SPOKEN STORIES

Collect video and audio stories from your community.

Oral histories, alumni memories, careers advice and testimonials, recorded from anywhere with a simple link, transcribed automatically and ready to use.

See it in action

Available on its own or with the full platform

Spoken Stories recording prompt asking for a favourite memory, with video, audio and written options and recent transcribed submissions from alumni and a parent
  • Bryanston Logo
  • Hutchesons' Grammar School Logo
  • Laytmer Foundation Hammersmith logo
  • St Peters School York Logo
  • Bournemouth Collegiate School logo
  • Brentwood School Logo
  • Delphian School Logo
  • Duke of York's Royal Military School logo
  • Gordons School logo
  • Stover School Logo
  • Pownall Hall School Logo
  • Rowan Prep School Logo
  • Victoria College Logo

Simple to capture. Powerful to share.

HOW IT WORKS

  1. Invite your community

    Share a link by email, text or QR code, or through your community portal. People record at their own pace, from anywhere, with no equipment or technical knowledge needed.

  2. They record their story

    Guided prompts make it easy to start. Contributors choose video, audio or written, and every submission is transcribed, tagged and saved to your archive automatically.

  3. You decide what happens next

    Review every submission first. Publish it to your community portal, keep it for a future campaign, or archive it permanently as part of your history.

Careers library

Alumni share career journeys and advice, building a searchable library your careers team can use year after year.

Explore Careers →

Testimonials

Authentic video and audio testimonials from students, parents and alumni for admissions and marketing.

Student stories

Capture leavers’ reflections before they go, ready for alumni engagement in years to come.

Alumni engagement

Invite alumni to share memories that spark conversation and bring others back.

Fundraising

Donor and beneficiary stories that give your appeals a real voice.

Anniversaries and oral histories

Record memories from across the decades for your next milestone, and keep them for good.

Explore Anniversaries →

One tool for every story your institution needs.

Every department can collect authentic content in the voices of the people who know your institution best.

WAYS TO USE IT

WHY IT WORKS

Your most powerful content is already out there.

It's in the memories and experiences of your community. Spoken Stories gives you a simple way to collect it.

  • Anyone can contribute

    No equipment, scheduling or technical knowledge needed. A link is all it takes.

  • Every format, one place

    Video, audio and written stories, all transcribed, tagged and searchable.

  • You stay in control

    Nothing goes live without approval, with full moderation, redaction and permissions.

  • Stories that last

    Every submission is archived alongside related content, never lost and always searchable.

  • One story, many uses

    A single recording can power an appeal, an admissions page, a careers library and a social post.

  • More valuable over time

    A student story captured today becomes powerful alumni engagement in 20 years.

GET IN TOUCH

Ready to hear what your community has to say?

Whether you want to run a single campaign, build a careers library or capture stories for an upcoming anniversary, we would love to show you how Spoken Stories works for your institution.

Book a demo

COMMON QUESTIONS

Spoken Stories FAQs

Everything you need to know about SocialArchive's Spoken Stories.

Spoken Stories is SocialArchive's built-in tool for capturing video, audio and written memories from your community. It allows schools, colleges and universities to collect authentic stories from alumni, students, parents and staff — remotely, on site or at events — using guided prompts or open-ended questions. Every submission is automatically transcribed, tagged and stored permanently in your archive.
You invite contributors via a link shared by email, SMS or QR code. They log in or create a simple account, choose their preferred format — video, audio or written — and record their story using your custom prompts. Every submission goes into a moderation queue where your team reviews and approves before anything is published. From there you can share to your community portal, use in campaigns, or archive permanently as part of your institutional history.
Yes. Spoken Stories can be used as a standalone tool for a specific campaign or project. Whether you want to collect alumni testimonials for an admissions campaign, impact stories for a fundraising appeal or oral histories for an anniversary, you do not need the full platform. Talk to our team about standalone options.
Video, audio or written. Contributors choose whichever format suits them best. All three are automatically transcribed and archived alongside the submission.
Yes. Contributors log in or create a simple account before recording. This is how Spoken Stories automatically tags and catalogues each submission. Knowing who the story came from means it is immediately linked to the right person in your archive.
Yes. You can create custom prompt sets for every campaign or project. Different questions for alumni versus current students, for careers content versus anniversary stories. Your prompts, your words, your tone.
The length of recordings can be set by you on a per campaign basis. Guided prompts naturally encourage concise, focused responses and we recommend setting limits to between one and five minutes. Longer oral histories can run considerably longer but the limit is entirely up to you.
Every submission goes into a moderation queue. Your team reviews and approves before anything is published. You can publish to your community portal, download and store privately for future use, or archive permanently as part of your institutional history. Nothing goes public without your explicit approval.
Yes. Role-based permissions let you publish stories to specific audience groups. A bursary impact story can go to donors only. A careers story to a specific year group. A parent testimonial only accessible to your internal team. Every story reaches exactly the audience you intend.
Yes. Every approved submission becomes a permanent part of your archive.
SocialArchive integrates seamlessly with Canva, which allows you to push your chosen stories from your archive directly into your branded templates. Export the finished video to share across your channels, or re-upload it to your archive for permanent storage.
If you no longer wish to use SocialArchive, or your story capture project has come to an end, you can export all collected stories at any time. We do not own your data. You remain in control at all times.

RESOURCES

Story collection ideas

News
School and University Testimonials: Building Trust Through Real Voices
School and University Testimonials: Building Trust Through Real Voices

Learn how schools and universities can collect, organise and deploy student, parent, alumni and bursary testimonials to improve admissions marketing, donor engagement, community trust and AI-driven discoverability.

Read more →
10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do With Your School’s Digital Archive
10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do With Your School’s Digital Archive

Digital archives in education are no longer just places to store the past. When used strategically, they become active tools for communication, engagement and belonging. From creating instant videos and personalised alumni content to powering admissions storytelling, capturing student voices and informing strategy through analytics, this article explores ten ways modern digital archives can support the everyday work of schools, colleges and universities.

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Capturing the Stories of Your Final-Year Students: Why It Matters and How to Do It Well
Capturing the Stories of Your Final-Year Students: Why It Matters and How to Do It Well

Final-year students are on the edge of one of the biggest transitions of their lives… leaving school or university and becoming alumni. This moment is rich with reflection, gratitude, uncertainty and personal storytelling, yet most institutions never capture it. By collecting student voices before they leave, schools and universities can build stronger alumni relationships, create powerful long-term marketing content, and preserve memories that matter. This article explores why final-year reflections are valuable, how to gather them effectively, and simple engagement ideas you can introduce right away.

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