Promoting your work on social media
Discover how to use social media to promote your journal articles, books, book chapters or case studies.
Social media
By using social media effectively, you can increase the impact of your work. It’s also a great way to expand your network and share ideas with other academics in your field.
At Emerald, we are engaged with social media across a range of platforms and channels. The following guidelines aim to help you make the most of our existing social presence, and think about developing or expanding your own. Don’t stretch yourself too thin; pick the mix of channels that work best for you. Our quick-reference guide is designed to help you get started.
Two things to bear in mind in all your social media posts:
- When using figures or tables, please include the copyright line under the image eg. ‘© Emerald’
- Always link to the DOI on Emerald Insight and, if there’s room, please include the full citation of the work, eg. published in A Life in the Day: Volume 13 Issue 4
Social media channels
With a reasonably tight word count (280 characters), Twitter is the ideal platform for disseminating high-level news, sharing announcements, or short topical comments and opinions. Tweet as regularly as you can, and point followers to your website landing pages, article, blog or specific research content.
If you don't already have a Twitter account, it is quick and easy to set one up. We recommend that you use your real name in the field marked 'real name' and an intuitive and discoverable version of this for your username (your handle will be @username). Find people to follow using Twitter's search function or view the site's "Who to follow" recommendations. Generally, we find that about half of the people you follow will follow you back. You can also find people interested in your subject area by searching for specific keywords.
Tips
- Add #hashtags to your posts to categorise them and make sure they are included in relevant conversation streams.
- Use URL shorteners, such as bitly or Google URL shortener to maximise space in your tweet.
- Twitter is an extremely noisy space, so you have to compete to be heard. We recommend 3-5 tweets a day.
- @ the relevant Emerald Twitter feed in your tweet when you have space – it makes it easier for us to 'see' it, and try to retweet, or engage with your content in some way.
- As well as tweeting links to your content, you can share information on publishing milestones, events or readings.
- Use images when you can, as they encourage engagement with your tweets.
As well as our main account, @EmeraldGlobal, Emerald’s Twitter subject feeds are:
- Accounting and Finance
- Economics
- Education
- Health and Social Care
- Emerald Library
- Emerald Management
- Emerald Marketing
- Emerald Politics and Policy
- Emerald Sociology & Criminology
- Emerald Tourism
- International Business
Developed around professional networks, LinkedIn provides the ideal platform to advertise events, promote research content, network, and participate in group debates. If you aren’t already on LinkedIn, it's easy to set up a personal profile, detailing your experience. Then you can begin connecting with colleagues and friends.
Tips
- Try to post 4-5 times a week.
- Tailor your content for a professional audience.
- Join the many LinkedIn groups dedicated to professional interests. Joining these groups and posing questions or responding to queries from members can be a great way to showcase yourself as a thought leader in a specific area.
Facebook can be a good place to connect with current and potential readers. The platform enables users to create profiles or pages with photos, lists of personal interests, contact information, and many other details.
We use our Emerald Facebook page to link to content; for example, on our website, YouTube channel or blog. A public page will help you share your work and establish a two-way conversation with your readers via wall posts, discussions, polls and more.
Tips
- The main difference between Facebook and Twitter is the frequency of posting – once a day is recommended on Facebook (and if you are posting more than that, then make sure they are well spaced out).
- Try to include a photo or graphic in any post.
- Focus each post on a single subject and include a question, link, or call to action to boost engagement.
- Remember, your posts will appear among news from friends and family, so stick to a conversational tone and avoid being overly promotional.
YouTube is a video-sharing site where users can view, share, and upload videos. The Emerald YouTube channel shares interviews with authors and editors and a host of other content. Once videos are posted to our channels it is easy to share them across other channels – such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Setting up your own YouTube channel and uploading videos is simple and free of charge. You can automatically share your uploads on other social networks, or set them up to stream into your personal blog or website.
Pinterest is a platform where content can be shared with other users who have similar interests. The platform acts as a virtual pin board where you can create 'boards' based on different topics and subjects. Users interact with each other by sharing each other's content through 'pinning'. As Pinterest is a very visual platform, any content you add should always include an image and link to a website.
Snapchat is an opportunity to create fun content on a more human level. It allows you to post photographs or 10-second videos that can be used to engage followers; for instance, by telling a story, offering a "behind the scenes" perspective, or showing followers what you are doing at conferences. The life of a snap story is 24 hours after posting, even if it hasn’t been seen by all followers, so it is important to post frequently. Once a snap has been seen or opened by a follower, it will then disappear. Post on Snapchat between 1-5 times per day.
Instagram is similar to Snapchat in that it allows you to post photos and 15-second videos – only they don’t disappear and can be set to stay on your profile. It is another way of telling a story to followers using the power of images. As with Twitter and Facebook, hashtags are used, which help you become part of a wider community and increase engagement. Instagram is more of a visual experience than Twitter – as they say, a picture can speak a thousand words! Try to post 1-2 times per day.
General tips on using social media
Social media platforms allow you to share content quickly and put research at people's fingertips.
Make sure you also tag and "like" relevant posts to improve your visibility within your chosen community. Plus, social media encourages reciprocation, so make sure you share other researchers' work and social media content too.
Social media platforms are forums where people can also discuss developments in research, teaching and academia in general. They have become a go-to place for people seeking insight into topics. When it comes to conducting your own research, or planning teaching modules, you can also use the various sites to monitor and contribute to conversations of interest to you and your work.
One thing to remember is that there is no single right way to do things! You will eventually (or very quickly) find your own style and voice and become part of a research community you may not geographically be able to access. As a final note, think about the tone of your social posts: ensure that tone is appropriate with regard to your work and the community you are looking to engage with.
