Write a blog post

One of the most effective ways to communicate the importance and unique features of your work is to write a blog.

Your post can help to:

• Tell the world about your findings – present your research in a more accessible way sparking discussion and interest to reach a wider audience
  
• Boost discoverability – search engines can index your post making it easier for people to find your book online
  
• Encourage citations and downloads – increased exposure can lead to more citations in academic work and potentially higher book downloads
  
• Connect with your community – provide research-informed comment on policy and other events to encourage engagement from peers and readers, fostering intellectual exchange
  
• Promote your book or conference – share insights from your work and spotlight your conference attendance 

Need a bit of inspiration? 

• Complete this Complete this this short marketing questionnaire for your book
  
• We will use your responses to create a post

Prefer to write from scratch? 

• Aim for between 500 and 800 words
  
• What is your headline message? Stick to just one or two main points
  
• Provide background on the themes of the book or debates in the field
  
• Use plain language and short, punchy sentences; imagine explaining it to a neighbour or family member
  
• Look for any current affairs or news hooks and put your conclusion at the top, don’t save the punchline for the end
  
• Think about what the reader wants to know, not just what you want to tell them
  
• Send the draft post to uclpresspublishing@ucl.ac.uk 

Other technical considerations

• Embed html links and avoid footnotes
  
• Please suggest hashtags for sharing on social media
  
• If you write your own headline, picture it as a stand-alone post on social media that is catchy and informative
  
• If you have suitable pictures, please send with any image credits

Examples of author-written blog posts:

Waiting for the Revolution to End by Charlotte Al-Kalili

American Cities in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction by Robert Yeates

Examples from the author interview questionnaire:

Palaeontology in Public edited by Dr Chris Manias

Contemporary Art and the Display of Ancient Egypt by Professor Alice Stevenson

An Anthropological Approach to mHealth by one of the editors Professor Daniel Miller 

Examples from book excerpts:

Caring is Sharing? by Katherine Twamley

Lahore in Motion edited by Ammara Maqsood, Chris Moffat, Fizzah Sajjad 

Packaged Plants by Anita Hardon and Michael Lim Tan

Active on social media? Find out how to maximise your presence.