Making Social Media Work in a Fragmented World

1. Strategy beats presence

The message came through loud and clear: it’s not about being everywhere, it’s about being effective where it matters.

Charlie reminded us that the days of “the big seven” social platforms are gone; today we’re talking about forty-plus options, each with their own quirks and communities. That makes it tempting to spread yourself thin, but the smarter move is to start with three simple questions:

• What are your objectives?
• Where are your audiences?
• How do they want to engage?

Once you’re clear on those, it becomes easier to decide where to invest effort – and just as importantly, where not to.

2. Experimentation is essential

Several case studies brought this to life. Jitske described how The Company of Biologists has experimented with Mastodon and Bluesky, even hosting their own Mastodon server to create a trusted community space. Some of those experiments gained traction quickly, others less so. The key was being willing to try, listen to feedback, and adjust course – whether that meant adding journal-specific accounts on Bluesky or consolidating nine Mastodon accounts into one.

The lesson? Don’t expect every experiment to work exactly as planned. Social media strategies evolve as communities move and behave in new ways.

3. Content needs to work harder

The panel agreed that posting the same content everywhere doesn’t cut it anymore. Repurposing is essential – what Charlie called “anchor content”: starting with a substantial piece (a whitepaper, article, or event) and breaking it down into smaller, more creative formats like short videos, infographics, or blog snippets.

AI is starting to help here, whether by generating draft posts, alt text, or even video scripts. But all three panellists stressed the same point: keep humans in the loop. AI can get you from “0–1,” but only human judgement, context, and authenticity can get you from “1–2.”

We also touched on the role of paid social. Even small investments can make a difference, boosting the visibility of anchor content and helping organic posts perform better. The advice was not to see paid as a separate strategy, but as one more tool to amplify the content you’re already creating.

4. People power works better than logos

An insight came from Tina, who shared the results of Springer Nature’s ambassador programme. Eighty staff members are trained and supported to develop their personal brands and share authentic stories. Their posts often outperform corporate accounts – sometimes doubling engagement and click-through rates.

It’s a reminder that people trust people, not logos. And that empowering staff to share their own perspectives can be one of the most effective social strategies.

5. Measurement is a moving target

Measuring the impact of social media remains one of the thorniest challenges. Polling during our session confirmed this: alongside resourcing and content creation, measuring ROI was one of the biggest struggles for attendees.

Tina was frank about how difficult it is to directly link a tweet or post to a submission decision. But that doesn’t mean we give up. Her advice: start simple, track consistently, and use tools like UTM tagging to follow traffic more clearly. Metrics should be tied to your objectives, which might differ by platform – e.g., X for reach, Bluesky for community engagement, LinkedIn for driving traffic.

What the audience told us

Our polls gave a great snapshot of where the community stands in 2025:

• Biggest challenge: Resourcing (time, staff, budget) was by far the top pain point, followed by creating enough content, measuring impact, and platform focus. Interestingly, “keeping up with algorithms” came last – perhaps because most of us have accepted it as the price of entry.
• Main platform focus: LinkedIn dominated, with 74% of respondents saying it’s their primary focus. Bluesky was a distant second (10%), with X and Instagram at 6% each. Other platforms barely registered.

That heavy leaning toward LinkedIn reflects what our panellists said too: academic Twitter may be gone, but social media remains a vital space for scholarly communication, and LinkedIn is where many researchers now spend their time.

Questions from the floor

The Q&A reinforced just how many layers there are to this topic:

• Non-English-speaking audiences: Both Tina and Charlie acknowledged the complexity. Springer Nature has scaled back country-specific accounts due to low ROI but still translates and targets key posts. In regions where the social media landscape differs significantly, such as China, Springer Nature maintains a dedicated presence. Charlie noted that authors can be invaluable ambassadors in their own languages, using platforms like Weibo or WeChat.
• Social listening: Jitske explained how editorial teams can often respond fastest, while Tina described the mix of dedicated tools and manual monitoring they use (with limitations on platforms like LinkedIn).
• Unofficial accounts: A common headache. Tina stressed the need for careful relationship management when editors or partners create accounts under a publisher’s name. Risks include dormant accounts, hacking, or reputational issues.

Unanswered but important questions

We didn’t have time to cover everything in the room, but a couple of thoughtful questions came in via the app:

How can publishers and societies work with local organisations to reach key audiences?
Partnerships can be invaluable, especially when cultural and language expertise are essential. The advice from our panellists applies here too – start with your objectives. If the goal is to reach a new audience, ask whether that’s best achieved in-house or in collaboration. Often, the strongest strategies blend both – keeping core activities internal but partnering where specialist skills or reach are needed.

Can staff without comms backgrounds get social media training?
Yes! ALPSP already offers a course: Effective Social Media for Scholarly Publishers, run by myself (Kelly Henwood) and Alastair Horne. The next session will take place in June 2026 – so watch this space if that would be useful for you or your colleagues.

Final thoughts

If one thread tied everything together, it was this: you don’t need to do it all. Social media may be more complex and fragmented than ever, but the basics still hold:

• Be clear about your goals.
• Understand your audiences.
• Focus your effort where you can make the biggest difference.

And don’t underestimate the power of people. Whether through ambassadors, authors, or community champions, authentic voices cut through the noise far better than polished marketing messages.

It was a privilege to hear so many honest perspectives on stage – and to see the energy and curiosity from the audience in the room. Thank you again to Charlie, Jitske, Tina, and everyone who joined us.