Pitching the Humanities to the Media

Engaging with the press is a terrific way to raise the visibility of humanities work on campuses, in local communities, and nationwide. We’ve compiled the following resources to help with media outreach.

If you have questions about engaging the media or any of the resources here, please contact  Alexandra Klein, [email protected]

Tip Sheets

Interested in cultivating media engagement as an individual or an institution? Take a look at our tip sheet for pitching the press and designing a media toolkit to bolster your outreach.

 

Pitching the Media      Making a Media Kit

 

On a college campus? Check out our tip sheet for working with your communications office to bring a higher profile to your work.

 

Working with Communications Officers

Examples

 

Humanities work is constantly creating the kinds of human-centered, publicly-responsive stories that the news media loves. Grants and new publications make for easier pitches and you should be pitching these stories. (Remember, no grant is too small!) But other humanities research and projects just need a good hook. Below are examples of engaging humanities pieces, from publications large and small.

 

Article Examples

 

 

This Earlham College Case Study demonstrates that even a small grant, combined with a strong press release and an accommodating stance toward media professionals, can garner local and national coverage. We hope Earlham’s successful strategy will be helpful as you engage with the media.

 

Earlham College Case Study

 

 

Publishing an op-ed is another way to draw attention to the humanities, shape public discussion, and change minds. The examples below draw on a wide range of humanities fields to address local, national, or global issues. For more information on writing op-eds, we also suggest the OpEd Project.

 

Op-ed Examples