Maximizing Your Research Lab's Social Media Impact: A Comprehensive Guide to Effective Online SciComm
Maximizing Your Research Lab's Social Media Impact: A Comprehensive Guide to Effective Online SciComm
Social media is one of the more interesting and engaging ways that we’ve seen research labs stand out online in today’s digital landscape. This can be a fun and entertaining way to showcase the science, researchers, and students that are a part of your lab, and to make a bigger impact with your work.
And it’s more accessible to have this impact than you might think.
In this guide we will explore effective strategies to enhance your lab's online visibility, focusing on key platforms like Bluesky, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
By implementing these tips, you'll boost your science communication (SciComm) efforts and strengthen your research lab's online presence.
1. Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms for Your Research Lab
While numerous social media platforms exist, it's essential to focus on those most relevant to the scientific community:
Bluesky:
Ideal for quick updates, sharing research findings, and engaging in real-time scientific discussions.
Bluesky's fast-paced environment makes it perfect for sharing bite-sized updates about your research. With its 300-character limit, you're forced to distill complex ideas into digestible snippets, which can be an excellent exercise in science communication. Use Bluesky to live-tweet conferences, share links to your latest publications, or engage in trending scientific conversations using relevant hashtags.
Bluesky is also a great platform for networking with other researchers and institutions. Many scientists use Bluesky to discuss their work, share interesting findings, and collaborate on projects. By actively participating in these conversations, you can increase your lab's visibility and potentially forge valuable connections in your field.
LinkedIn:
Perfect for professional networking, sharing detailed articles, attracting potential collaborators, or funding opportunities.
LinkedIn's professional focus makes it an ideal platform for more in-depth content about your research. Here, you can share longer articles detailing your methodologies, findings, and their potential implications. This platform is particularly useful for reaching out to potential collaborators, industry partners, or funding bodies.
Take advantage of LinkedIn's publishing feature to write thought leadership pieces that showcase your expertise. You can also use LinkedIn to highlight your lab's achievements, such as grants received, papers published, or notable speaking engagements. This can help build your lab's reputation and attract top talent for future positions.
Instagram:
Excellent for visual storytelling, showcasing lab life, and reaching a broader, more diverse audience.
Instagram's visual nature makes it perfect for giving your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your lab. Share photos of your team at work, images of interesting experiments, or infographics explaining complex concepts. This platform can help humanize your research and make it more accessible to a general audience.
Use Instagram Stories and Reels to create engaging snapshots or short videos about your work. These features are great for quick explanations of scientific concepts, lab tours, or "day in the life" content that shows what it's like to work in your lab. These same bite-sized videos also work really well on TikTok and we’ve seen a number of scientists and SciComm experts grow large followings on TikTok by repurposing the same content they create for Instagram. By presenting your research in a visually appealing way, you can attract a younger, more diverse audience and potentially inspire the next generation of scientists.
2. Developing a Consistent Posting Strategy
Consistency is key to maintaining an engaged audience. Don’t try to tackle every platform at once! Choose 1-2 that will be the most realistic for you to post regularly to. A content calendar can help you keep track and ensure regular posts.
The stats we list below are aspirational, standards that have been shown to maximize reach. But adjust as needed for your lab’s needs! Just get started and do what feels right to you. Having fun with social media is more important than anything else.
Bluesky: Aim for 3-4 posts per day
With Bluesky's fast-moving feed, it's important to post frequently to maintain visibility. Aim for a mix of original content, retweets of relevant research, and engagement with other users. You might start your day by sharing a recent publication, followed by a midday post about ongoing lab work, and end with a thought-provoking question to encourage discussion.
Remember to space out your posts throughout the day to reach audiences in different time zones. You can also use scheduling tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to plan your posts in advance, ensuring a consistent presence even during busy lab days. This will also save you from getting sucked into doom-scrolling throughout the day and keep you focused on your research.
LinkedIn: Post 2-3 times per week
LinkedIn's professional audience tends to engage more with quality over quantity. Aim for 2-3 substantial posts per week. These could include a detailed article about your latest research findings, a post celebrating a team member's achievement, or a discussion of recent developments in your field.
Use LinkedIn's analytics to determine the best times to post for your audience. Often, weekday mornings or early afternoons are effective, as professionals tend to check LinkedIn during work hours. Weekends seem to be a dead time on LinkedIn so you’re better off taking the weekend to rest and recharge as well!
Experiment with different posting times and content types on LinkedIn to see what resonates best with your followers.
Instagram: Share 2-3 posts per week
On Instagram, aim for 2-3 high-quality posts per week. These should be visually appealing and tell a story about your research or lab life. You might share a beautiful microscope image on Monday, a team photo on Wednesday, and an infographic explaining a key concept from your research on Friday.
In addition to regular posts, maintain an active presence on Instagram Stories. Share daily updates, quick tips, or "ask me anything" sessions to keep your audience engaged between posts. Remember, consistency in aesthetic and tone is as important as posting frequency on this visually-driven platform.
As science brand specialists, we can help you with refining your brand image for consistency.
3. Crafting Engaging Content for Your Lab's Social Media
To boost engagement and improve your SciComm efforts, focus on creating diverse, high-quality content. We give some suggestions below, but it’s important to have fun and tailor your content for your lab! The best lab social media accounts have personality and verve, places that showcase your science and lab group — including all the quirks that make it special.
Here are some post ideas that are good starting points:
Share research updates and findings
Regularly sharing updates about your ongoing research keeps your audience informed and engaged. This could include preliminary results, unexpected findings, or the publication of a new paper. When sharing these updates, try to explain their significance in layman's terms to make your research accessible to a broader audience.
Consider creating a series of posts that follow the progress of a particular study. This can help build anticipation and give your audience insight into the scientific process. Remember to balance the technical details with broader implications to maintain interest across different audience segments.
Highlight team members and their work
Showcasing the individuals behind the research humanizes your lab and can help attract potential collaborators or students. Create regular "Meet the Team" posts that introduce lab members, their roles, and their current projects. This not only recognizes their contributions but also gives a face to your research.
You could also feature "Day in the Life" content, showing what a typical day looks like for different team members. This gives insight into the day-to-day realities of scientific research and can be particularly inspiring for students considering a career in science.
Post behind-the-scenes lab footage
Behind-the-scenes content gives your audience a glimpse into the world of scientific research. Share photos or videos of experiment setups, data analysis sessions, or even the occasional lab mishap. This type of content can demystify the research process and make science more approachable.
Consider doing live streams of interesting lab procedures or Q&A sessions where followers can ask questions about your work in real-time. This interactive approach can significantly boost engagement and create a sense of community around your research.
Create infographics to explain complex scientific concepts
Infographics are powerful tools for breaking down complex ideas into digestible, visually appealing formats. Use them to explain key concepts in your field, illustrate your research methodology, or present your findings. Well-designed infographics can be shared across multiple platforms and have the potential to go viral, significantly expanding your reach.
When creating infographics, focus on clarity and simplicity. Use colors, icons, and minimal text to convey your message. Consider creating a series of related infographics that build on each other, helping your audience gradually understand more complex aspects of your research.
Live updates from conferences or scientific events
Posting live updates from conferences or other scientific events is an excellent way to engage with the broader scientific community and showcase your lab's involvement in current discussions. Share key points from presentations, your thoughts on new developments, and photos from the event. This not only provides value to followers who couldn't attend but also positions your lab as an active participant in your field.
For these posts, use relevant hashtags to increase visibility and engage with other attendees' tweets, especially conference-specific ones. This can lead to valuable networking opportunities and discussions that extend beyond the event itself. Consider assigning different team members to cover different sessions, allowing for more comprehensive coverage and diverse perspectives.
4. Leveraging Platform-Specific Features
Each social media platform offers unique features. Take advantage of these to maximize engagement:
Bluesky:
Use relevant hashtags, create informative threads, and participate in scientific chats.
Hashtags are crucial on Bluesky for increasing the discoverability of your posts. Research and use relevant hashtags in your field, but also participate in broader science communication hashtags like #SciComm or #SciSky. Create custom hashtags for your lab or specific research projects to help followers easily find related content.
Use hashtag features to engage in the science community and topics related to your field.
Threads are an excellent way to overcome the character limit and explain complex topics. Use threads to break down a recent publication, explain a scientific process step-by-step, or tell the story of a research project from inception to conclusion. Ensure each tweet in the thread can stand alone while also flowing logically from one to the next.
Participating in scientific chats can significantly boost your lab's visibility and engagement. Look for regular chats in your field or broader science communication chats. Prepare thoughtful responses to the chat questions and engage with other participants' posts to build connections and showcase your expertise.
LinkedIn:
Write long-form articles about your research and join relevant scientific groups.
LinkedIn's article feature allows you to publish in-depth content directly on the platform. Use this to write detailed explanations of your research, opinion pieces on developments in your field, or advice for early-career researchers. These articles can establish your lab as a thought leader and provide valuable content for your followers to share.
When writing LinkedIn articles, use a mix of text, images, and even embedded videos to make your content more engaging. Break up long paragraphs with subheadings and bullet points for easier reading. End your articles with a call to action, encouraging readers to comment, share, or connect for further discussion.
Joining and actively participating in relevant LinkedIn groups can expand your network and increase your lab's visibility. Look for groups related to your specific field of research, as well as broader scientific or academic groups. Share your content in these groups, engage in discussions, and offer helpful insights to establish your lab's presence in these communities.
Instagram:
Utilize Stories, Reels, and IGTV for dynamic, visual content about your lab's work.
Instagram Stories are perfect for sharing quick updates, polls, or behind-the-scenes glimpses of lab life. Use the various interactive stickers available in Stories, such as question stickers for Q&A sessions or quiz stickers to test followers' knowledge about your research area. Save important Stories as Highlights on your profile for long-term visibility.
Reels, Instagram's short-form video feature, can be used to create engaging, educational content about your research. Create 15-30 second videos explaining a scientific concept, demonstrating a lab technique, or sharing an interesting fact related to your work. Use trending audio or effects to make your Reels more discoverable, but ensure the content remains professional and relevant to your lab's image.
For longer-form content, utilize IGTV. This feature allows you to share videos up to 60 minutes long. Use IGTV for in-depth explanations of your research, interviews with team members or collaborators, or virtual lab tours. While IGTV videos can be longer, aim to keep them concise and engaging, with the most important information in the first few minutes to capture viewers' attention.
5. Engaging with Your Audience to Boost SciComm Impact
Effective social media engagement is a two-way street. It’s not only important to post, but also engage with your community. Boost your lab's online presence by:
Responding promptly to comments and messages.
Timely responses to comments and messages show that your lab values interaction and is committed to public engagement. Aim to respond within 24 hours, if possible. This not only satisfies the curiosity of your audience but also encourages further interaction, potentially leading to valuable discussions or collaborations.
When responding, maintain a professional yet approachable tone. Be prepared to explain complex concepts in simpler terms and always be respectful, even when faced with criticism or misconceptions. Remember, each interaction is an opportunity to educate and build a positive relationship with your audience.
Asking thought-provoking questions to encourage scientific discussion.
Posing intriguing questions can spark engaging discussions among your followers. These could be related to recent findings in your field, ethical considerations in research, or speculative questions about future developments. Frame your questions to be accessible to a broad audience while still being substantive enough to interest experts.
Consider creating regular features like "Question of the Week" or "Thought Experiment Thursday" to consistently encourage audience participation. Follow up on interesting responses to keep the conversation going and show that you value your followers' input.
Collaborating with other labs or researchers on social media projects.
Collaborative projects can significantly expand your reach and bring fresh perspectives to your social media presence. Look for opportunities to partner with other labs or researchers on joint posts, takeovers, or series. This could involve cross-promoting each other's work, co-hosting a live Q&A session, or creating a joint infographic comparing your research approaches.
When collaborating, ensure that the partnership aligns with your lab's values and research interests. Clearly communicate expectations and guidelines for the collaboration to ensure a smooth and mutually beneficial experience. Don't forget to properly credit and tag your collaborators in all shared content.
Hosting Q&A sessions about your research.
Q&A sessions or AMAs provide a direct line of communication between your lab and your audience. These can be done through live video streams, Bluesky threads, or using features like Instagram's question sticker in Stories. Announce these sessions in advance to allow your audience to prepare questions and to maximize participation.
During the session, strive for a balance between answering technical questions from peers and more general questions from a lay audience. Use these sessions as an opportunity to clarify misconceptions about your research or field. Consider having different team members host sessions to provide varied perspectives and expertise.
6. Optimizing Your Research Lab's Website for Social Media Integration
Your lab's website serves as the hub for all your online activities. But for people to find your website and/or social media accounts, you’ll need to take some extra steps to make that content easy-to-find and easy-to-navigate.
Here are some ways you can ensure these online platforms are optimized for search engines and user experience:
Include social media buttons for easy sharing of your research content.
Make it simple for visitors to share your content by including social media sharing buttons on all pages, particularly on blog posts, publication announcements, and other shareable content. Ensure these buttons are prominently displayed but not intrusive to the overall design of your site.
Consider using plugins or widgets that allow visitors to share specific sections of your content, such as interesting statistics or key findings. This granular sharing can increase the likelihood of your content being distributed across social networks. Most web builder software that we recommend includes these social sharing features out of the box.
Add the social sharing buttons to each page and update you put on your lab’s website.
Embed social media feeds on your website to showcase real-time updates.
Embedding your social media feeds on your website creates a dynamic, constantly updating element that can keep visitors engaged. This could be a Bluesky feed showing your latest posts, an Instagram gallery displaying recent posts, or a LinkedIn feed highlighting your latest articles.
When embedding feeds, ensure they're responsive and don't slow down your website's loading time. Consider placing them on your homepage or a dedicated "News" or "Updates" page. This integration can also encourage website visitors to follow your lab on social media platforms.
Regularly update your site with fresh, SEO-optimized content about your research.
Consistently adding new, high-quality content to your website is crucial for both SEO and user engagement. This could include blog posts about your latest findings, updates on ongoing projects, or articles explaining key concepts in your field. Ensure this content is optimized for search engines by including relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and alt text for images.
Consider creating a content calendar that aligns with your social media strategy. For example, you could publish a detailed blog post on your website and then create social media content that drives traffic to this post. This integrated approach can boost both your website traffic and social media engagement.
Ensure your website is mobile-responsive for easy access on all devices.
With an increasing number of users accessing websites via mobile devices, it's crucial that your lab's website is fully responsive. This means it should automatically adjust its layout and functionality to provide an optimal viewing experience across a wide range of devices, from desktop computers to smartphones. Test your website on various devices and browsers to ensure all elements, including text, images, and interactive features, display correctly. Pay particular attention to the loading speed on mobile devices, as this can significantly impact user experience.
Effective social media engagement is crucial for modern research labs to communicate their work, build connections, and increase their impact.
By creating diverse, platform-specific content, leveraging multimedia, and actively engaging with your audience, you can significantly enhance your lab's online presence.
Remember to maintain consistency across platforms, stay authentic to your lab's voice, and always prioritize accurate, ethical science communication.
With these strategies, your research lab can harness the power of social media to inspire, educate, and collaborate with a global audience.
About the author
Impact Media Lab is a small-but-mighty creative team specializing in science brands, media, and strategy. We believe science can lead to seismic shifts in how we understand the world, but it takes great communication to make it happen.