Embrace digital media to maximize faculty PR

Many university PR offices still spend time pitching faculty stories and expertise to legacy media outlets, even as those organizations continue to shrink. Meanwhile, countless YouTubers, podcasters and content creators reach larger audiences than traditional media could ever dream of. Not only that, many of these conversations are more in-depth than a TV hit or quote in an online story — giving faculty an opportunity to go deeper on their areas of expertise. It's time to bring university PR and media relations into the 21st century, and this session will help you do just that. Jenna Spinelle and Bill Zimmerman, two experts on digital PR and the creator economy at Penn State, will give an overview of how to make sense of the creator landscape and find people who can spread the word about faculty research and expertise to audiences that are eager to receive it. We'll cover how AI can help you find niche creators and craft tailored pitch emails, how to use tools like Qwoted and Help a Reporter Out to find calls for expertise, and how to prepare your faculty to succeed on an informal podcast, YouTube chat or Substack Live. We'll also touch on how you can repurpose content from creators on your own channels, amplifying the reach of this positive press. You'll come away from this session ready to hit the ground running at your campus and send pitches that receive responses and media engagements that are rewarding for your faculty and enriching to the hundreds of millions of people who follow content creators.