Media Relations for Higher Education

Higher-ed media relations is about translating dense academic work into stories general-audience reporters will run. The press release writing is the most-overlooked discipline in the field. A research paper does not pitch itself.

The challenge

Most university press releases read like curriculum descriptions — accurate and ignorable. Reporters who could be writing about a faculty member's research instead write about whatever was easier to grasp. The translation between academic discipline and general-audience interest is the work that most higher-ed comms offices underinvest in.

What I deliver

• Press release writing that respects reporters' time. Concrete leads, named partners, ready-to-use quotes, real visuals.
• Faculty positioning and earned-media strategy. Identifying which faculty have stories that fit which outlets.
• Research storytelling. Translating multimillion-dollar studies into narratives that general audiences can engage with.
• Higher-ed-specific reporter relationships. Different reporters cover higher-ed than general news; the relationships are different.

Where the work connects to my career

I led brand strategy, media relations, and editorial at FIU's Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work for years. The disaster-preparedness press release that resulted in CBS News Miami coverage is one of dozens of placements from that period. Annual reports, faculty profiles, and research-into-coverage translation work were the daily work.

"A research paper does not pitch itself. The translation between academic discipline and general-audience interest is the work most higher-ed comms offices underinvest in."