Engaging with the UTS Media Team

“We all consume and like to think we understand media, but the media landscape is changing and it's quite complex,” Jen said.

“Our team members have backgrounds in journalism and communications, with decades of experience working in the media and university sectors, so we have a good understanding about how to translate difficult concepts into everyday language.”

The media team maintains strong relationships with journalists, understands how the media cycle works and can work with you to determine your target audiences, where the best placement for a story might be and how to develop an effective pitch.

“We also provide support and advice, so if you are doing interviews and have new activity coming up, we can provide you with details about the agenda of a target outlet, and how best to approach them, because media organisations are not created equal.”

Keeping an eye on the news

Through media monitoring, Jen and her team keep track of what is happening in the news and when it might be timely for a research team to engage with the media.

“We also take inbound inquiries from journalists who are interested in whatever might be in the news. They’re looking for experts on that topic.”

By understanding the stories of the day and what the news cycle is, the team can prepare relevant experts for those calls.

Jen warned that not every research story will be of interest to the news media, and to be aware of competition for media coverage from other universities. 

“There are over forty universities in the country, eleven of them in NSW and six in Sydney. They've all got great stories, extraordinary spokespeople, incredible research and are winning accolades all the time,” she said.

Given the media world is shrinking and changing, Jen added that journalists are not always going to run a story just because we think it's a good idea.

“We have to convince the journalists, and they have to convince their editor that what is coming out of UTS is the story that their audience needs to know.”

In this regard, understanding what makes news is important. A great story may not get picked up because of competing news priorities, so timing is key.

We have to convince the journalists, and they have to convince their editor that what is coming out of UTS is the story that their audience needs to know.

Why engage with media?

Jen said that for researchers, media activity is an effective way to raise your public profile.

“A media story can greatly enhance your reputation and influence. It can help you attract partners, collaborators and funding. It could lead to invitations to conferences, participants for studies and many other benefits. That’s why building an audience and knowing how to target them so that you reach the right people with your messages is an important part of media engagement.”

Jen’s top tips for media engagement include:

• Be clear and succinct: journalists often have limited time or space. A short response is more likely to be included than a lengthy one.
• Be relatable: Anecdotes about impact on people, or descriptions that the listener/reader can picture are more successful than a list of numbers or scientific terms. Comparisons to tangible objects like swimming pools help visualise the concept.
• Don’t be afraid to ask a journalist to clarify a question you don’t understand.
• Discuss the terms of an interview beforehand so you understand what they are interested in asking and they understand the scope of your expertise. However, they are unlikely to send the questions beforehand and won’t send a copy before publication/broadcast.
• Be prepared for the unexpected. Practice ‘bridging’ responses to a key message in case you are asked something outside your area of expertise or something you are not comfortable responding to.  

Jen encourages UTS researchers to plan for media engagements early.

“If you've got something coming out, let us know about it ahead of its publication so we can start the conversation. And if you are wanting to let journalists know about your research, please make sure you are available to respond to any requests.”

What’s next?

• Consider how to Nail your research story.
• Browse self-paced research communication training from ASPIRE.
• Find out how to pitch to The Conversation.
• Find communication tips at Science Media Savvy.
• Connect with the UTS media team and see what support it provides.