Northshore Learning Elevates National Credibility Through Thought Leadership
Client Background
Northshore Learning is an education professional development consultancy providing personalized support for educators and administrators. Grounded in neuroscience and relationship-based practices, Northshore Learning helps schools worldwide address educator burnout, strengthen classroom management, support inclusion, and improve teacher retention. It provides various services through customized, sustainable professional development.
Research
XL PR conducted secondary research to understand the education media landscape, evolving classroom challenges, and how school leaders evaluate credibility when selecting professional development partners. Research examined trends in educator burnout, inclusion, behavior support, and retention.
Insights from GEO research showed that 89% of sources are third-party, confirming that earned media and podcasts, among others, play a critical role in establishing authority in the education space. Informal research, including story mining with Dr. Jessica Werner and review of Northshore Learning’s offerings and messaging. With research done, the team presented a strategy that paired traditional media relations with podcast interviews to maintain momentum despite slower education media cycles.
Planning
XL PR developed a communications strategy aligned with Northshore Learning’s mission to help schools support and retain amazing teachers in a time of increasing burnout. The primary objective was to increase visibility and credibility for both the organization and its founder, positioning Jess as a trusted national expert in educator wellbeing and behavior support.
Key audiences included school administrators, instructional leaders, educators, education journalists, and podcast hosts. Channels were selected based on where credibility is built. Earned media, podcasts, webinars, and third-party platforms. The strategy emphasized consistency, depth of expertise, and long-term authority over quick-hit visibility.
Media relations served as the foundation of the partnership. XL PR built targeted media lists for local, national and trade education outlets. Proactive story angles tied to educator wellbeing and classroom challenges were executed.
Implementation
Webinars were implemented as a secondary thought leadership channel, allowing Northshore Learning to engage directly with educators while reinforcing expertise. These sessions also created additional long-form content assets aligned with the organization’s positioning.
During slower school and media cycles, XL PR provided additional strategic support, including a GEO audit, homepage rewrite aligned with Northshore Learning’s three pillars, conference research for guest speaking opportunities, and a story mining session to identify future media angles.
Later in the partnership, podcasts were added to accelerate visibility and reinforce third-party validation. Additionally, this long-form content built credibility with in-depth conversations about neuroscience, student regulation, inclusive practices, and educator burnout. This was successful in supplementing the slower pace of traditional media placements.
Publicity to Profit, an XL PR service, was also added to leverage the coverage received in traditional media and podcasts to extend the value of earned media through social media content. Social posts were drafted to share on LinkedIn and increase Dr. Werner’s presence and visibility on that platform.
Evaluation
The partnership successfully increased Northshore Learning’s visibility and credibility through sustained third-party validation and thought leadership.
Results:
15 published earned media placements, including feature stories, expert quotes, syndication, and podcasts
188 podcasts pitched, with 9 interviews secured
4 published and more to come throughout the first half of 2026
7 thought leadership webinars generating strong registration, attendance, and ongoing viewership
With additional media placements and podcast episodes forthcoming, the evaluation confirms the effectiveness of combining earned media, podcasts, and long-form thought leadership to build trust and authority in the education sector.