You have every right to be proud of your work and your publication. So, what are the best ways to tell your peers and the wider community about it? There are exciting opportunities to promote your work with social media posts, interviews, or animated video abstracts. To help you get started, we've gathered a selection of tools and tactics here.
Before publication
While writing
Tips on how to prepare your publication for a wider audience
Choose a great title
It's important to find a title that reflects the main point of your research and appeals to your future readership. Keep in mind what terms readers might search for when trying to find your work.
Write a fitting abstract
The same applies to your abstract. Try to include keywords that can lead a potential reader to your work. Be aware that the first two lines of your abstract are particularly important, since they will show up as a preview in online searches or library databases! These first few words can help convince someone to read your work; some researchers even suggest stating your conclusions at the top of the abstract.
During submission
When you submit your manuscript, keep the following in mind:
Consider publishing Open Access
Deciding to publish your work Open Access can make it easier to find, access and share. It can result in a higher number of citations, downloads and online mentions.
Read more about our Open Access journals and books
Share preprints
As a journal author, you have the option of selecting the service In Review when submitting your article to one of the participating journals. This allows you to share your paper early as a preprint, track the progress of your manuscript during peer review, and benefit from earlier citations.
After acceptance
Congratulations, your work has been accepted! Promote your research early to increase attention.
Tell your co-authors
After sharing the good news with your co-authors, start thinking about how you want to coordinate the promotion of your work. Make sure that everyone involved has the tools and information they need.
Involve your institution
You may want to ask your university's or institution's communications department if they can help: your book/article/proceedings contribution might be suitable for press coverage. If your institution has a social media profile, blog or podcast, ask them to share your work, consider writing a guest post, or offer to give an interview.
After publication
Networking and sharing
Use videos to promote your publication more effectively. Share your article's SharedIt link so that your networks can read the full text at any time. The SharedIt social media plan will be helpful. And to ensure that your work is correctly attributed to you, we recommend the ORCID iD.
Reach a broader audience with multimedia
How we help to promote your publications
To make sure your publications reach the greatest number and widest range of readers, we support them with an effective mix of activities.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Did you know that over two thirds of our website visitors come from search engines? This shows the vital role of search engine optimization!
To make sure your book or article appears at the top of the results list for related keyword searches, we constantly focus on the optimization of our product pages.
Social media
Springer Nature's social media accounts cover numerous disciplines and have become a vital communications channel. They have proven to be a very effective way of engaging with research communities and increasing their awareness of our authors' publications. We will be glad to share and engage with your posts!
Many of our newsletters feature social media sharing buttons, allowing our audience to share individual books and articles via their preferred channel.
We maintain social media accounts that are subject-specific and interest-group-focused, allowing us to connect with new and existing audiences. We keep our followers informed about conferences and campaigns both on a discipline and product level, about photo contests, product and content highlights, and about larger-scale initiatives.
Alerts
Many readers and customers have subscribed to our Table-of-Contents Alerts and New Book Alerts. They announce new issues of a given journal, new volumes of a book series, or provide an overview of new books relevant to the reader's interest. In short, they help to spread the word about your publications!
Citation Alerts use the information we receive from Crossref.org to alert corresponding authors as soon as their paper is cited by another publication, so that you are always aware of your article's impact.
Newsletters
Many librarians and readers have registered for subject-specific newsletters. In addition to customized product information, these newsletters feature discount offers, free trial access, news on awards and conference announcements. All campaigns are tracked to measure and further improve performance.
Conferences
Every year we attend exhibitions, conferences and virtual events to present books, journals and our portfolio of further electronic products. The events are often accompanied by social media activities to connect with the participants.
Stay up to date
Social media is great for maximizing the visibility of your research. Feel free to share your publications on your professional and private social media accounts. Your work may also be valuable for people who are not part of your immediate professional environment.
Top tips
Frequently used channels
Twitter
Twitter is a great way to share your work with peers, and to interact with them. It lets you share information in 280 characters or less, it's also a useful channel for staying up-to-date on news and events.
You can schedule posts with TweetDeck to make it easier to stay active and stick to your personal social media schedule.
Facebook
Facebook can be a very effective tool for creating an online profile, finding others with mutual interests, and communicating with potential readers. You can discuss topics related to your field with those who have liked your page, share news about upcoming conferences you're taking part in, and announce new publications. Invite friends and colleagues to like your page, and keep it updated.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is an ideal place to share content in a business context. You can write posts, share your article and book homepages, photos, links and videos. In addtion, it allows you to display your qualifications, work history, published research, interests and social media accounts on your profile.
LinkedIn Groups are a great way to find other professionals with similar interests and take part in the online discussions in your subject area. Once you’re accepted into a group, you can post discussion items, updates and links to your research.
ResearchGate
ResearchGate is a scientific online network specifically designed to foster research communities. It is also a particularly effective tool for finding the latest research and colleagues in your field, as well as asking questions and finding answers to research problems.
Learn more about our collaboration with ResearchGate
Weibo
Weibo is a Chinese platform that allows users to send short posts and responses. It is often referred to as the "Chinese Twitter”. If you are based in China or familiar with the platform, it’s an ideal way to keep in touch with your audience in this region.
Similar to Twitter, you first you select a name for your account with an @ symbol. Then you can add a short bio. Once you’re set up, make sure you follow the key figures, publishers, journals and organizations in your field. Then you cant get started by sharing your latest publication and initiating conversations with related content and questions.
It’s important to remember that online censorship in China includes strict controls on what can be shared. Some keywords and topics are prohibited, and related posts can be taken down at any time.
WeChat
WeChat is one of the world’s largest mobile apps. Mostly utilized by a Chinese audience, it is a powerful platform that reaches over one billion users a month. If you speak Chinese, it is a great tool for promoting your work. Just be sure that what you share is truly relevant for your audience, or you run the risk of losing interaction.
Reddit
Reddit is an online platform where registered community users can submit content like posts, images, videos and links. The setup is similar a message board where people can chat about various topics of interest, or vote "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" to determine the popularity of the content.
On Reddit you will find topics divided into Subreddits, each with its own moderator and set of rules. The scientific community is well represented on Reddit, with multiple Subreddits across general and niche topics. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the rules; when you’re ready, you can begin engaging with the community by voting and commenting on posts, and by posting items for discussion that are related to your research.
Blogs
If you enjoy writing, you can also create a blog or become a guest writer for a blog that reaches your community. If you prefer to tell your story and record it, a podcast might be the right tool for you to promote your research and publications.
Videos on YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing platform where you can upload videos and create playlists for your subscribers. Videos can be liked, shared, and commented on.
If you’re new to video, the best way to get started is to create some videos with your smartphone or camera. Practice makes perfect, and you may be able to get support from your university's or organization’s communications department. Or you could try using a video abstract service (e.g. from our partner Research Square) to highlight newsworthy publications.