Creating High Impact with One Local Story

Working with expand the visibility and reputation of Colorado State University Global (CSU Global)  – the first 100% online, institutionally accredited public university in the U.S. The effort included highlighting the activities and success of the university through story telling.

The team worked on getting a placement on Colorado Public Radio (CPR).  An original CPR piece showcased CSU Global’s 2025 commencement speaker: Kaitlyn, a single, deaf mom who found her ideal higher education fit with CSU Global after twice giving up on college.

Her inspiring speech highlighted her journey – the highs and lows, her son as her inspiration, and how her new bachelor’s degree had a tangible impact on her career, leading to a promotion and higher pay.

The win was the result of the right elements coming together for the pitch: an authentic story, the timely graduation angle and Linhart PR’s strong media relationships. NPR then amplifying the local feature and disseminating it nationwide allowed us to reach millions of prospective students with a real-life example of the benefits of a CSU Global education.

It shows that good local storytelling can drive brand awareness and audience actions that extend far beyond the local market. After the NPR stories aired:

• CSU Global web traffic increased 971%.
• Visitors to the bachelor’s in management information systems & business analytics program webpage increased by 15.8%. (This is the degree Kaitlyn recently finished, and was linked in the CPR story.)
• Visitors increased by  53.6 to the master’s in artificial intelligence (AI) & machine learning program webpage (this is the degree Kaitlyn is about to pursue, and was linked in the CPR story.)

You can find more details about the story and the results at: How to Reach Millions of People in Target Markets Nationwide Through One Local Story.