For many researchers, the idea of using social media to advance a scientific career can sound like a joke. At best, it’s a distraction after work.

Yet, social media has quietly become one of the most powerful tools in modern communication.

Did you know that cells can actively transfer mitochondria to one another? If you work in cancer biology – this process may contribute to immune suppression.

It’s easy to associate platforms like Instagram or TikTok with viral dances, memes, and silly jokes.

> However, platforms like LinkedIn, Reddit, ResearchGate, and even educational YouTube channels are all forms of social media.

When used strategically, social media enables scientists to amplify citations, connect with peers and build visibility for their work.

Is Social Media For Senior Scientists?

Yes – despite their limited time. In my latest LinkedIn posts, senior scientists represent the largest group of viewers (>37%).

Not only can they discover new inspiration, team members, or events, but they are also a valuable and highly sought-after part of the ecosystem due to their experience. A successful LinkedIn presence can be maintained with as little as 10 minutes per day (and grown with just 1–2 posts per week.)

In addition to conferences, social media is now tge central space where science is discussed, shared, and discovered.

Here are 8 benefits of Social Media – and some tips on how you can reap the benefits that sound interesting to you:

Scientific Advantages

1. Increasing Awareness and Citations

Social media allows you to share your findings with a wider audience. This helps increase awareness of your work, boost citations, and attract future collaborators.

Beyond citation counts, it offers a direct way to amplify the visibility and perceived impact of your research.

How to do it:
Share posts about your publications, methods, or new hypotheses. Engage with others by commenting on or resharing related research to stay visible and recognized.

The first step:
Create or update your professional account on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Instagram. Write one post highlighting a recent project and tag your colleagues and institution.

2. Recruiting Students and Team Members

Social media can serve as an effective recruitment tool.

You can advertise open PhD, postdoc, or technician positions to a broad and relevant audience. This increases your chances of attracting motivated and qualified candidates already interested in your field.

This is from our Trainee Initiative – you can apply right here.

How to do it:
Announce open positions. Focus on what makes the role exciting or convey the culture of your lab or team. Tag relevant accounts, institutions, and use hashtags like #PhDPosition or #PostdocJobs.

The first step:
Think about what people will enjoy about working in your lab. Identify relevant groups or channels to tag or post in when sharing opportunities.

Advancing Your Science

3. Staying Informed and Connected

Social media helps you stay up to date with developments in your field. New papers, methods, conferences, and discussions on scientific practices are announced there.

It serves as a real-time news source for the scientific community, offering faster and broader updates than traditional channels.

How to do it:
Follow journals, societies, and leading researchers in your area. Occasionally engage with posts through likes or comments to help algorithms surface more relevant content for you.

The first step:
Identify 5–10 active accounts that consistently share high-quality research in your field.

4. Gathering Input and Feedback

Social media can also be used to crowdsource ideas or gather feedback on research questions.

Posting a well-defined query can attract useful insights from experts worldwide, potentially improving your research design or interpretation.

How to do it:
End your posts with clear, focused questions, and tag experts or communities likely to respond. Asking thoughtful questions in others’ comment sections can also help you engage with specialists and gain their perspectives.

The first step:
Keep a list of questions that come up during your research so you can share them later. Remember, people will focus on your question itself—not on who asked it.

Although I’m guilty myself of using it too rarely, Reddit is an amazing platform for informal questions. You can find a wealth of helpful and practical tips there – even for very niche topics. Just google the keywords of your question and add “reddit”.

Career Advantages

5. Building a Professional Reputation

Active engagement on social media helps you build a recognizable name in your field. A visible online profile can lead to more invitations to conferences, speaking engagements, and collaborations.

Connect with us – LinkedIn will right away show you who else follows and who might be an interesting connection for you. Moreover, having your posts reposted by us might help you gain reach and backing.

While not the main factor in hiring decisions, a strong online presence can increasingly serve as a valuable differentiator—especially for professorship positions.

A large, engaged following signals visibility, communication skills, and leadership—qualities that universities value as they seek to enhance their institutional reputation and public engagement.

How to do it:
Share posts about your current research and occasionally post educational content. Combine your own insights with curated, high-quality content from others. Keep your tone professional but personable.

The first steps:
Write a short, clear bio that identifies your research field, current position, and interests. Add a link to your lab website, Google Scholar, or ORCID profile. Starting posting or commenting once a week about your research, teaching, or academic reflections.

6. Promoting Events and Initiatives

If you organize conferences, workshops, or seminars, social media is a powerful tool for promotion. Posting about your events can reach thousands of potential attendees, increasing visibility and participation.

This approach democratizes outreach and enables more inclusive engagement beyond traditional email lists or institutional announcements.

How to do it:
Create posts leading up to the event that highlight what attendees will learn and insights you’ve gained during organization. During the event, share live updates or short clips to use the momentum.

The first step:
Ask others what they enjoyed about your most (or what they are looking forward to). Then, design one promotional post and schedule it a few weeks before registration opens.

7. Possible Future Importance for Funding

New funding programs – such as the EU Horizon initiatives, which allocate billions for research in areas like cancer and biomes – already require some form of public communication.

Being able to demonstrate influence and reach through followers, engagement metrics, or a strong online presence can strengthen your funding applications, especially for programs that value science dissemination.

Even just posting about your personal achievements is a great way to let anyone “googling” you know what you have accomplished.

How to do it:
Identify larger accounts or organizations that effectively communicate science on social media. Similarly, observe how marketing agencies and outreach teams operate. Then, adapt their strategies to your field.

The first step:
Find examples of researchers or organizations doing this successfully. Then, learn how to review your social media analytics to benchmark your audience size and engagement rate.

Bonus

An emotional incentive:

Especially on platforms like YouTube and to some extend LinkedIn, it’s not about self-promotion for its own sake, but about ensuring that good science is seen, understood, and valued.

Written by Patrick Penndorf

Of course, connect to me via LinkedIn : )

The Value Of Social Media For Scientists