Tips for Academics and Uni Press Officers to Land Science, Health, and Climate Stories
Practical advice for academics and university press officers to get their research noticed by journalists
Pandemics. Heatwaves. AI in medicine. Climate tipping points. The stakes are high… and so is the bar for landing coverage.
That’s what I’m hearing often from science communicators. Dedicated science desks are shrinking. Reporters are juggling multiple beats. Health and climate stories are politically charged. And every inbox is flooded with “groundbreaking” research that, frankly, isn’t.
For academics and university press officers, landing meaningful coverage in science, environment or health can feel like an uphill battle.
If you work in STEM comms, here are my top tips for landing coverage:
Ditch the jargon. Use layman’s terms. If a reporter doesn’t understand what an academic is saying, how will they explain it to their audience? Analogies help. Paint a picture. Be descriptive.
Train academics to sound human. Clear will always beat clever. Replace things like “statistically significant association” with “we found a clear link”. “Anthropogenic climate change” could be swapped with “human-driven climate change”.
Start with the story, not the research paper. Journalists don’t cover “a new paper in X journal.” They cover something that changes what we know, a real-world consequence, a surprise, or a risk etc. Humanise your research. When I get pitches, I’m thinking: What does this mean for Doris in North Yorkshire?
Don’t oversell. Nothing kills trust faster than hype. If it’s early-stage, say so.
If it’s in mice, say so. If it’s a small study, say so. Honesty builds credibility.Cut the institutional fluff. Journalists don’t care about “world-leading excellence” or “pioneering hubs.”
Give journalists oven-ready assets. High-res images. Simple graphics. Short videos.
Be available… and fast. Encourage academics to say yes to comment requests, consider writing op-eds, and reply quickly.
