It can feel like crossing a scientific finish line when you have a paper accepted, though it’s also just the start of getting your science out into the world. With the high and growing volume of scientific outputs, publishing in selective journals like Nature Geoscience is one of many ways to help increase the visibility of your research, but does not guarantee maximum reach. Fortunately, there are a range of ways to promote a paper and amplify its impact with different audiences.

Credit: Mincho Karavastev/500px/500px/Getty

Effective promotion is easier if your paper starts with a clear title and an abstract that conveys why your paper is interesting at the right level of detail. These help other scientists find your paper, whether via a search engine, emailed newsletter, or word of mouth. Titles should explicitly state your main conclusion: avoid playful titles that might not be clear to an international audience. Abstracts are the most widely read part of a paper and provide a taste to the reader before they decide whether to read on. They should be tailored to be quickly understandable by your target audience, with specialized concepts explained in straightforward language. Keep searchability in mind and include keywords that other researchers are most likely to use to search for your paper.

If your study may be of interest to the wider public or policymakers, issuing a press release that flags it to journalists might be in order. The Nature Portfolio press team that supports Nature Geoscience puts out press releases for a select number of publications. Registered journalists are also provided confidential access to upcoming papers so they can prepare articles in advance of publication, in accordance with our press and embargo policies.

Your institution’s communications team can also put out your own press release, so make sure to ask for their expert help once your paper has been accepted. Stay engaged in the process; always check to make sure the content is accurate and that it doesn’t misrepresent or overhype your work. Co-ordination between co-authors’ institutions in different locations can broaden the scope of these efforts.

There are other ways to communicate science to readers not steeped in the details of your field. Some studies in Nature Geoscience are accompanied by Research Briefings. These short pieces provide a brief, readily digestible overview of the work in a format that’s accessible to readers of Nature Geoscience from other Earth and planetary science fields (see this Editorial for more information: Nat. Geosci. 15, 597; 2022).

All our authors are also invited to write more informal Behind the Paper blog posts in one of the Springer Nature Research Communities. This is a flexible format where the research journey that led up to your publication can be shared with colleagues and the wider public. Weekly emails go out to subscribers of communities, and authors can also share these posts on other platforms to engage with a wider spectrum of readers.

Consider which social media platforms your targeted audience engage with and focus your efforts there. Posting on multiple platforms can help: we currently post about our content on both Bluesky (@natgeosci.nature.com) and X (@NatureGeosci). The platform you choose will depend on whether you’re trying to talk to colleagues or the curious public, and whether you’d like to reach a specific region or community. Resources designed for geoscientists interested in using social media are available, for example the outreach training and toolkits from the American Geophysical Union.

Social media posts are most effective when they are engaging and encourage viewers to pause or interact, rather than scroll past. Try out different ways to describe your research and include engaging visuals to describe your science. The best image to use might be a field photo or lab selfie, rather than a data-rich graph from your publication. Short training courses can help you develop a strategy, such as the courses offered by Nature Masterclasses, which are often available through your institution’s library. To make subscription content easier to share via social media, authors at Nature Geoscience can use SharedIt links that provide free access to read-only versions of articles that can be posted anywhere. Short videos, like those created for Nature Video can also drive engagement. Podcasts, such as the Nature Podcast, are another useful tool for broadcasting your enthusiasm for your science to the wider public.

Getting your research out can help demonstrate the broader impacts of your research to funders and make it more likely to be noticed by policymakers. A bit of planning can make sure these outreach efforts are time well-spent.