How To Get Schools To Call You Back (Who Dat Voicemail Strategy)

Do you want to set up more school talks in 2025 and enroll new students organically?

If so, this 3-min Marketing Edition of the Black Belt Business Newsletter is for you!

Let’s be real: “hacking” into public and private schools is harder than ever. Here’s why:

1️⃣ Since COVID, schools are more reluctant to have outside guests.

2️⃣ Increased security measures (thanks to the unfortunate rise in school shootings) mean there’s now a gatekeeper before the gatekeeper, a security guard or vestibule, making it tough to get to the right person.

This is the reality we’re living in, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get in touch with schools. It just means you need a new approach.

Target the Guidance Counselor
Guidance counselors are usually more accessible than principals and have the influence to make decisions. But actually getting them to respond? That’s the tricky part.

Back in 2016, I felt like quitting. Every time I tried to contact schools, they’d dismiss me with “You need district approval” or “Send us an email.”

So I’d spend hours drafting the perfect email… only to hear crickets.

I was burned out and frustrated. But one day, I got lazy.

Instead of overthinking it, I picked up the phone and left the simplest, laziest voicemail ever:

👉 “Hey, it’s Matt. Give me a call back, 267-307-3743.”

Then I went back to teaching classes, assuming nothing would come of it.

30 Minutes Later, My Phone Rang.

“Hi, is this Matt?”

“Yes, who’s this?”

“This is Miss Lawrence from Yocum Elementary. You left me a voicemail?”

Wait… WHAT? She called me back?!

20 minutes later, it happened again. Another guidance counselor called me back.

Here’s Why This Works:

Before, I’d leave voicemails like:
“Hi, my name is Matt. I run Action Karate. We offer free programs for schools where we blah blah blah…”

And guess what? They’d hear the pitch, decide they weren’t interested, and never call back.

But with my “Who Dat?” voicemail, they didn’t have enough info to make a decision. They called back because they thought I might be a parent or someone they knew.

The Dumbest Yet Smartest Strategy:

The “Who Dat?” voicemail works because it sparks curiosity. It’s dumb-simple, but it gets results.

Next time you’re trying to get a guidance counselor to call you back, give it a try:
“Hey, it’s [Your Name]. Give me a call back, [Your Number].”

When they call, that’s your chance to shine.

Try it out, and let me know how it works for you!

As always, a 3-min read, all strategy, no fluff.

Your Hype Man,

Matthew Brenner