How to maximize the impact of your work: a practical guide for orthopedic researchers and clinicians
BY AO MARKETING TEAM
Harnessing the power of podcasts
Podcasts are a very versatile and ever more popular format to share insights and professional accomplishments as well as personal stories in an informal yet engaging setting. Among their greatest assets is their accessibility: listeners can absorb valuable content while engaged in everyday chores such as cooking, commuting, or training. Podcasts are impactful over a long period of time and not used up in the moment like social media, so titles should be discussed in a way that your recording is valid at least for several months or a year.
Podcasts allow you to highlight several aspects of your work and explain its implications. They work best as a discussion or debate between two or more hosts. If you cast around, you will find podcasts dedicated to orthopedics and your field of expertise. It may well be worth contacting a host to see whether you can appear as a guest.
A more ambitious, though not an unrealistic prospect is to start your own podcast, maybe with a group of likeminded professionals or a group you are already a member of. From a technical point of view, the production and dissemination of audio content has become relatively simple. Good quality recording equipment and editing software is quite affordable and you can generate good quality audio results without excessive effort.
Consistency is key to building an audience—the most effective and successful podcasts release new episodes on a regular basis and have a clear and specific topical frame. Setting out some central goals as well as drawing up a content plan can help you move things along in the beginning. Think about the guests you want to feature. Co-authors or research partners are ideal, because your listeners will benefit from an engaging conversation between close colleagues about a topic you are both well-versed in and have previously collaborated on and use the networking opportunities at events to build meaningful connections and invite them to your show.
Build yourself up as an authority
When you do online research, the search engines and algorithms will try to show you the most relevant and valuable content, what they think you are looking for. How exactly they assess the quality of content is not known, but they will use for example links from known authorities directing to your page as an indicator. Being able to generate high-quality links that direct to your research will increase traffic, enhance your visibility, and improve your rankings when people are looking for content related to your topic.
Successful link building from renowned other websites requires patience and good contacts. Your content must be consistently high quality so that others will want to reference and link to it. Publishing outstanding research, making available in-depth resources that others from your field can use, or posting other useful content such as infographics, charts, or videos that are easy to share are all strategies that will work to your advantage.
Promoting your scientific articles is mutually beneficial for the authors, journal, editors, and society, and the free academic promotional websites such as ORCID, KUDOS, Web of Science and ResearchGate are there to help promote published works. If you want to see your article promoted on the publisher’s channels, social media, newsletters, or blogs, you can always reach out to the journal office and ask them.
If you follow the tips in this article, chances are that you will automatically boost your authority and generate links to your work as you go along. Guest blogging for respected blogs or websites in your field, collaborations with other researchers or institutions, or sharing your work on social media all increase the likelihood that others will be cross-linking your content.
You may want to start closest to home and simply ask colleagues to mention your work whenever relevant and return the favor and do the same for them.
Embrace in-person networking and word of mouth
Another avenue to explore in terms of self-promotion are informal networks of friends, colleagues, former classmates, and acquaintances—word of mouth is something that should not be underestimated and you can probably easily relate to this from experience. Don't be shy to bring up your achievements in everyday conversations, casual or professional. Conveying your excitement and the significance of your work in a personal conversation can spark interest and lead to broader sharing.
Likewise, informal gatherings in a work context such as departmental meetings, communal lunch breaks, or happy hours sometimes foster more meaningful exchanges than formal settings. Networking events and social gatherings within your field yield good opportunities to share your achievements and connect with others who might help promote your work.
In addition, think about any contacts you may have from your time at college and university or your membership in a professional organization. Alumni networks often feature the current-day activities of former students via newsletters, websites, and social media and may be happy to publish your updates. Likewise, professional societies dedicated to your field may be interested in publicizing your achievements through their communications channels.
Some general tips to make it real
When writing for the public or posting about your work, it is best to place emphasis on relaying to your readers what difference your work will make in the real world, why it matters to patients and clinicians. Anyone with a deeper interest will be able to find details on their own or you can direct them by providing links. Columns of numbers and statistics do not make for engaging reading, especially when your target audience may include laypeople and patients.
Another thing to keep in mind is continuous cross-referencing. For instance, if you have published a blog post, why not promote it via your social media channels, and, while you are at it, tag relevant colleagues and institutions to encourage sharing? Speaking engagements at conferences, lectures, seminars, or webinars are ideal occasions to mention your blog or your podcast, and to invite those in the audience to keep in touch via Facebook or LinkedIn. Keep going on like this. You may feel you are repeating yourself, but the audience is likely to see or hear only one instance of your activities.
It may take a little extra effort to get started, but once you leverage any of the methods outlined above, you can significantly enhance the reach and impact of your scientific research and professional achievements. Personal connections have a ripple effect and help spread the word to a wider and more diverse audience than formal channels alone.
So, why not take the first step and do it! Draft that first social media post right now or submit a Guest Blog idea to the AO. Your post could be the next article featured on this channel, exactly like this text which you are just about to finish reading.
Good luck from all of us here at AO Marketing!
Harnessing the power of podcasts
Podcasts are a very versatile and ever more popular format to share insights and professional accomplishments as well as personal stories in an informal yet engaging setting. Among their greatest assets is their accessibility: listeners can absorb valuable content while engaged in everyday chores such as cooking, commuting, or training. Podcasts are impactful over a long period of time and not used up in the moment like social media, so titles should be discussed in a way that your recording is valid at least for several months or a year.
Podcasts allow you to highlight several aspects of your work and explain its implications. They work best as a discussion or debate between two or more hosts. If you cast around, you will find podcasts dedicated to orthopedics and your field of expertise. It may well be worth contacting a host to see whether you can appear as a guest.
A more ambitious, though not an unrealistic prospect is to start your own podcast, maybe with a group of likeminded professionals or a group you are already a member of. From a technical point of view, the production and dissemination of audio content has become relatively simple. Good quality recording equipment and editing software is quite affordable and you can generate good quality audio results without excessive effort.
Consistency is key to building an audience—the most effective and successful podcasts release new episodes on a regular basis and have a clear and specific topical frame. Setting out some central goals as well as drawing up a content plan can help you move things along in the beginning. Think about the guests you want to feature. Co-authors or research partners are ideal, because your listeners will benefit from an engaging conversation between close colleagues about a topic you are both well-versed in and have previously collaborated on and use the networking opportunities at events to build meaningful connections and invite them to your show.
Build yourself up as an authority
When you do online research, the search engines and algorithms will try to show you the most relevant and valuable content, what they think you are looking for. How exactly they assess the quality of content is not known, but they will use for example links from known authorities directing to your page as an indicator. Being able to generate high-quality links that direct to your research will increase traffic, enhance your visibility, and improve your rankings when people are looking for content related to your topic.
Successful link building from renowned other websites requires patience and good contacts. Your content must be consistently high quality so that others will want to reference and link to it. Publishing outstanding research, making available in-depth resources that others from your field can use, or posting other useful content such as infographics, charts, or videos that are easy to share are all strategies that will work to your advantage.
Promoting your scientific articles is mutually beneficial for the authors, journal, editors, and society, and the free academic promotional websites such as ORCID, KUDOS, Web of Science and ResearchGate are there to help promote published works. If you want to see your article promoted on the publisher’s channels, social media, newsletters, or blogs, you can always reach out to the journal office and ask them.
If you follow the tips in this article, chances are that you will automatically boost your authority and generate links to your work as you go along. Guest blogging for respected blogs or websites in your field, collaborations with other researchers or institutions, or sharing your work on social media all increase the likelihood that others will be cross-linking your content.
You may want to start closest to home and simply ask colleagues to mention your work whenever relevant and return the favor and do the same for them.
Embrace in-person networking and word of mouth
Another avenue to explore in terms of self-promotion are informal networks of friends, colleagues, former classmates, and acquaintances—word of mouth is something that should not be underestimated and you can probably easily relate to this from experience. Don't be shy to bring up your achievements in everyday conversations, casual or professional. Conveying your excitement and the significance of your work in a personal conversation can spark interest and lead to broader sharing.
Likewise, informal gatherings in a work context such as departmental meetings, communal lunch breaks, or happy hours sometimes foster more meaningful exchanges than formal settings. Networking events and social gatherings within your field yield good opportunities to share your achievements and connect with others who might help promote your work.
In addition, think about any contacts you may have from your time at college and university or your membership in a professional organization. Alumni networks often feature the current-day activities of former students via newsletters, websites, and social media and may be happy to publish your updates. Likewise, professional societies dedicated to your field may be interested in publicizing your achievements through their communications channels.
Some general tips to make it real
When writing for the public or posting about your work, it is best to place emphasis on relaying to your readers what difference your work will make in the real world, why it matters to patients and clinicians. Anyone with a deeper interest will be able to find details on their own or you can direct them by providing links. Columns of numbers and statistics do not make for engaging reading, especially when your target audience may include laypeople and patients.
Another thing to keep in mind is continuous cross-referencing. For instance, if you have published a blog post, why not promote it via your social media channels, and, while you are at it, tag relevant colleagues and institutions to encourage sharing? Speaking engagements at conferences, lectures, seminars, or webinars are ideal occasions to mention your blog or your podcast, and to invite those in the audience to keep in touch via Facebook or LinkedIn. Keep going on like this. You may feel you are repeating yourself, but the audience is likely to see or hear only one instance of your activities.
It may take a little extra effort to get started, but once you leverage any of the methods outlined above, you can significantly enhance the reach and impact of your scientific research and professional achievements. Personal connections have a ripple effect and help spread the word to a wider and more diverse audience than formal channels alone.
So, why not take the first step and do it! Draft that first social media post right now or submit a Guest Blog idea to the AO. Your post could be the next article featured on this channel, exactly like this text which you are just about to finish reading.
Good luck from all of us here at AO Marketing!
You might also be interested in:
AO Guest Blogs are available for AO Trauma, AO Spine, AO CMF, and AO VET. Selected articles are published for AO Recon, AO Sports, and AO Access.
Find out more about the official journals of AO Spine and AO CMF—the Global Spine Journal and the CMTR journal—and submit your research for publication.
Join our leading congresses, the AO Spine's annual Global Spine Congress or the biannual FACE AHEAD of AO CMF, submit your abstracts and present your work to a global audience.