A behind-the-scenes look at what it means to put students at the center of your social media strategy.

These days, we’re all craving authenticity and our students are no exception.

In higher education—brands are expected to strike a balance between polished and personal—that can be a tough dynamic to navigate.

For Manhattanville, the solution has been handing over our account—literally—to our students.

That’s no small shift. Especially in the era of TikTok, where trends move fast and the stakes feel high, giving students real control over a main institutional account can feel risky. But as we’ve learned, sometimes the biggest rewards come from taking a risk.

At our institution, it started with rethinking how our department functions—and reimagining the role of our Content Creator. Instead of simply curating content for students, our Content Creator began leading our student team, offering structure, training, and day-to-day guidance.

Our students were empowered to create, contribute, and take ownership. This dynamic became a cornerstone of our strategy—mentoring and developing student into confident, intentional digital storytellers.

And the numbers backed it up.

In Q3 alone:

• 191,386 total engagements (up 710% from the previous quarter)

• 1.6M+ impressions (up 516%)

• 32% growth in overall social following

• TikTok engagement increased by an incredible 5,282%

• YouTube saw a staggering 121,857% spike in engagement

What stood out the most?
The content that performed best wasn’t overly produced—it was raw, unscripted, and student-led. From our mascot Valiant trying out trending poses to quiet, snow-covered campus scenes, the strongest posts came from the people living it every day.

LinkedIn continued to lead in total engagement (48%). But when it came to raw reach and visibility, TikTok and YouTube stole the show. One short mascot video alone earned over 714K views on TikTok and 2.6M on YouTube.

Our students aren’t just the subjects of our content anymore. They are creating and driving it.

Letting them lead didn’t just expand our audience—it brought the community closer. Its helping retain students and engage those who have an interest in our community.

Want to see what this looks like in action? Follow @manhattanvilleuniversity on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.