In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education, Elana Leoni sits down with Hallie Smith, a seasoned EdTech leader, former educator, and now fractional marketing advisor. Hallie brings her full-circle journey—from early EdTech roles to speech pathology in public schools, and back into EdTech—to unpack the evolving challenges and opportunities in education marketing today.
Together, Elana and Hallie explore:
The surprising trajectory from EdTech to the classroom—and back again
Why it's getting harder to market to educators, and what to do about it
The crucial difference between marketing to educators and with them
How AI and funding shifts are disrupting the EdTech landscape
Common marketing mistakes EdTech companies make (and how to fix them)
Tactical advice on crafting a marketing plan that actually aligns with your business goals
This episode is a must-listen for anyone trying to make meaningful, measurable impact in education—whether you’re new to the space or a seasoned pro.
🎧 Plus: Hallie’s refreshingly honest answer to what really helps her recharge in the face of industry burnout.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Hallie’s profile LinkedIn: Hallie shares frequent, thoughtful takes on what’s working—and not—in EdTech marketing. Elana recommends following her to stay connected to real-time insights from someone who works with a wide portfolio of EdTech orgs.
Demystifying the K-12 EdTech Buying Cycle: A Conversation with Ian McCullough: A past episode where Ian shared the idea of education as an “aircraft carrier”—a helpful mental model for understanding the slow pace of change and long sales cycles in K–12. (We’ll link this episode in the show notes.)
Hey There Agency: Hallie Smith’s consulting firm helping EdTech companies build authentic, educator-centered marketing strategies
Elana Leoni, Host
Elana Leoni has dedicated the majority of her career to improving K-12 education. Prior to founding LCG, she spent eight years leading the marketing and community strategy for the George Lucas Educational Foundation where she grew Edutopia’s social media presence exponentially to reach over 20 million education change-makers every month.
Hallie Smith, Guest
Hallie Smith is the Founder and Head of Marketing at HeyThere Marketing, an edtech-focused agency. As a former educator with 25+ years in K-12 edtech, she specializes in marketing strategy, including refining product messaging and positioning, demand generation, email marketing, sales-marketing alignment and enablement, and marketing operations.
Previously, she held roles at product-led, sales-led, and partnership-led growth edtech organizations, helping to drive 50-100%+ YOY growth in bookings, significantly improving on a variety of marketing KPIs along the way. She currently works as a fractional marketing leader or by project, offering bespoke services to promote growth at edtech organizations of all sizes.
About All Things Marketing and Education
What if marketing was judged solely by the level of value it brings to its audience? Welcome to All Things Marketing and Education, a podcast that lives at the intersection of marketing and you guessed it, education. Each week, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, highlights innovative social media marketing, community-building, and content marketing strategies that can significantly increase reach, relationships, and revenue.
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