Creating a Science Blog for Outreach

I'm a recovering "over-thinker" of every post.  I'd stare at the screen.  Delete sentences.  Rewrite them.  Then delete them again.  "I suck at this."   "People won’t like this."   "This sounds so dumb."  So I’d scrap the post.  Promise myself I’d try again tomorrow.   Then repeat the same cycle the next day. And of course delay the fix. It was painful. Eventually, I forced myself to hit publish.     Small engagement.   Little momentum.   Tiny traction.  So I overthought even more.    Maybe I needed better hooks.   Maybe I wasn’t being persuasive.   Maybe I just wasn’t cut out for this.  Then, I tried something different.  I stopped trying to sound smart.   Stopped overanalyzing every word.   And quit worrying about "perfection." Instead, I told simple stories.    Niche relatable stories.  With simple and relatable lessons. Ones that tied back to my experience.  These stories were not only engaging.   They were relevant.  And built real rapport with my niche.  That’s when things changed.  No fancy copywriting.  No marketing tricks.   No viral tactics.  Just clear, honest, simple, real, human...  Storytelling.  Do this with 3 steps: 1) Start with a real moment Something specific that actually happened 2) Show the struggle (not just victory) Add frustrations, difficulties, & uncertainties 3) End with the insight (don't miss this) Get this right by adding insights + actionable tips Tell your audience exactly what they need to hear. Do it, & you’ll never run out of content again.

Overstating research findings is one of the quickest ways to destroy public trust... Here is how 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 One exaggerated headline, one oversimplified study, and public trust in science suddenly erodes. Overhyping research leads to misinformation, unrealistic expectations, and skepticism when results don’t hold up. 📌 The "Breakthrough" Trap → Science is gradual, but people expect instant solutions. ↳ Calling every study a "game-changer" sets up false expectations. ↳ When research gets debunked, trust plummets (e.g., red wine is as good as exercise?). How we can fix this: Use measured language: "Initial evidence suggests..." instead of "Revolutionary discovery!" 📌 Social Media Fuels Misinformation → Research spreads fast ✒︎but misinformation spreads faster. ↳ Viral posts often take findings out of context ↳ Echo chambers amplify misleading or incomplete claims. ↳ People trust repetition, even if the info is false. How to Fix this: Scientists should actively engage in public discussions and counter misinformation. 📌 Science "Changes" & the Public Feels Betrayed → When studies evolve, people feel misled if initial messaging lacked transparency. ↳ The mask debate during COVID-19 led to confusion because guidance kept shifting. ↳ The public expects certainty—but science is about updating knowledge. ↳ Without clear communication, corrections look like contradictions. Fix It: Normalize uncertainty—“Here’s what we know so far, and here’s what we’re still learning.” 📌 The Balance Between Engagement & Accuracy → Scientists and the media must work together to avoid overhyping research. ↳ Too much data? People tune out. ↳ Too little nuance? People get misled. ↳ Fear-based messaging? Causes panic or apathy. ********** When science gets overhyped, credibility suffers. The more we focus on accuracy over attention, the stronger public trust becomes. 💬 What’s an example of overhyped science you’ve seen in the media? #ScienceCommunication #Misinformation #PublicTrust #ResearchEthics

Publishing blogs but still not getting the SEO boost you expected? Many businesses struggle with this because they overlook one simple but powerful factor: External links. The problem? → Randomly linking without checking authority → Using low-quality or spammy domains → Not leveraging tools to find credible references I fixed this by building a smart, tool-driven external linking process. → Used Ahrefs & SEMrush to find authority & competitor link patterns → Checked domain trust with Moz & Google Scholar → Added expert quotes via HARO and AI suggestions from Outranking.io → Linked to .gov / .edu references for instant authority boost Result? Content became more trustworthy for both Google and readers, boosting rankings and engagement. 👉 Swipe through the slides to see the exact 8 tools and step-by-step process. .................................................. Found this helpful? Save it for later and share with your team.

Well… I couldn’t resist. Today, I shared a completely fake news article claiming a woman is pregnant with her own clone—complete with a breaking news graphic and even a quote from yours truly. It was a prank for #AprilFoolsDay. But here’s the serious part: This post was alarmingly easy to make. And that’s the point. In an era of clickbait headlines, AI-generated content, and viral pseudoscience, it’s easier than EVER to spread misinformation that looks legitimate. As a genetic counselor and science communicator, I see how fast false or oversimplified medical claims can travel—and how rarely people stop to question them. 😬 It takes five seconds to post misinformation and hours (or days) of research, fact-checking, and writing/creating to correct it—by which point, it’s already out there and spreading like wildfire. Before you share something that sounds wild (or even just new), here are a few things I recommend doing: 👉🏼Pause before sharing. Ask yourself: Does this sound too good—or too shocking—to be true? 👉🏼Check the source. Is it a credible publication? Is there a real author or expert quoted? 👉🏼Look beyond the headline. Many people only read the title—sometimes the actual article contradicts it entirely. 👉🏼Ask an expert. If something seems confusing or suspect, reach out to someone in that field when possible. (This can be through social media- many science creators appreciate it when you tag them if it’s something within their expertise they can speak to.) 👉🏼Be a responsible amplifier. If you have a platform—even a small one—what you share MATTERS. Science is powerful, nuanced, and evolving. Let’s do our part to protect its integrity. Happy April Fools—and stay curious (and skeptical). #GeneticCounseling #ScienceCommunication #HealthLiteracy #AprilFools #Misinformation #MediaLiteracy #CriticalThinking

Storytelling should be a required course for every student and professional. Because it’s the only way to truly change minds. When I first began writing, I realized that without a story, my words only reached the intellect. To truly resonate, writing must touch both the head and the heart. As I began teaching writing, I realized few people truly were taught how to weave story into their writing — especially when writing articles, posts, or books. Here are seven techniques I teach to help weave storytelling into anything you write: 1. Start with a Hook: Your opening lines are your first, and sometimes only, chance to grab your reader's attention. Use an intriguing question, a surprising fact, or a vivid scene to draw them in. 2. Show, Don't Tell: Rather than stating facts or feelings, show them through actions, dialogue, and sensory details. This technique helps readers experience the story rather than just reading it. 3. Create Relatable Characters: Real people are actually characters to those of us who don’t know them. Treat them that way to your readers, and describe them in ways that bring them to life, whether your spouse, boss, or colleague is a character in your story. 4. Build a Compelling Plot: Stories need something to happen —- action. Use conflict and tension to create suspense and propel your story forward. 5. Use Vivid Descriptions: Paint a picture with your words. Descriptions should be vivid but relevant, enhancing the story without overshadowing it. 6. Include Dialogue: Dialogue brings life to your writing. It's a powerful tool for revealing character traits, advancing the plot, and adding realism. 7. Create a Satisfying Conclusion: Your ending should tie up loose ends and leave the reader with something to think about. A great conclusion makes the journey worthwhile. From Theory to Practice In my own journey, whether writing 'Super Mentors' or 'Pennymores', I've learned that storytelling is not just about entertaining. It's a tool for conveying ideas, sharing experiences, and connecting deeply with your audience. Remember, the most effective writing doesn’t just speak to the mind; it speaks to the heart. By mastering storytelling, you’re not just a writer; you become a storyteller, leaving a lasting impact on your readers. Now, it's your turn. Take these principles and weave them into your next piece. Watch as your words gain power and your stories leave imprints on the hearts of your readers. #StorytellingInWriting #NarrativeTechniques #EngagingContent #HeartfeltWriting 📖💡

🧑🔬 30 misinformation researchers pulled together their 🔨 hammers 🔧 wrenches and 🪛 screwdrivers to create a toolbox of interventions against misinformation 🧰 They decided on 3 main ways to combat misinformation: 🔨 Nudges (which target behaviors) 🔧 Boosts & educational interventions (which target competences) 🪛 Refutation strategies (which target beliefs) 🎙️ Samuel Salzer and I were lucky enough to talk to one of these researchers, Gordon Pennycook, to sift through, compare and contrast these 3 different categories and 9 different strategies within. 💡 What did we learn?💡 🔩 The tool that you use depends on the task at hand. If you have a screw, you’ll want a screwdriver. (A hammer could work, but it’ll get messy!) And it turns out, all 9 of the strategies in the toolbox work fairly well at stopping the spread of misinformation. The 9 strategies for combating online misinformation are: 1️⃣ Accuracy prompts – Shift people’s attention broadly to the concept of accuracy 2️⃣ Debunking and rebuttals – Offer corrective info for specific misconceptions, or address inaccuracies with facts (topic rebuttal) or by exposing rhetorical tactics often used to reject scientific findings (technique rebuttal) 3️⃣ Friction – Make relevant processes slower or more effortful by design 4️⃣ Inoculation & Prebunking – Preemptively prepare people for common misinformation and/or manipulation tactics 5️⃣ Lateral reading and verification – Use verification strategies to assess online information credibility 6️⃣ Media-literacy tips – Strategies to identify false or misleading information 7️⃣ Social norms – Leverage peer influence to discourage believing, endorsing, or sharing misinformation 8️⃣ Source-credibility labels – Show ratings assigned by professional fact-checking organizations (e.g., NewsGuard) 9️⃣ Warning and fact-checking labels – Alerts about potential misleading content or fact-checking ratings (e.g., PolitiFact) 📢 And still, approaches from the policy toolkit (e.g., targeting systems rather than individuals) often work even better than any tool from this toolbox of individual-level interventions. Classic s-frame vs. i-frame! Curious to hear from you: What do you think is the most effective way to combat misinformation? Have you experimented with any of these strategies? Let me know in the comments below! 👇 -- 📩 If you’re interested in building products for humans using behavioral science and AI, send me a message on LinkedIn or email me at aline@nuancebehavior.com. 🎙️ The new season of the Behavioral Design Podcast is out! Listen to hear Sam and I chat with leading experts in AI and human behavior. For more on misinformation, check out our 2-part episode with Gordon Pennycook.

My readers didn’t care about my H-index. But this made them care about my science. I used to write papers no one read (not even my mom). Now, my stories are being read, shared, and even funded. 10 habits that transformed my science storytelling (and career): 1. Daily Deep Purpose I start each day remembering who I’m writing for:  not peer reviewers, but real people who care about the planet. This changes everything. 2. “One Story, Many Doors” System Each research paper becomes: A story on Medium A newsletter on Substack A post on LinkedIn A short-form post A seed for partnerships, funding, and community Same effort. More impact. 3. Quiet Visibility I don’t try to go viral. I build trust through consistency. Small audiences, deep connections. 4. Purpose-Driven Templates Forget cold abstracts. I use prompts that bring out why the science matters. That’s how you go from overlooked to unforgettable. 5. 2-Hour Content Waterfall My entire outreach happens in two focused hours per week. Because scientists and nonprofit leaders are busy  and burnout is real. 6. Personal Clarity Audit If I can’t explain my work in 10 human words, I don’t share it yet. When it clicks for me, it’ll click for others. 7. “Bridge, Don’t Translate” Rule I don’t dumb things down. I bridge the gap between complexity and meaning with story, not simplification. 8. Your Name, Not Just Your Logo People follow people. So I write as me, not just as Climate Ages. That’s how trust is built. 9. Audience Alignment I don’t write for everyone. I write for the curious, the mission-driven, the ones asking, “How do we fix this?” 10. Weekly Purpose Reset Every week, I ask: “Did my story help someone trust science more, care more, act more?” If yes, it’s working. — These aren’t viral hacks. They’re sustainable strategies rooted in meaning. If you’re a scientist or nonprofit leader who’s tired of being invisible, this is your way out. Not louder. Just clearer. More human. More consistent. More you. Your mission deserves to be heard. 🌎 Let’s make it matter… together!

You can have the best blog posts, landing pages, and resources out there, but if your on-page SEO is weak, your rankings (and traffic) will suffer. The good news? Fixing it isn’t rocket science. Here's how to do it: 👉 Title Tags: Keep them under 60 characters, clear, and compelling. Example: “Best CRM Software for Small SaaS Businesses | [Your Brand]” 👉 Meta Descriptions: Write for humans, not just algorithms. No need to stuff keywords—make it actionable and enticing to boost CTR. 👉 Headings (H1, H2, H3): Structure matters. A well-organized page keeps readers engaged and signals relevance to search engines. 👉 Image Optimization: Use descriptive file names & alt text. “screenshot-crm-dashboard.png” > “image123.png” 👉 Internal Linking: Connect related content to strengthen topic clusters and improve discoverability. Your “Customer Support Software” page should link to “How to Improve Customer Satisfaction” or “Best Practices for Support Automation.” 👉 URL Structure: Keep it short, clean, and keyword-rich. Example: /customer-support-software/best-practices 👉 Featured Snippets: Format content for quick answers—bullet points, tables, lists—to increase your chances of landing at the top. Great SEO isn’t just about rankings—it’s about visibility, engagement, and conversions. Nail these fundamentals, and your organic traffic will follow. 

#SEO Tip: We’ve been getting great results recently with a "Barnacle SEO" technique. With Barnacle SEO, you leverage other websites' (the whales) authority to boost your site's (the barnacle) visibility and rankings, which can be a shortcut for SERP visibility and brand awareness, especially for highly competitive keywords. Here’s how you do it: 1. Find high-ranking sites: Go to Google. Look for industry directories, blogs, relevant sites, and user-generated content (UGC) sites that rank well in the SERP for your target keywords. 2. Get listed or contribute: Set up profiles on these sites (if it's a directory), comment (if it's a UCG site like Reddit or Quora or forum), or explore guest blogging, content co-promotion, or company addition (if it's a listicle or reviews site). Be creative with partnership opportunities... For example, can you guest in a video series or podcast? Work on a case study together? Attend an event together and co-brand a post about it? You can often learn what content is important to the whale by checking their blog, on-site resources, and social media posts. 3. Provide real value to the whale: Focus on providing content to the site that actually adds value—whether it’s a detailed profile, an informative post, a helpful statistic, or a relevant insight. It’s all about relevance, timeliness, expertise, and offering the site something of ACTUAL value to its users. 4. Share and promote: Use your social media channels to promote the content you’ve created on these high-authority sites to get more eyes on it. Always tag the whale. They might notice you promoting their URLs, which can lead to additional barnacle opportunities. 5. Monitor and adjust: Keep track of how your efforts are performing. Check your backlinks, brand mentions on the whale, and SERP visibility (there are many tools for this, e.g., Semrush and Ahrefs), and tweak your strategy as needed.

Your audience isn’t engaging because they don’t see themselves in your content. I’ve seen this happen to even the best creators. You’re posting consistently, writing what feels like great content, and still… nothing. Here’s why—and how to fix it: 1/ Solve their problems The quickest way to lose your audience’s attention is by focusing only on what you want to share. Your content needs to focus on what they care about most: their challenges, fears, and aspirations. Ask yourself: → What questions are they asking? → What keeps them up at night? → How can you make their life easier today? If your posts don’t offer solutions, they’re scrolling past. 2/ Speak their language Your audience doesn’t live in your world—they live in theirs. That means: → No jargon. → No over-complicated terms. → No talking over their heads. You need to write the way they think. A good test? If a 12-year-old can’t understand your post, simplify it. People engage with what feels familiar, not intimidating. 3/ Share your story Your audience connects with you when they see themselves in your story. → What have you overcome that they’re struggling with now? → What mistakes did you make that they can avoid? → What small wins can inspire them? Vulnerability builds trust. And trust builds engagement. Be consistent where it matters Posting 1x a month won’t cut it. Engagement is about showing up consistently in: → Comments (start conversations). → DMs (build relationships). → Your content (keep solving problems). Consistency is the bridge between visibility and trust. 4/ Iterate until it clicks The first post might flop. So might the next 10. But each time, you’re learning what works: → What topics resonate? → What formats drive interaction? → What questions spark the most conversations? Your audience isn’t static—they’re evolving. Keep refining your approach to match. Your audience engages: Not because you’re perfect, but because you’re human. Not because you went viral, but because you showed up. Not because you wrote for everyone, but because you wrote for them. The takeaway? Engagement starts with connection.