Capturing student stories at graduation… our guide from A-Z

It’s 2022 and the summer graduation ceremony is back without government COVID restrictions. For higher education teams, this might be the biggest year you’ve had yet if you’re holding postponed pandemic ceremonies (looking at you, Reading, with 3 years of summer graduation ceremonies in as many weeks) or you might be thinking about how to make this year bigger and better than anything you’ve done before.

So here’s the A to Z of creating content at graduations to show your newest alumni how amazing you know they are.

A is for acknowledgement

First and foremost, this is a day of celebration. Don’t see this as a time to get the best content in the fastest time, but as a moment to celebrate and acknowledge everyone for their hard work and dedication.

B is for breaks

Graduations are very long days, often weeks. Be mindful, not only of your staff taking well needed breaks, but also of the students and their families. A lot is going on, and people may need to take a moment to breathe and relax, before being set up for content. 

C is for consent

Lots of content at graduations is created quickly, based on opportunities on the ground. If you or your team are out and about at a ceremony, take a tablet or paper forms so you know you’ve got written consent to share what you’ve produced.

D is dogs

It’s pretty simple, really. Make sure to get the stories of any dogs graduating - hard-working service pawfessionals especially. Your audiences on social media will love it. (so will we at PJC - please send links to lucy@picklejarcommunications.com)

E is for emotion

Emotions are going to be strong during graduation, and being able to capture these raw feelings will be amazing and relatable content. 

F is for friends and family

It’s likely that your graduates will have had a lot of support from their inner circle. Ask friends and family with them to join in filming, and ask a graduate to share a message of thanks to them.

G is for gown

Before you photograph or film one of your graduates, make sure their gowns (and hats) are sitting properly.

H is for hashtag

Have a pre-agreed hashtag ready with all your team to ensure that content is easily accessible. Your university might already have a standard hashtag that it uses on all content, but decide whether to use something more niche as well. 

I is for Impressions

One of the last events the students and their loved ones may be experiencing with your university is graduation. Make sure that the impression provided by your team is one of positivity, understanding and support. No one wants to be harassed for content by someone with little understanding of what is happening.

J is for jobs

Ask your graduates their career ambitions - who knows, a potential employer may see their video and help them land their dream job!

K is for kindness

This is a point I will keep on making. Don’t assume that everyone is going to be super happy about graduating. This is the start of a new chapter in someone’s life, and that might be scary. My graduation was terrifying, standing on stage in front of hundreds of people shook me. And the last thing I wanted was someone shoving a camera in my face asking me to talk about how happy I was. Be kind, thoughtful and understanding. 

L is for love

There’s nothing cuter than seeing the love in a family or friends eyes, seeing their loved ones graduate after many years of hard work. 

M is for mentions

When asking for consent, always ask if they have an IG or Twitter handle that you might be able to use. If they’re happy to provide that, then tag away! More retweets/reposts of your content will increase its viewership. 

N is for notifications

Have someone in your team who is dedicated to watching notifications on your social media feeds. That way, you can ensure constant activity, reactions and possibly more content for you to repost. 

O is for organisation

Make sure your entire team know exactly what they are doing, and what areas they need to stay in. With so much stuff happening in a period of time, it can become confusing. Keep roles clear and simple. That way you can get a variety of content, and ensure people aren’t tripping over each other.

P is for photobooths

Give your graduates the chance to create some fun photos with their friends with photobooths on campus! These snaps will make great UGC content for your social media channels, too.

Q is for questions

If you’re planning vox pop videos with graduates on the day, try to organise at least an initial list of questions in advance. And don’t be afraid to ask some of your key stakeholders for suggestions! It might be your Admissions team have suggestions based on questions from applicants, or your Marketing team might be looking for some email content… 

R is for requests

While you’re out taking photos (and one you’ve posted them on your website or social media), you’re probably going to get requests from graduates to have their own copy. Set up a process of how to handle these asks quickly and appropriately.

S is for stewards

Work with stewards and staff on the day to find out the best places to get your content without getting in the way. It’s also useful to find out exactly what times the students need to be in certain areas for the ceremonies.

T is for time

Make sure your team are prepared for how much time they have with the students. It’s a busy day, and you might only have a few moments to get the content you need. 

U is for understanding

Graduation is a huge day for the students and staff. Alongside excitement, some may feel stressed or overwhelmed. Be conscious of this, and be empathetic towards the array of emotions that may be felt on the day. 

V is for vision

Yes, the ultimate goal is to create content to show how happy your students are at graduation. But take some time to think about what else you would like to showcase. Is this also an opportunity to show your career opportunities, the facilities at your institution, or the comradery? 

W is for weather

We all know you can’t guarantee the weather. So if you’re planning on an outdoor space for your primary filming/photography location, check out and organise back-ups in case of rain (or other bad weather).

X is for xylophone

Consider swap the organ musical accompaniment for a xylophone. Trust me, it’ll definitely get a reaction on social. 

…ok, I might have struggled a bit with X.

Y is for YouTube

Does your institution have a good presence on YouTube? Either way, you can upload video content really quickly and livestream your graduation ceremonies. 

Z is for Zoom 

You can guarantee that some people will have loved ones contacting them through WhatsApp video, Facetime or maybe even Zoom). If you have consent to capture these moments, they truly show how wonderful graduation can be, and the connectedness of the world. Wholesome right?

Phew, well I hope you stuck with us through the alphabet. It certainly got a bit dicey around the letter X. But we really hope that this has helped you to plan and make the most out of your upcoming graduation ceremonies!

If you need any help with content strategies for upcoming events, get in touch with us at hello@picklejarcommunications.com