Welcome to a slightly unusual episode of Under the Microscope
podcast. My name is Pranav Dikshit Sagar
and I'm your host. I'm also the founder of The
Science Talk, where we empower and enable scientists to share
their stories in digital spaces with confidence and ease.
In today's solo episode, I'm going to give you 3 foundations
of a successful outreach strategy for a research project.
So most scientists have something powerful to say, but
when it comes to how to say it or where to say it, especially
beyond their academic circles, many scientists get stuck.
The truth is that a successful outreach strategy is an
accidental, it's intentional, it's repeatable, and it's almost
always rests on three foundational pillars, Define and
align, craft the message, and choose the channels and format.
And today I'm going to walk you through how we applied structure
for the Contour project, which was a year long global science
outreach campaign following the journey of a quantum light
source across 12 labs in 12 months.
So the first foundational pillar is define and align.
This includes who is this for and why?
Now before jumping into videos, press releases or podcasts, ask
who do we want to reach? What do we want them to feel?
And who else can help us amplify this?
For Contour, this meant building an audience genuinely interested
and curious about quantum science, not just the
specialists working in the field of quantum science and
technology. The second, the goal was putting
the spotlight on the scientists and the labs contributing to the
campaign. Third, was partnering with
science societies and universities globally to boost
credibility and reach. After that comes crafting the
message, which is essentially, what's the story you're telling?
By this point you already know who you are speaking to and why,
and now it is time to articulate the what.
What do you want to tell them? What is take home message for
them? For Contour, our narrative was
simple but powerful. 12 months, 12 laps, one source.
We followed the journey of a quantum light source and the
people behind it. We wanted audiences to see both
the technology and the human stories driving quantum research
forward. And now the third foundational
pillar to choose the channels and the formats.
Once your story is clear, it's time to get it out there
strategically. Different audiences hang out in
different places, and the same message can take on many
formats. In Contour, we used podcast,
videos, visuals, press coverage, website, social media, physical
media as well like stickers, posters, conferences,
newspapers. The same story reached
policymakers, students, and the public in different ways.
Without diluting the message. This is very, very important.
Without diluting the message. These are the three foundations
of a successful outreach strategy for a research project.
To summarize, first, define and align the audiences.
Who is it for and why? Second foundational pillar is to
craft the key message, which essentially is what's the story
you're telling? And the third is to choose the
right channels and formats. Let me tell you this, these
pillars are the foundation, but how you execute them depends on
your topic, timeline, goals and audience.
Whether it's a one day event or a year long celebration like
Contour, the process remains grounded in the same strategic
structure. So the bottom line here is
whether you are building an outreach campaign from scratch
or contributing to a larger dissemination work.
Coming back to these three foundations, audience message in
format can bring much needed clarity and direction.
That's the approach I take in my work, helping scientists and
innovation driven teams turn complex ideas into content that
resonates. Remember, it's not about being
everywhere. It's about showing up with
purpose and making your work accessible, relatable, and
memorable. I hope this was useful.
If it was, do share it with your friend or your colleague and use
these foundational pillars and ways of thinking when you are
working on your next science communication, dissemination, or
outreach strategy. And if you're planning an
outreach initiative or looking to integrate podcasting or
strategic content into your next proposal or project, I would
love to help the outreach strategy as you shared.
Well, that's the same framework I bring to the projects I
support, whether it's a podcast, production, research,
dissemination, or a campaign designed for institutes or
consortia. Thank you for listening and I
will see you in the next one.