IHPI summer students social media session 2024

Presentation to University of Michigan IHPI summer student series on building personal brand and using social media

1. Creating your personal “brand” Kara Gavin, M.S. Michigan Medicine Dept. of Communication/IHPI Communications Communicating your work through social media & more as an early-career healthcare researcher

2. Who am I? Michigan Medicine & IHPI Communication team Trained in biology, science writing & journalism 25+ years’ experience communicating research at U-M & Brookhaven National Lab

3. Find & tell stories in the areas I cover Handle news media inquiries Push stories & info out any way I can Help researchers communicate directly What do I do?

4. Why does U-M have staff like me? Our institution’s work should reach people who care U-M expertise can have impact – if it reaches the right people Taxpayers & policymakers who fund research need to know what they’re paying for Most Americans need science/medicine translated

5. It’s easier than ever to reach a broad audience.

6. IHPI’s investment: Staff | Channels | Training Support to get health services research out to the world, and to connect researchers with one another

7. What do you mean, “brand”?

8. Your personal brand… NOT a logo Must be built, over time Comes from how you present yourself to the world…and what people can find about you Affects how people interact with you & your work

9. But first, some context…

10. For 200 years… Information gatekeepers: News media Entertainment & publishing industry Educators & librarians Government agencies Journalists as the ‘fourth estate’: a watchdog of society Academic research as source of expertise & new knowledge

11. Last 20 years… Traditional news media’s gatekeeper & watchdog role has eroded with its business model.

12. Institutions = news sources Everyone = a publisher This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

13. An array of “bullhorns”

14. Institutions use these to amplify their experts’ work “Brand journalism” – build & reinforce trust Original stories, images, videos, podcasts & more Built for search engine visibility & shareability Social media to disseminate and engage Fast response to questions & controversy

15. Michigan Medicine site: New stories daily Research news & health advice Aimed at professionals & public Jump on timely news topics Shared on web, social media & email Optimized for search engine visibility 11M+ views & 470+ new stories in FY23 www.michiganhealthlab.org

16. Use what U-M creates and what you create to build your brand.

17. Key tools for you: Threads, Facebook, Reddit, Wikipedia, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok… Your profile on any website you run/are featured on!

18. Why spend the time? Connect with others in your field & beyond Raise the visibility of your work Share new publications, news, observations, timely links Engage with individuals/institutions around the globe Get the most out of conferences & events Raise awareness of what YOU are all about

19. Why else? Altmetrics ! Embedded in most papers Tracks activity per DOI: media coverage social media activity policy documents Assigns a score/percentile See who’s engaging with your work

20. DOI:10.1056/NEJMc2201761 86% of those who tweeted it are members of the public 1.9M views of letter 6 th highest social media activity of all NEJM-published content 237 citations

21. Just last month…

22. Your essentials A robust professional web profile An up-to-date LinkedIn profile Claim a Twitter/X handle & write a bio even if you won’t use it Google yourself & set up Google alert for your name Know the PR person for your area Look at Altmetrics for your papers

23. Spruce up your LinkedIn profile! Use a professional-looking photo   The space immediately under your name should be a short “ad” for you  NOT your current title - a punchy description of your professional self/goals About section: describe your professional interests/current projects. Using key terms/buzzwords may help you be visible in search. 

24. More LinkedIn tips In employment history & education, use full company/institution names. LinkedIn may recognize them automatically, making connection easier Add links to your projects, papers, website(s), professional societies Enter specific skills you possess – and other professional/volunteer activities.  Contact info will only be visible to those who you’re connected to.

25. LinkedIn privacy & etiquette You can control what is visible about you to people you’re not connected with, who can message you, and who you connect with You can see recommended posts or latest posts You can tell LinkedIn to email you about activity involving you Stick mainly to professional and professional-adjacent posts (i.e. conference travel) If someone asks to connect & you have no idea who they are: ignore People can pay for Premium access which gives them the ability to message you via InMail, unless you turn this off

26. “Laying low” Lurk on Twitter & LinkedIn Follow conference hashtags Subscribe to Twitter lists Join LinkedIn groups Favorite some Reddit forums

27. Take it to the next level Interact with posts on X & LinkedIn Include social links in email signature Post about professional activities Reach out to your PR person about upcoming work or timely expertise Write “plain English” blurbs on papers

28. Engage more fully Share links to news articles, the work of others, and photos from your academic experiences, with your thoughts Salute the work/achievements of others Use LinkedIn’s “Write Article” feature Post your slide sets on SlideShare Jump in to Reddit discussions, Wikipedia editing, etc. On your personal social media, be a source of truth

29. Tips for posting on any platforms(s) you use: Like and repost posts from accounts you follow - but add your thoughts when you do. Short posts are fine! But try to at least include one image or link. When you can, take time to post longer-form (LinkedIn articles, X threads) Use hashtags & tag others to improve discoverability and onward sharing When sharing a link or photo, add a note about why you’re sharing it

30. More universal tips Include Alt Text on images to improve both accessibility & search engine visibility Give praise, celebrate others’ achievements and milestones Be generous - share resources & useful links, answer questions, connect people Post every time you publish a paper, go to a conference, get a grant or award, or add a new professional title/role

31. Key principles for “plain English”

32. Join Platform to reach the public on timely topics Commentaries by academics, aided by editors Open copyright for republishing Routinely republished by major media outlets Easily shared via social media and the web Authors can see data on views & republishing

33. Be careful of… Connecting with patients on social media Getting too political/personal Especially if you want to impact policy Back opinions with published research Engaging in debates/advocacy without understanding the platform you’re on

34. Advice from U-M professor Justin Wolfers, Ph.D. Get out of your own echo chamber. Follow people who are different from you and have different opinions. A little humor goes a long way. It’s the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down. Be yourself, but be 120% of yourself. “Don’t do what academics tend to do and say ‘this is rather interesting’ or equivocate 10 different ways. Be excited. Be human. Talk about what you love and what’s beautiful about it.”

35. Where this can lead… Connect with others Spread knowledge Amplify your impact Keep up with new ideas & opportunities Lend your voice Get more from your work Build your brand

36. I challenge you… Venture onto social & web Learn from others See it as part of your career Build your brand so it doesn’t get built for you!

37. IHPI Communications Toolkit ihpi.umich.edu/ihpi-communications-resources Social Media Integrity site - best practices socialintegrity .umich.edu/ U-M Social Media Strategy ideas/tips socialmedia.umich.edu/strategy/ U-M resources

38. More Resources Joyce Lee, M.D. ’s Slideshares on social media: http://www.slideshare.net/joyclee/presentations Andrew Ibrahim, M.D.’s Visual Abstract Primer https://www.surgeryredesign.com/resources A list of IHPI members who tweet – follow them & learn! https://twitter.com/i/lists/154150631

39. Still More Resources! NIH Communicating Science & Health Research to the Public: http://michmed.org/EzD1O AAAS Communication Toolkit: https://www.aaas.org/resources/communication-toolkit Logos, photos, templates, guidelines: U-M: http://vpcomm.umich.edu/brand/home Mich Med: https://branding.med.umich.edu/home

40. Send questions & ideas! [email protected] @karag www.slideshare.net/KaraGavin