Why "Enroll Now" doesn't always work for camp
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Camp is a huge choice.
Weeks away from home. High cost. Trusting strangers with your kid. Saying yes to something totally outside most families’ experience.
Parents don’t button-click, impulse-buy camp. They can’t.
Which is why so much camp marketing gets it backwards.
We keep calling parents to action.
Enroll now.
Register today.
View dates and rates.
But they’re not always ready for action. They need acceptance first.
Saw this framed perfectly in a tweet from Alen Sultanic:
The difference between “call to action” and “call to acceptance” is the difference between push and pull marketing.
For camp? It makes a huge difference.
The Gap Is Too Big
The gap between “I’m not a camp parent” and “Enroll now” is massive.
Most parents visiting a camp website haven’t accepted that camp is right for their kid (or for the parent) yet. They’re still figuring out if they’re even camp people.
When you hit them with “Register for Summer 2026” on everything you do, you’re asking them to jump a gap they’re not ready for.
They bounce. Or they bookmark and never come back.
And not because your camp isn’t great (IT IS!!!) Because the ask was too big too soon.
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What They’re Really Accepting
Alen’s insight: “What you’re really offering is a feeling, so they’re accepting a feeling.”
For camp, parents need to accept:
Camp is good for kids (not just fun, actually developmental)
This is worth the money (not cheap, but valuable)
I trust these people (with my child, for weeks)
My kid needs this (not just wants it, needs it)
I am a camp parent (identity shift)
That last one is the real sale.
If a parent doesn’t yet identify as a camp parent, pushing them to enroll doesn’t work. They might not be ready.
But if you can help them make that identity shift from “I’m not a camp parent” to “I am a camp parent,” enrollment becomes natural.
Camps that help them make that shift wins enrollment.
The Dates and Rates Problem
Camps often default to the same CTAs everywhere which we totally get, believe us:
“View dates and rates”
“Check availability”
“Enroll now”
These work for parents who’ve already accepted camp. They’re comparing features. They’re ready to act.
But for everyone else? These CTAs skip the whole acceptance phase.
It’s like walking into an open house and the realtor immediately asking, “Ready to make an offer and get this baby to close?”
Nope. You need to accept this is the right neighborhood first. That this house fits your needs. That you can see yourself living here.
Same with camp. Parents need to accept a lot of things before they’re ready to look at pricing.
What We Are Actually Doing
We’re trying not to push enrollment in every piece of content. We ask for smaller acceptances.
Our CTAs look like:
“Join thousands of parents reading about summer camp every week” (newsletter signup)
“Let’s talk about what a screen-free summer could look like for your child” (Calendly link)
“Follow along to see what’s happening at camp” (social media)
None of these are “enroll now.”
They’re all steps toward acceptance.
If we can get parents to take like 5-6 of these small actions, they usually accept that camp is right.
Then enrollment (we hope) happens in due time.
The Accumulation Effect
This is why consistency matters.
One newsletter doesn’t convert parents. But twelve newsletters over six months? That’s twelve chances to build acceptance.
One Instagram post doesn’t sell camp. But seeing posts weekly for a year? That normalizes camp in their world.
One conversation doesn’t close the deal. But three conversations over time? That builds trust.
Each touchpoint is a small acceptance:
“This camp thinks about kids the way I do” ✓
“These people seem trustworthy” ✓
“Other families like us go here” ✓
“My kid would thrive here” ✓
“This is worth the investment” ✓
Stack enough of these, and the identity shift happens. They become a camp parent. Then enrolling is just logistics.
By the way it’s why we are doubling down on retracting ads more than keywords or just meta conversions.
Push vs. Pull
Alen’s tweet got it right: “Push marketing uses force, and the only reason we have to use force is when something is resisting us.”
If our marketing feels like pushing, it’s because parents are resisting. Not because they don’t like your camp. Because they haven’t accepted it yet.
Pull marketing removes resistance. Makes acceptance easy. Lets gravity do the work.
Our job isn’t to force enrollment. It’s to create conditions where acceptance feels natural.
The Long Nurture Cycle
This takes time. Way more time than most camps want to admit.
The parent who visits a camp website in October probably won’t enroll in November. They need months of small acceptances first.
They need to:
Read our newsletters → See our posts → Follow along → Learn about our philosophy → Understand our values → Trust our judgment → Picture their kid here.
That’s not a sales funnel. It’s a relationship.
And relationships take time.
Which is why camps that publish consistently, that show up in parents’ inboxes and feeds regularly, that offer multiple touchpoints without pushing enrollment, win more families.
Patience, not pushiness.
Try This
1. Audit your current CTAs
Go through your website, newsletters, social posts. Count how many CTAs say some version of “enroll now” vs. softer asks.
If most are hard enrollment CTAs, you’re probably losing parents who aren’t ready yet.
2. Rewrite one CTA to be softer
Pick your next newsletter. Instead of “Register for Summer 2026,” try:
“Want to talk about whether camp is right for your family? Grab 20 minutes with me.” [Put in your Calendly link!]
Or: “Join 2,000 parents getting ready for summer.” [Have a Newsletter signup]
See what happens.
3. Map the acceptance journey
Write down what parents need to accept before they enroll:
Camp is valuable
My kid would thrive there
I trust these people
This is worth the cost
I’m a camp parent
Then ask: what content helps them accept each piece?
Build your marketing around that.
Because enrollment doesn’t start with action. It starts with acceptance.
And the camp that understands this wins families who stick around for years.
You got this,
Jack
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Get my newsletter every week.
It’s all about kids today
Jack Schott
Summer Camp Evangelist