Digital humanities is generally a public-oriented field of inquiry, with results that can be shared beyond a specialized academic discipline. Crafting an effective publicity campaign can help you connect with others in your field, find partners, secure more funding, and generate excitement about your research.
Branding Your Project
- Choose an appealing title that communicates your topic.
- Design a visually appealing, intuitive logo and website so that those who want to publicize your work may do so easily.
- Provide citations on each page so users may easily give appropriate attribution.
- Get your project out on social media.
- Be consistent about branding! This is how you retain control of your image.
General Tips
- Figure out which social media sites your scholarly community uses.
- For every account, write down username and password.
- Make use of social media plug-ins on websites and across social media accounts.
- Do be judicious about linking project accounts with more personal accounts.
- Don’t open accounts unless you’re willing to update and maintain them.
- Build updates into your work plan and schedule!
- It’s probably not a good idea to create accounts for short-term projects.
- Remember, no matter your privacy settings, no social media account is perfectly safe.
Press Release Material:
- Award of funding, including internal grants (if it’s competitive, get credit).
- Documenting your progress (milestones: software, books, articles).
- When new partners join (welcome them, network with their connections).
- When you publish/present findings.
- Release of products or deliverables.
Components of a Press Release:
- Project title and Abstract
- Message/Update
- Tags/Handles of partners and funders
- Website link
- Quote from pertinent person
It might be useful to write a single blog post on the update and then push it out on relevant platforms and to interested parties.
It might also be useful to get quotes from people with a lot of pull or large virtual following, so that you reach their network, as well.
Outlets (Who to Send Press Release To):
- Project Staff
- Campus Stakeholders (college, library, research office, press office)
- External Partners
- Funders/Sponsors (let them know their money is well spent!)
- News outlets (general publications as well as digital humanities- or discipline-specific)
- Your professional network
Timing
You are ready to discuss your work publicly when you:
- Start your project (project generation, plans, how to get involved).
- Are in progress (issues you are dealing with, partner-seeking, beta-testing).
- Reach the midterm (initial results).
- Deliver final products (successes and failures).
Coincide your major project press releases/deliverables with:
- Deadlines for conferences
- Funding deadlines
- Start of the academic year
