This week we’ll dive into something everyone in scicomm struggles with at the beginning: how do you create science content that people actually like?

My number one rule

My number one rule for making engaging social media content is this:

If I think it’s boring, everyone else probably will too.

Coming out of academia, we are often rewarded for just getting words on the page, even if they’re not the most exciting. On the internet, the rules are different — you’re asking for people’s free time. We are rewarded for keeping people’s attention, not word count. This, in my opinion, is one of the most difficult (and important) transitions from academic writer to science communicator: write less, and make it interesting.

You, the creator, are your best first judge of interesting content. Would you read your post all the way through? If your reel showed up in your Instagram feed, would it stop your scroll? If there is some nagging feeling of gahh not quite, then take out the boring bits, and make it shorter.

But how do I make it interesting?

Easier said than done, to be sure. In later episodes we’ll dive into tricks for different types of media (video, short-form text, long-form text), but here are my top 5 tips that apply across the board:

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Later in the series we’ll dive into the how to’s of scicomm (topic list here), but first I want to address the real reason many people struggle with talking about science on social media:

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The first one is the most exciting of all — a project I’ve been working on for 9 months which has finally been published — this tiny little one!

Both he and I are doing well, and the puppies are also very excited.

Introducing The Communication Lab, a new science communication training series

I won’t be providing regular updates for a little while as I take care of this small one, but have prepared something in advance that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time: my first training course on science communication called The Communication Lab!

Who is The Communication Lab for?

This series of articles is for anyone in medicine, science, or public health who wants to teach people about science and health on social media. It’s for attending physicians and professors as well as students still in training (that’s when I started!) It’s written with science communication (scicomm) beginners in mind (those who have never made a social media post or are just getting started), but will have tips and tricks for seasoned scicommers as well.

If you recognize the need for science and health professionals to communicate more effectively online but don’t know where to start, this course is for you.

The Communication Lab course list:

• Episode 1: Dare I post it? — imposter syndrome, vulnerability hangovers, and just getting started

• Episode 2: How to create science content people actually like — my number one rule for science communication

• Episode 3: Building an audience as a science communicator — where to start and how to grow

• Episode 4: Getting started on Substack — building a newsletter from the ground up

• Episode 5: Getting started on Instagram — reels, carousels, and navigating the elusive algorithm

• Episode 6: Getting started on Threads (or another Twitter descendent) — how to capture attention in just a few characters

• Episode 7: Avoiding trouble on social media — social media etiquette and how to keep your job happy

• Episode 8: The most common mistake scicommers make — moving beyond the deficit model

This course will be a perk for paid subscribers, so if you’d like to follow along you can upgrade below (current paid subscribers will already have access). If this doesn’t sound like it’s for you, you can opt out of The Communication Lab posts here. These articles will be published over the next several weeks — once I am sleeping a little more, I’ll be back with regular updates!

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(For anyone concerned — please know this course was created and finalized before this little one was born and I am not working on it while on maternity leave! Rest assured I will be using all my free time snuggling the little one, sleeping, and eating sushi.)

Kristen Panthagani, MD, PhD, is completing a combined emergency medicine residency and research fellowship focusing on health literacy and communication. In her free time, she is the creator of the newsletters You Can Know Things and The Public Health Roundup. You can also find her on Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn. Views expressed belong to KP, not her employer.