How to work with us

Help us get it right

Wake Forest’s news team is here to help you communicate clearly and effectively to raise the visibility of your work. 

• Forthcoming publications: Especially articles accepted by prestigious journals, particularly those with embargo dates, or those with findings that have significant public interest or policy implications.
• Groundbreaking research findings: Discoveries, innovations, or studies that represent a significant advancement in your field or have compelling societal relevance.
• Timely expertise on topics in the news: When your area of expertise directly relates to a current news event or trending topic, and you are available to offer informed commentary.
• Opportunities for public engagement: Ideas for op-eds, guest columns, or contributions to platforms like The Conversation, where your expertise can inform public discourse.
• Major research grants or funding

Timeliness

Early notification gives the news team time to work with you to develop a comprehensive media and outreach strategy.

Content

To help us best partner with you to promote your research, we’ve developed a set of questions to identify stories that will resonate most with a wider audience. Your answers will help us pinpoint the most compelling aspects of your scholarship.

• Can your findings be connected to a timely news topic?
• Is your paper going to make other people in your field take notice?
• Have you resolved a longstanding question?
• Are your findings counterintuitive or surprising?
• Does your work have practical applications?
• Can your findings directly benefit people’s lives? Will they make something faster, safer or more energy efficient?
• Are you excited about the findings? Your enthusiasm is often a strong indicator that the work has potential for broader interest.

Once you’ve shared your research with us, we will review it for its timeliness and potential to resonate with a wider audience. If it’s a good fit, we’ll schedule a meeting to discuss your work and ask questions that will help us develop a plan. Our goal is to partner with you to tell the story of your research, ensuring the narrative is not only compelling but also accurate and accessible to both experts and the public. We’ll always share a draft with you for review, so that you have the final say on the content. It is important to us that you and your work are well represented.

We’ll partner with you to identify and reach the key audiences for your research.

Mainstream media

If you come across articles in major news outlets (such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, or NPR) that relate to your research, please save them. When combined with the media research tools we use, sharing these with us when we prepare a news release helps us directly target the journalists most likely to cover your findings.

Specialized and niche publications/outlets

Beyond mainstream media, consider where you and your colleagues go to stay informed about your specific field outside of academic journals. 

These could be:

• Discipline-specific publications: Magazines or newsletters from professional societies (e.g., Nature, Science, IEEE Spectrum).
• Industry-specific publications: Journals or trade magazines focused on a particular industry.
• Subject-specific outlets: Publications dedicated to niche areas like renewable energy, medical technology or specific scientific advancements.