Bigger isn't always better: the power of a small but committed audience
When designing strategies for research communication, it's easy to end up in a spin chasing ever larger numbers: if only I had more followers, more views, more newsletter subscribers, then my work would really make an impact.
It's understandable, of course. With our personal and professional lives lived increasingly online, on platforms where these metrics are baked in, we've absorbed the idea that greater reach equals greater success. But follower counts, views and subscribers numbers were never designed to measure what ultimately matters for your end goal: to get people really engaging with your research.
In fact, for real engagement, bigger isn't always better. A small but committed audience of highly relevant individuals has a great deal of value in itself. We're talking about the people who might cite you in a presentation to their organisation, recommend you for a media opportunity, or introduce you to someone with an interesting collaboration in mind. In other words, the people that have the potential to become informal ambassadors for you and your research.
The high value of such individuals means that you don't need very many of them on board to start making an impact. Below are a few ideas for how to go about cultivating a small but committed audience for your particular research niche.
1 | Show up regularly and consistently
There's only so much time in the week for research communication, so focus on one or two channels and show up there regularly, rather than spreading yourself too thin across every possible platform. Consistency is what turns a passing reader into someone who actively follows your work.
2 | Don't snub the smaller opportunities
The podcast with a modest but dedicated listenership, the webinar for a local association, the niche blog — don't be too quick to dismiss these opportunities if it's where you can connect with the people most likely to care about your research. It only takes one new useful opportunity or connection to come out of it to make it worthwhile.
3 | Remember engagement is a two-way street
The more you understand about your audience's own values and needs, the better placed you'll be to tie in with what actually matters to them. Paying attention to the current debates and discussions going on in areas connected to your niche will help you do this (and is intellectually interesting in itself).
4 | Seek out the connectors
In most fields and sectors, there are people who just seem to know everyone, probably by dint of their particular personality rather than anything else. Look out for them at events, on LinkedIn, in the newsletters and publications you follow. A genuine relationship with even one or two of these people can be really valuable.
5 | Don't be afraid of direct outreach
Even though it may seem old-fashioned, sending a short, genuine email to someone whose work relates to your research can still be a useful strategy. After all, you can't necessarily rely on mysterious algorithms to deliver your work to the people who are most likely to care about it. Most people are more receptive to hearing about relevant research than academics tend to assume, so don't be afraid to give this a try.
6 | Be patient
And finally, remember that growing a small, deeply engaged audience is a gradual process. Building recognition and trust is something that takes time, event by event, post by post, newsletter by newsletter. So, even if you don't feel like you're making much progress, stick with it and the trust that in time you'll be able to find your crowd.
I hope you found this post useful!
I'm Hannah, a former academic in linguistics, and in my work at Smart Phrasing I help researchers communicate their work with confidence, clarity and impact, so their ideas and discoveries reach the people who most need to hear them.
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