How UniTasterDays Transformed Digital Publishing with Prospectus Plus Lite
In the world of higher education marketing and student recruitment, printed materials and static PDFs have long been the standard for distributing information. But times are changing. Institutions are under increasing pressure to be more sustainable, more flexible, and more engaging in how they communicate with their audiences.
For years, UniTasterDays had been producing three flagship guides: one for students, one for teachers, and one for parents. These are substantial, widely read publications that require extensive contributions from university professionals across the UK.
Yet, despite the success of these guides, there was one audience that had been overlooked: university staff. The people actually working in student recruitment—the admissions officers, the marketing professionals, and the outreach teams—had no dedicated guide tailored to their needs.
The Practitioner’s Guide was conceived as a way to fill this gap. The idea was simple: create a high-quality, regularly updated resource that would provide insights, best practices, and thought leadership for university professionals.
But there was an immediate challenge: how should they publish it?
UniTasterDays had years of experience producing guides as PDFs, but this format had always presented issues:
Editing was a nightmare Small changes meant going back and forth with designers, often resulting in a dozen different versions before a final publication.
Accessibility required specialist consultants Ensuring compliance with accessibility standards was non-negotiable, but it also meant added costs and delays.
Strict deadlines made content feel frozen in time Once a guide was published, it couldn’t be easily updated without redoing the entire document.
The team needed something more dynamic, something that would allow them to publish smarter, not harder. That’s when they turned to Prospectus Plus.
The Decision to Use Prospectus Plus
Jon, the founder at UniTasterDays, had already been in discussions with the Prospectus Plus team about utilising Prospectus Plus Lite.
As soon as the Practitioner’s Guide was proposed, it became the obvious choice.
But for Simon, the team member tasked with making it happen, there was some initial hesitation…
“I’d just learned how to use the blog on the UniTasterDays website. The thought of learning another system felt like a lot.”
However, as soon as he started using Prospectus Plus, those concerns disappeared.
“Once I got my head around it, I realised how much easier it was. The learning curve was minimal, and I could already see how much time it was going to save us.”
“I love Prospectus Plus! Using it for our Practitioners Guide 2025 has given us a resource that’s more engaging and impactful than any other format. You can tell it’s been designed with education in mind, and that makes a huge difference.
We can update content instantly and the team were so helpful setting us up with templates and on boarding support – then we can track success through the data platform integrated in.
The team are always listening, improving, and evolving with clients, and we’ve loved being a small part of their fantastic journey!”
Jon Cheek, Director, UniTasterDays
A Higher Quality Product Than Other Online Tools
One of the biggest surprises for the UniTasterDays team was just how polished and professional the Practitioner’s Guide looked on Prospectus Plus.
There had been an option to host the content on their website’s blog, but the difference in quality was immediately clear.
“It just feels better. It feels like a premium editorial product, not just another blog post.”
Simon Fairbanks Head of Community Engagement at UniTasterDays
Unlike traditional blogging platforms, Prospectus Plus allowed them to create structured, visually engaging content that maintained the high standard of their previous guides.
Sleek and intuitive layout It feels like reading a well-designed digital magazine rather than scrolling through a generic webpage.
No advanced design skills required Even with minimal effort, the content looks professional and engaging.
Rewards bigger efforts If they wanted to get creative, the platform gives them all the tools they needed.
And best of all? They had complete control over the design and updates.
Accessibility Without the Headaches
With their previous PDF-based guides, accessibility had always been a major concern. They couldn’t, in good conscience, publish anything that wasn’t fully compliant.
But that compliance came at a cost; both in terms of money and time. Every document had to be reviewed by an accessibility consultant, which added delays and additional expenses to the publishing process.
Prospectus Plus is WCAG AA compliant out-of-the-box, so it completely removed this barrier.
No More PDF Stress: The Joy of Instant Updates
If you’ve ever worked with a designer to create a publication, you’ll know the pain of endless revisions. A misplaced comma, a last-minute typo, or an incorrect link could mean another cycle of emails, edits, and reproofing.
For UniTasterDays, this process had become exhausting. With their previous guides, they had gone through ten or more versions before reaching the final publication.
What’s more, the mobile-friendly nature of the platform ensured that users could engage with the content on any device, something that PDFs often struggled with.
With Prospectus Plus, everything changed.
No waiting for designers. If they needed to tweak something, they could do it instantly.
No version control nightmares. Instead of juggling multiple proofs, they had a single, live document.
No major delays. Updates could be made in real-time, ensuring the content was always fresh.
A Flexible Platform That Works for Any Approach
One of the things Simon initially worried about was the complexity of the platform. He’d seen the beautifully designed examples Prospectus Plus had created and wondered if it might be too advanced.
But he quickly realised that it could be as simple or as detailed as they needed.
“It’s just so much easier. We don’t have to go through the whole process every time we want to make a change. It’s a huge time-saver. You get out what you put in. If you want to make something really intricate, you can. But even with minimal effort, it still looks fantastic.”
Simon Fairbanks, Head of Community Engagement at UniTasterDays
This flexibility meant that even a small team like UniTasterDays could create a high-quality product without spending hours on design.
Working with the Prospectus Plus Team: A Seamless Experience
Beyond the platform itself, one of the standout aspects of the transition was how easy it was to work with the Prospectus Plus team.
“Every time I spotted something, it was fixed instantly. It was such a smooth experience.”
Incredibly responsive Any issues or requests were handled almost immediately.
Pre-prepared brand-aligned templates This made it easy for UniTasterDays to get started without needing to build from scratch.
Hands-on support Whenever a question arose, there was always someone available to help.
The Freedom to Publish Anytime
Perhaps the biggest shift for UniTasterDays was the flexibility Prospectus Plus gave them.
With their previous guides, everything was dictated by strict publishing deadlines. Once a guide was published, that was it. No changes, no updates, no flexibility.
With the Practitioner’s Guide on Prospectus Plus, they could add new content whenever they wanted.
“If someone submits a great article next week, we can publish it right away. There’s no waiting until next year’s edition.”
This rolling content model means the guide is always relevant, always growing, and always up to date.
Final Thoughts: A Game-Changer for Digital Publishing
“If you’re considering a digital alternative to PDFs, this is the way to go. It’s accessible, high-quality, and stress-free. Plus, the flexibility to publish anytime makes it invaluable.”
For any organisation looking to modernise their publications, UniTasterDays’ success with Prospectus Plus proves that a digital-first approach isn’t just the future—it’s the present.
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