You finished a research study and have a paper ready? Congrats! Have you considered sharing it with a wider audience?
Here, I outline some of the reasons for and steps involved in writing a press release. I will illustrate this based on my experience around the press release for two studies I did with Elise Huchard. We investigated the evolution of infanticide by males and females in mammals, where we found support for some long-standing hypotheses about why individuals kill offspring of others (the studies are listed in the publication part of my website). We were happy that others seemed to find these findings exciting, and we received attention from the press. Here, I reflect on my experience of preparing materials for outreach and my interactions with the press. I initially put this material together for a roundtable discussion at NCEAS in an attempt to digest my experiences and learn more about the process of managing media outreach. The material has developed since then based on additional interactions I have had, and I welcome feedback on any aspect of this topic! As with any form of outreach, these interactions take time and energy, and I needed to overcome hesitations and open myself up in ways we usually do not perceive ‘objective’ scientists. But all of this is very much worth it: it was amazing to see the excitement and I think writing press releases makes me a better researcher.
In somewhat chronological order, I address:
1) How did our findings make it into the press?
Main message: If you are excited about something you found out, figure out the different ways to share it with many different audiences
2) What did it involve on my part to get our findings into the press?
Main message: Find out what your message is and how it might be perceived
3) What does it involve to write a press release?
Main message: Press releases have a specific structure to convey information in a brief format
4) What to expect after your press release is out out?
Main message: The reaction is unpredictable, but it is worth to be prepared
5) Where did our findings end up, and who might they have reached?
Main message: Explore the news universe to find out where scientific results are covered