Ep. 34 - Brian Piper: Cracking Higher Ed Content and AI Discovery — The Signal

In this episode of EdTech Connect, host Jeff Dillon sits down with Brian Piper, Director of Content Strategy at the University of Rochester and author of Epic Content Marketing for Higher Education, to explore how AI is transforming content creation and audience engagement in higher ed.

Brian shares practical insights on building AI-driven personas, repurposing content at scale, and overcoming institutional resistance to AI adoption. Learn how custom GPTs can simulate student perspectives, why "audience-first" storytelling is non-negotiable, and how to leverage student ambassadors to amplify authenticity.

Whether you're a marketer, administrator, or educator, this episode offers actionable strategies to harness AI while keeping human creativity at the core.

Key Takeaways

AI-Powered Personas: Train custom GPTs on institutional data (e.g., strategic plans, student demographics) to simulate audience perspectives and test content ideas before production.
Content Repurposing: Use AI to redistribute high-performing content across channels, combating declining organic reach and maximizing ROI.
Fear vs. Opportunity: Resistance to AI stems from fear of replacement and lack of time—but it’s a change management challenge, not just a tech adoption hurdle.
Governance First: Clear AI usage guidelines prevent "shadow AI" and ensure ethical data practices (e.g., avoiding public ChatGPT for sensitive records).
Student Ambassadors Matter: Authentic, student-generated "day-in-the-life" content outperforms institutional messaging in building trust with prospects.

Dig Deeper

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianwpiper/

Website

https://brianwpiper.com/

Explore More on EdTech Connect

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Chapters

(00:00:00) - https://github.com//personalities/
(00:00:35) - EdTechConnect: Brian Piper
(00:02:16) - Skydiving: Fear of Flying
(00:05:16) - Higher Ed: The Use of AI in Marketing
(00:09:02) - University Student Personas in ChatGPT
(00:12:00) - What's keeping higher ed from using AI?
(00:18:41) - Audience First: Content Marketing for Higher Ed
(00:20:52) - Higher Ed: Digital Governance and AI
(00:25:05) - EdTech Connect: Leveraging Student Creators
(00:28:06) - Content Marketing: Begin with AI