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What we learned: Social media strategy in a shifting scholarly landscape

By Kelly Henwood: Senior Consultant

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my poster session at SSP! The lively conversations and thoughtful questions made it clear that social media strategy remains top of mind when navigating the evolving scholarly communications space. Here are some key takeaways and insights from those discussions:

Audience drift and platform flux

Scholarly communities are re-evaluating where they engage online. X (formerly Twitter) is still in use, but ongoing instability is prompting many to seek out alternatives – from LinkedIn and Bluesky to even TikTok. The consensus? Resist the temptation to be everywhere. Instead, focus your efforts on the platforms where your audience is most active and engaged.

Social media strategy in a shifting scholarly landscape

Video is here to stay

Short-form video content is quickly becoming essential – whether in the form of explainers, visual abstracts, or behind-the-scenes glimpses of scholarly work. There was lots of interest in practical tools like Canva, CapCut, and Descript, which make creating impactful video content more accessible for busy teams. Video isn’t just for reaching younger researchers; it’s become an essential way to engage a broad, diverse audience.

Community over broadcast

One theme that came up repeatedly: the power of community. Organisations are shifting from simply pushing out content to nurturing relationships. Authors, editors, staff, and other internal voices are vital advocates. From micro-influencers to editorial ambassadors and author promotion kits, the focus is increasingly on enabling and amplifying these trusted voices.

Measuring impact beyond vanity metrics

Many attendees shared challenges with measuring social media success. The conversations highlighted a shared desire to move past vanity metrics like likes and follower counts, and to focus instead on what truly signals impact – metrics that track meaningful outcomes. Website traffic, sign-ups, and GA4 goal completions provide far clearer indicators of whether social efforts are driving real value.

A shared challenge across sectors

I heard from a diverse mix of people across the scholarly publishing landscape. Social media strategy isn’t just a concern for one part of the ecosystem – it’s a shared priority.

Final thought

Platforms may come and go, but trust and community endure. A future-proof social strategy prioritises transparency, internal enablement, and building sustainable habits – not just one-off campaigns.