Why should you build media and PR skills as an academic?

I get it, you already have a job.

It’s probably research or teaching or likely a combination of the two. You may also be writing grant bids, marking assessments or have an additional role within your department. There is probably a paper you also need to squeeze in, and a draft to write for a book, and there’s that event you want to go to. So why on earth am I here saying you might need to be doing something else? 

It’s a question I get asked all the time, in various guises.

'The nuance of my research gets lost and 'dumbed-down' if I talk to the media about it'

‘Where’s the benefit? Journalists are just trying to catch me out’

‘I have no time as it is, why should I do something that may or may not work or needed?’

I lead communications for the Faculty of Arts & Humanities at King’s College London, this newsletter isn’t part of that role, I should stress, but I wanted to share some of what I’ve learnt there and in my previous roles as a journalist and producer.

I’m not going to pretend or bullshit anyone here, those statements above are all real and, I think, valid.

But in response, maybe ask yourself some of these questions;

Those are all potentially fear-inducing reasons, and I’m sorry for pushing that particular button, but they are all real examples I’ve dealt with.

On a more proactive note, grant applications increasingly require you to consider public engagement (or wording with a similar meaning) and there is more scrutiny, more generally, on higher education and its value to society.

So, join Online Academic and I’ll share tips that help you build your own personal toolkit to navigate those questions and more, in manageable chunks that you can take with you day-by-day, and build little-by-little. Helping you to explain what you do, well.

The March edition will focus on where to begin with this journey, and the lay of the land so you can start to plan in when and what you might do first.

Join today, it’s free.

P.S. - If you have any of your own questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. I'd love to hear from you.