By Alex Fox
So, you’ve heard about this thing called social media and you want to marshal its dark and mysterious powers to amplify your science communication. Where do you start?
At DCSWA’s 2019 Professional Development Day panelists shared tips and insights with attendees looking to get audiences twitterpated.
Know the networks
A basic understanding of each of the social networks is key to selecting the right one, said moderator Bruce Y. Lee, health writer for Forbes and public health professor at Johns Hopkins University. This means knowing who uses them and what for.
For example, most Linkedin users aren’t cruising their feed for funny cat pictures, said Lee.
For the vast majority of science communicators, the most straightforward choice is some combination of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. These platforms have the most users and represent online destinations users visit to look for content that interests them.
Build an identity
The secret to creating a successful online persona? “Be human,” said panelist Katherine Ling,who handles social media for E&E News. “People want to hear more personality and more voice on social media, so don’t write like you’re quoting from a scientific journal or a press release.”
But acting natural on social media isn’t everyone’s first instinct. Panelist Alison Turnbull, an epidemiology professor at Johns Hopkins University, was initially nervous to venture beyond straight-laced posts about scientific research. But eventually she found greater social media success with a post that was witty but also personal.
Those extra likes, retweets, and follows gave her a bigger audience the next time she was trying to promote her research.
Find a community
For Lee, the movie Mean Girls offers useful parables. In the harsh, tribal high school landscape of the film, finding a niche is crucial to survival. Likewise, on social media, identifying and interacting with communities of users likely to engage with your content can offer a route to popularity.
For savvy social media users, hashtagging is like breathing. But newbies should be sure to look for audiences focused on particular topics, events, or academic disciplines, said panelist Beth Linas, an epidemiologist at MITRE.
Learn from the pros
“Listen more than you talk at first,” said Seth Michaels, communications officer for the Union of Concerned Scientists. Regardless of the platform, observing how other users, especially more successful ones, engage with their audiences can provide object lessons that show what works.
Some of the pros on the panel laid out a few of their own winning strategies.
“When I’m preparing a post I think about what I want to say and who I am trying to say it to,” said Linas. “That dictates where I should say it and how I should say it.”
Posts documenting the process of scientific research or that tease upcoming publications can help drum up anticipation and provide unique opportunities for engaging with followers, according to Ling. And if your post doesn’t land the first time, try again.
“If it’s important to you, expect to tweet about it at least 3 times–just don’t tweet the same thing every time.”
Take care of yourself
Social media can be a powerful and useful tool but it can also be a nightmare. The relative anonymity of the online environment allows some users to indulge in vitriol and negativity, which can take a toll on their targets.
“Monitor when you’re getting too much negative feedback and keep track of how you react to it,” said Turnbull. “Don’t be afraid to block and mute people for the sake of your mental health.”
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