Kick-Starting Your SciCom

Hi Reader, let’s get ready for the next year!

First, let me know what you think about this kind of "Science Communication". Other than that, I want to talk about some of the best opportunities to start or refine your communications.

Uncertainty about how to start is often one of the main factors holding people back.

So, let me share some unique experiences to help you!

Join Scientific Organizations

My first tip might be somewhat surprising, but I strongly believe that working with scientific non-profit organizations is a fantastic idea.

Working in or with them gets a lot of support and structure, but with very few requirements:

• You are often free to work on a topic and format you like - organizing (online) events, writing blogs, or putting together posts.
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• The necessary platforms and infrastructure are already there.
  There are hosting services for blogs, social media accounts, or if you want to organize events, there is usually a team that can support you. You don’t have to build everything from scratch on your own.
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• You often have people to learn with and from - you’ll find others with more experience, but also peers whom you can work with.

Moreover, joining these organizations is usually free or very inexpensive, and luckily, most of them are continuously searching for helping hands.

Simply search: "Society of ... [your field] [applicable region]" and you should find them online or add "[social media platform]" for their channels.

The main challenge is that you might have to initiate things yourself:

Even if there are others sharing tips, you will need to take things into your own hands to bring them to fruition or improve them later on.

Social Media

My second favorite is social media. It's still one of the most accessible and educational options out there.

It’s completely free, you can start whenever you want, and you can choose almost any topic or format.

If you want to start small, LinkedIn is a great option - you only need one image and some text. For videos, I'd recommend YouTube first.

The big advantage here is that you get extremely fast feedback - whether people watch your content and whether they like it.

But that's also a challenge: social media can feel ruthless.

You constantly see others having massive success simply because they’ve been doing this for years, while you’re just starting out.

As a small channel, you really do have to put in the work.

That said, social media is still one of the most lucrative paths. Once you find your niche and your rhythm, it can become not just helpful for your career, but potentially a career in itself (or at least a serious side hustle).

Podcasts and Blogs

These often come to mind first because having your own blog or podcast sounds amazing.

Deep dives often feel more enjoyable to create, and the channel is entirely yours.

However, I see three major challenges here that I believe make this a tough endeavor initially:

• First, it’s a massive amount of work. Podcasts often require hours of editing, and blogs demand long-term consistency - finding topics, refining texts, and publishing regularly.
• Second, feedback, and therefore learning, is limited. It’s hard to tell what works and what doesn’t. You rarely know if a lack of progress comes from content quality or simply poor distribution.
• Third, that means marketing is challenging but necessary. Even with a great blog or podcast, getting people to discover it is hard. You often need a strong social media presence just to drive traffic. However, I’ve seen people with over 100 000 LinkedIn followers but a weak podcast listener base.

Regarding your hosting platform: there are free options, and some of them are great. However, consider that big providers often come with an accessibility and disability advantage.

That said, if you think it's for you, don't overthink it. Just do it. Initially, quantity beats quality. Learn as you go and enjoy the ride!

Forging Your Own Path

I mention this option just now because it heavily depends on your circumstances and interests.

However, when you keep your eyes open you'll certainly discover exciting opportunities:

• You might support a local museum or help design a small exhibition.
• You can do a scientific walk-around for tourists.
• You could collaborate with companies or organizations to help them host fairs.Even political or student groups where scientific topics need a voice come to mind.
• Contribute to conferences - they don’t even have to be strictly scientific. Adding a scientific perspective can already be valuable.
• Join science slams or Toastmasters (where you can practice communicating science). If none exist, do you want to initiate one?

However, this path requires your initiative and creativity.

You need to reach out, propose ideas, and come up with a concrete plan because most people don’t know what they need until you show them.

Help Other Science Communicators

If you’re unsure what you enjoy or feel too insecure to start something on your own, learn from those who are already successfully:

Simply ask other science communicators whether they need help.

It usually means reaching out and often taking on a supporting role - but that’s not a disadvantage.

You gain insight into the real day-to-day work of science communication, learn best practices, and see what happens behind the scenes.

If you’re considering this as a career or planning a bigger project, this experience can be incredibly valuable as you have the chance to build contacts that may help you later on.

A Few Personal Words

1. Follow your passion​
   At the beginning, mindset matters more than skill! Passion, curiosity, and excitement are what keep you going. Don’t be intimidated - just start. And if you’re worried you’ll be bad at it: you will be. We have all been beginners. That’s normal - and a reason to laugh later.
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2. Push through when the excitement fades​
   Most people quit once the initial motivation disappears. Accountability helps here - working in an organization, organizing events, or collaborating with others makes it harder to drop everything. Keep going. There is so much to learn.
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3. Don’t expect immediate success​
   A good idea doesn’t guarantee instant results. Communication takes time to learn. What you say and what people hear are often very different in the beginning. That’s part of the process, use it as fuel to improve.
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4. Find your own way​
   Use what works for you. You don’t need fancy tools or perfect quality from day one. Simple setups are enough to get started. Skill and quality improve with practice.
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5. Don’t be afraid to invest​
   Sometimes investing time or money into a course, software, or tool makes a real difference. It’s often fun, teaches valuable skills, and can push your work to a new level.

How We Feel Today