to reach.

CIWI 2 was the reset button. No more generic outreach. No more speaking about students without speaking to them.

Instead, we went where Gen Z lives: TikTok and Instagram. And we brought receipts.

The Playbook

CIWI 2 wasn’t about just being seen — it was about getting people to do something. Specifically: fill out the FAFSA.

So we focused on four things:

Show the real, personal value of college.
Get high school students and recent grads to complete the FAFSA.
Help parents navigate the financial aid maze with relatable, trustworthy voices.
Deliver all of the above in formats people actually want to engage with — short-form, human-first, and scroll-stopping.

The Engine: Influencers

At the heart of CIWI 2? Influencer storytelling.

Not the glossy, scripted kind. We’re talking about creators who’ve lived the college decision, wrestled with financial aid, and had something real to say about it. Some were high school seniors. Some were parents. Some were students. All were legit.

Their content wasn’t just seen, it was shared, saved, and acted on. Meta ads helped boost top-performing videos, but the magic was in the message: “This is what college did for me, and here’s how you can do it too.”

The Numbers Don’t Lie

CIWI 2 outperformed industry benchmarks in every major category:

972K+ video plays
769K+ engagements
98K+ link clicks
$0.18 average cost per link click (vs. $1.00+ industry average)

In other words: huge reach, high interaction, and serious bang for buck.

What We Learned

Influencer > Info dump. People connect with people, not polished pitch decks.
TikTok and Instagram are the battlegrounds. And short-form wins the war.
Focused messaging drives action. FAFSA wasn’t just a topic — it was the hook.

What’s Next

This wasn’t just a one-off win. It’s a blueprint.

Want to go bigger? Bring in local systems. Highlight diverse voices — first-gen students, bilingual creators, community college stories. And track the impact all the way from clicks to campus.

Because when you respect your audience — by speaking their language, showing up in their feeds, and keeping it real — they respond.

College Is Worth It 2 didn’t just prove a point. It opened a door.

Now it’s time to walk through it.