Helping faculty build channels to audiences that matter

Many university public relations strategies are still predominantly built for a traditional media ecosystem that has dramatically changed over the years. As op-ed placements shrink and newsrooms continue to contract, higher education communicators should consider helping faculty build durable, direct publishing platforms through tools like Substack and LinkedIn newsletters.

Faculty-led content platforms have the potential to:

• Reach audiences institutional channels may never touch
• Attract journalists, collaborators and prospective students
• Add depth, diversity and timeliness to school narratives

Tim Hussey, Harvey Mudd College’s vice president and chief communications officer, has seen this impact firsthand. His colleague, Professor Josh Brake, authors the Substack, The Absent-Minded Professor.

“The posts could be reaching students that are interested in the work being done at Harvey Mudd and thus benefit Admissions; they could be reaching faculty at other institutions working in similar spaces and be a vehicle to share best practices and encourage collaboration,” explained Hussey. “This kind of faculty public scholarship truly broadens the reach and impact of the college’s work.”

Traditional media relations efforts shouldn’t be abandoned but complemented with faculty-led direct publishing and engagement strategies. For many communications departments, this requires a shift from controlling messages to enabling voices; from pitching stories to amplifying scholars; and from measuring success by placements to focusing on sustained reach, relevance and engagement. Below are ways that communicators can enable this shift.

1. Meet Faculty Where They Are

We need to be sensitive to faculty members’ existing workloads. Content creation on individual platforms shouldn’t be seen as another obligation. If publishing feels like a chore, it won’t last, and it won’t be good. This shouldn’t be an institutional mandate.

Support starts with understanding individual goals, motivations and comfort levels. Communications teams act as advisers, not enforcers, respecting academic freedom and autonomy.

Quanda Hunter is the director of marketing and communications at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. The Ford School has faculty who engage in independent public scholarship through platforms like Substack; Professor Don Moynihan’s newsletter, with over 23,000 subscribers, is one notable example.

“For those interested in expanding their reach or trying new platforms like Substack or LinkedIn, we’re here to support them, similar to how we’ve always supported them in engaging with traditional media,” said Hunter. “Whether it’s sharing examples, offering advice or brainstorming ideas together, we provide whatever guidance feels most useful. Sometimes it’s just a conversation to help someone think through their approach. Ultimately, we want to lower barriers, build confidence and celebrate faculty efforts in public scholarship, whatever form that may take.”

2. Encourage Authentic Voice and Personal Perspective

Substack and LinkedIn Newsletters allow faculty to show how they think, not just what they publish. They can respond quickly to current events and emerging debates. Faculty voices are more compelling and credible when they are not overly branded or mediated.

Ashley Cimino works with several professors at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business who have vibrant individual publishing platforms: Professor Cam Harvey’s video podcast Through the Noise; Professor Dan Vermeer’s Substack In The Watershed; Professor Sharique Hasan’s newsletter Superadditive; and Professor Scott Dyreng’s Tax Chats Podcast (cohosted with UNC’s Jeff Hoopes).

“The authenticity of these channels adds depth to how we showcase the diversity of experience and expertise among our faculty,” she said. “Faculty-led content complements our institutional channels by expanding both the volume and the richness of stories we’re able to share.

“When our faculty communicate directly with their audiences, their passion and individuality come through much more than when it’s filtered through more traditional, branded channels,” noted Hunter.

Communicators should consider training faculty on how to share their content through such channels. Encouraging this activity can go a long way and training is a critical enabler.

3. Amplify Content

Support doesn’t always mean editing or coaching. Sometimes it simply entails helping the content travel. The easiest win-win is amplifying faculty-created content through institutional channels.

“The Communications Office has been thrilled to help share and promote Josh Brake’s Substack with Harvey Mudd’s audiences on our social media channels, in our internal newsletter, in parent and alumni newsletters and with the media,” Hussey said. “These kinds of personal, first-hand experiences from faculty resonate with our community and can showcase the innovative teaching and learning that is going on every day at the college.”

Promoting contributions can signal institutional validation and expand reach beyond the faculty member’s existing network.

“When we share faculty content through our channels, it helps demonstrate impact and expand reach, which can be motivating,” said Cimino.

Such amplification can play an important role in supporting a culture that normalizes faculty contributions via their own channels. This can build confidence, both for the individual faculty contributor and that individual’s peers from the institution observing from the sidelines. It can help reduce uncertainty and encourage others to experiment in low-risk ways.

“We share and celebrate their content and achievements across our networks,” said Hunter. “This shows their efforts are valued and can encourage others to explore new ways of engaging.”

Questions to Consider

Next time you are asked to pitch a piece of research and you reach out to 100 journalists with a beautiful personalized message and get no feedback, consider how you and your colleagues might adapt. Ask:

1. How might we help faculty reach audiences directly, rather than relying solely on traditional media intermediaries?
2. Which faculty voices and perspectives could benefit from greater visibility through personal platforms?
3. Which faculty members are already creating content that could be amplified more intentionally?
4. What training or light-touch support could lower barriers for faculty interested in publishing directly?
5. How might we measure success beyond media placements to incorporate faculty-driven platforms that connect to our big-picture goals?