CASE STUDY: StudentCrowd

Campus Clicks to Apple Picks: How StudentCrowd Got Students Reviewing (and Winning)

425,000+ Views

CASE STUDY: StudentCrowd

Campus Clicks to Apple Picks: How StudentCrowd Got Students Reviewing (and Winning)

425,000+ Views

5 Creators

650+ Reviews

425,000+ Views

September 2024

650+ Reviews

425,000+ Views

September 2024

5 Creators

The Challenge

StudentCrowd wanted to drive high-quality, peer-to-peer university reviews from current students across the UK. The goal? Increase authentic, user-generated content on their platform to help prospective students make better-informed decisions about where and what to study.

But with students constantly bombarded with content, we needed more than just a gentle nudge. We needed to turn reviews into rewards.

The answer: a viral TikTok giveaway campaign that swapped Apple Watches for honest student voices.

The Solution

We collaborated with 5 UK-based creators across TikTok and Instagram, all active in the student life, graduate advice, and campus content niches. These creators were based in major university cities, including Durham, London, Birmingham, and Brighton, ensuring relevance and relatability to the target audience.

Each creator encouraged followers to write a quick university review on StudentCrowd in exchange for a chance to win an Apple Watch, a prize with high appeal and strong participation pull.

🎥 Content Strategy:

7 creator videos showing how to leave a review on StudentCrowd in less than 60 seconds
Green screen and screen-recorded walkthroughs of the submission process
Creators using student slang, humour, and on-campus settings to resonate with their audience
Messaging focused on both the giveaway and the value of helping future students
Strong call-to-actions urging users to submit reviews before the deadline

This campaign demonstrated how StudentCrowd could effectively drive high-quality user-generated content through a targeted creator strategy, a well-positioned giveaway, and native video content specifically designed for TikTok and Instagram.

The Results

672+ verified university reviews submitted
425,000+ total views across TikTok and Instagram
12% of all reviews generated came from top creator @kinaarichander
Instagram Reels outperformed TikTok, contributing nearly 80% of all reviews
Most engaged audience: Women aged 18–24
Best-performing week (Oct 17–23): 236 reviews submitted
£3.73 average cost per review (CPR) across all content
Lowest CPR: £0.52 via internal UGC content

Why This Influencer Strategy Worked: Key Success Factors for StudentCrowd
Relatable Student Creators: Every influencer was a real student or recent grad, making the content feel authentic and trustworthy.
Scroll-Friendly, Step-by-Step Content: Short videos clearly explained the process while staying fun and engaging, especially on Reels.
Giveaway Incentive with Real Value: An Apple Watch was the perfect prize for the student audience—cool, relevant, and worth taking action for.
Clear and Simple CTA: "Write a review, win a watch" was a message that required no overthinking—ideal for fast-scrolling platforms.
Platform-Specific Optimisation: Instagram Reels drove the strongest results, proving that channel-specific strategy matters.