Shine with your #Scicomm – Ways to share your research successfully with a wider public     Would you like to share more about your work, research and / or observations with the general public (‘normal people’ ;-)) outside academia? But…- do you ‘have no idea where to start’? - do you think you ‘have nothing to tell’?- do you think that ‘a wider public won’t be interested’?- do you think it’s a waste of time because publishing is what ultimately counts? Then I welcome you to the academics-who’d-like-to-make-an-impact-but-don’t-know-where-to-start-or-what-to-tell-so-nevermind-I-keep-focusing-on-just-publishing-club! As a postdoctoral researcher who has been diagnosed with impostor syndrome, I know the feeling. However: I have personally experienced the value of getting out of the academic comfort zone and sharing insights with a wider public (through traditional media, social media, commercial events, and a podcast). If you’d like to hear the failures, experiences, and tips from a colleague who’s simply trying to make an impact, and share own your ideas or questions with me and other colleagues, join me in this online session.  

1. Shine with your #Scicomm!
How to share your knowledge succesfully with a wider public
@SimoneKrouwer

2. 2
#SciComm
Let’s make an impact!

3. Are you looking for a Media Guru?

4. Sorry,
not me!
(Also not a
photoshop expert)
UAntwerp Media Guru…

5. Hello! 
I am Simone Krouwer
I am a Researcher at the University of Antwerp
who is simply passionate about
sharing insights with a wider public
and collaborating with practitioners
You can find me at:

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Shine with your #scicomm
- Why should you?
- Get an online presence
- Get your research in the media
- What did I do?
- Your questions, tips, and experiences

7. “
Why you should share your knowledge:
“Knowledge is of no value ,
Unless you put it into practice”
Simone Krouwer
7

8. 3 personal reasons to invest in SciComm:
1. More support for your research
○ Funding + public support
2. Widen your network
○ Collaborations with practitioners (and other researchers)
○ Future career opportunities!
3. Job satisfaction
○ Directly share your insights, help others
○ Giving back to society
8
👍

9.  Conduct your study
 Write a research paper
 Get your paper published
…
9
Yes, you have to invest some time into it.
But how much time does it cost you to:

10.  Conduct your study
 Write a research paper
 Get your paper published
…
10
Yes, you have to invest some time into it.
But how much time does it cost you to:
 Publish a tweet / blog post / infographic? 

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Let’s go!
1. Get an online presence
2. Reach out to the media

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Step 1
Creating an online presence
(and get noticed!)

13. Have you ever experienced this when you presented at a conference…. ?
13

14. One-minute TikTok movie from scientists – 2.2 million views….
14

15. Journalists or companies
in need of an expert…
15
Two reasons to work on your online presence:
1. Reach directly a large audience
2. Journalists and companies can find you

16. Build your personal brand through:
1. Twitter
2. LinkedIn
3. Website (university and / or your own)
4. Many other options!
 Podcasts
 YouTube
 Blog
 Your own newsletter
 Instagram page 16

17. 1.
Twitter
17

18. 1.
Twitter
18
= still the place to be for…
… journalists
… politicians
… marcom professionals
… experts / scientists like you

19. #Twittergoals
 Create a clear and discoverable Twitter profile
 Widen your network
 Position yourself as a thought-leader
 Contribute to discussions
 Find and share relevant content
(anything, not just research)
19

20. Create a clear Twitter profile through:
A profile picture of you & cover picture
that says something about you
20
A clear @twitterhandle
(your name or research
topic, e.g. @SimoneKrouwer
or @Native_ad_Reseacher)
A pinned Tweet that says
something about you or
your research / interests

21. What to Tweet? Anything…
 Useful
 Tips & tricks, news, your professional view on news events
 Insightful
 Research from yourself and others, interesting cases from practice
 Visual
 Infographics, pictures of you at work
 Personal
 Struggles, moments to celebrate, teaching, your dog or cat…
Ps: People like authenticity. Do what feels good to you. 
PS2: don’t forget to follow and engage with other Twitter users
21

22. My Twitter experience…
• Max. 10 minutes per day
Set a time limit using www.stayfocusd.com
• Tweets about news related to my research
interests, my own research, other studies…

23. My Twitter experience…

24. 2.
LinkedIn
24
• Strong growth in # users
• More focus on content (Blog articles!)
• Great for networking

25. Best practice 1: Make yourself discoverable
Profile
settings:
Public
Headline
with
keywords
Summary
Picture

26.  Write a killer summary: Make it personal and easy to understand
 Search for relevant connections
(not just colleagues, also journalists, policy makers….)
 Invite people to contact you for [...]
26
2. Create your personal brand:
Source

28.  Showcase your publications
 Share your knowledge (blog articles and updates)
28
Share content
Network
 Add people you are interested in
 Join LinkedIn groups and discussions

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My LinkedIn experience…
From 187 views and 23 likes… 
to 10.2k views… 

30. Remember: there are
MANY platforms and possibilities!
30
◎Vlogs
◎Podcasts
◎Explanatory video’s
◎Presentations
◎Newsletters

31. So which platform should you choose…?
31
Where your
audience
is
What you would like to do! 
(writing, making a video…)
What you’d like to get out of it:
- e.g. TikTok = helping young(er) people
- e.g. LinkedIn = professional networking
- e.g. YouTube = showcase presentations

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General social advice…
◎ Make it visual
○ Use www.canva.com to create great social visuals and infographic
○ Video’s do very well…
◎ Talk and write simple and like a human
○ Reviewer 2 is not reading your article on LinkedIn…
○ Use the language of your audience - not academic jargon
○ Ask your parents / uncle / granny if they understand it

33. 3.
Website
33

34. Tip: Invite people to contact you!
UAntwerpen profile page…

36.  Personal Blog
Publish whatever you want
The blogs never disappear
 Online resume (also non-academic)
 Entirely under your control
(also if you move outside academia…)
 Contact form!
Why your own (wordpress) website?

37. You don’t know how to create a website?
Me neither!
1. Buy a domain name + hosting (www.simonekrouwer.com)
(+- 49 euro’s / year)
2. Use a free Wordpress template
3. Use the Wordpress editor (no skills needed)

38. The golden page of my website

39.  Just share anything potentially useful
(it doesn’t have to be perfect)
 Likes / comments ≠ views
 Write / tweet about more than your own research
(e.g. other studies, news related to research cases…)
Own social media - website
My strategy / experiences

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If I have it, I share it….

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You can rebrand yourself online
I first used my website and social media to talk
about the topic of my PhD…
◎Blogs, tweets, LinkedIn posts about my own research
◎Dutch, easy-to-understand summaries of other studies…
◎ Examples of native advertisements
◎My opinion on news events related to native advertising

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◎Asked if I could help colleagues with their studies
◎Asked if I could write for the Uantwerp Coronablog
about using behavioral science to fight the pandemic
◎Started tweeting and blogging about behavioral science
◎And I started a podcast….
But then I realized I wanted to move into a different direction
(applied behavioral science)
so I…

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So…
How do you create a podcast?
1. Have an idea for a podcast
2. Google: “how to create a podcast without budget”
3. Register yourself on the free podcastplatform
www.anchor.fm
4. Buy a microphone for 50 euros
5. Start and continue even when you feel embarrassed

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And then… this happened!

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2.
Reach out to the media

48. IMPACT
Companies
General
Public
Policy
Makers
Your research in the media

49. There is more than HLN.be (thank god!)
 Business media, trade publications… (e.g. marketingfacts)
 Science magazines (e.g. EOS Wetenschap)
 Business conferences…
 Podcasts!

50. Peter de Meyer – Press officer
We’ve
got news! Peter.demeyer@uantwerpen.be
Sends press releases
Answers questions
Helps creating great articles
The UAntwerpen Media Guru

51. ◎ Not just published research!
◎Also…
○ Your perspective on the news…
○ Answers to societal issues…
○ The start of a new research project
○ …
51
Press releases… What to share?

53.  Start from what your audience wants to know
(People often care about… themselves)
 Start with something the audience cares about
and connect your research / knowledge to it
 Use stories / examples from real life
 Make it visual or concrete
 KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid!
How to write something people WANT to read

54. Great inspiration!

56. ◎I just asked marketing blogs and journalism blogs if they’d be interested in my
research (they were) and tried to connect my studies to the news
◎
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Getting media attention: what did I do?
◎And sometimes they contacted me….
(often after a Tweet or blog on LinkedIn)
◎I added journalists on LinkedIn and Twitter
I contacted news media companies and advertisers to ask about whether
they would be interested in (a blog / insights / collaborations…)

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58. 60
RELAX…

59. Final take-aways  Relax…
◎You don’t have to do everything
◎You don’t have to be online all the time
○ I use www.stayfocusd.com to be max 10 minutes per day on social media
◎What you share doesn’t have to be perfect
◎You can contact (media) companies yourself. They often like it
◎You can talk about more than just your own research
◎Relax! 61

60. You are an expert
Reads a lot, knows a lot
Smart
Creative
(for research you have to
be creative)
Being able to write
and answer critical questions
(hello reviewer 2)
Curious
Critical mindset
YOU 

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Best advice ever!!!

62. Good luck!
Questions?
Your advice and experiences?
@SimoneKrouwer
Simone.krouwer@uantwerpen.be
www.simonekrouwer.com
Add me on LinkedIn
And contact me to be part of the podcast?  64

63. Shine with your #Scicomm – Ways to share your research successfully with a wider
public
Would you like to share more about your work, research and / or observations with the
general public (‘normal people’ ;-)) outside academia? But…
- do you ‘have no idea where to start’?
- do you think you ‘have nothing to tell’?
- do you think that ‘a wider public won’t be interested’?
- do you think it’s a waste of time because publishing is what ultimately counts?
Then I welcome you to the academics-who’d-like-to-make-an-impact-but-don’t-know-
where-to-start-or-what-to-tell-so-nevermind-I-keep-focusing-on-just-publishing-club!
As a postdoctoral researcher who has been diagnosed with impostor syndrome, I know
the feeling. However: I have personally experienced the value of getting out of the
academic comfort zone and sharing insights with a wider public (through traditional
media, social media, commercial events, and a podcast). If you’d like to hear the
failures, experiences, and tips from a colleague who’s simply trying to make an impact,
and share own your ideas or questions with me and other colleagues, join me in this
online session.