Working with the Press Office

The University gets millions of pounds worth of media coverage each month. That’s because the Press Office focuses on putting out stories based on leading-edge research of national and international significance. 

If your research has produced results that are exciting/surprising/shocking/game-changing/groundbreaking, then we’re in business and we want to hear from you. 

The key is to keep the focus on the research. Journalists rarely want to write about grant announcements, fundraising, appointments, facility openings, conferences or guest visitors. We know they’re important, but it’s not going to get coverage in the media. 

Journalists claim to spend on average three seconds deciding whether a press release is worth reading, so pitching it right is crucial. 

The University is a global institution and we have contacts further afield than the UK. We know that some stories may not be suitable for the UK media could be of great interest elsewhere. So do get in touch if you think that your work might be of particular significance to other countries.

If your research is to be published in a journal, let us know in plenty of time. 

Even if the paper is embargoed, we need time to work with you to prepare a press release and send it out to journalists prior to the embargo being lifted. This gives them the opportunity to interview you and prepare a story to coincide with the lifting of the embargo. Journalists won’t be impressed if they’re invited late to the party and don’t have enough time to write their article. 

A good rule of thumb is to let us know at the point at which you first submit to a journal for consideration. Everything in our inbox is confidential but it helps us to stay one step ahead. 

Once accepted, we’ll work alongside the journal to make sure that our press release coincides seamlessly with the publication of your research.

If you are contacted directly by a television production company, let us know as soon as possible. We will make sure your research is represented accurately, and we will liaise with the film crew and take care of the logistics.

We can’t always set the news agenda – but we can contribute to it. The University is full of experts who can provide informed and thought-provoking comment on what’s happening around the world. The Press Office regularly puts out “expert alerts” – a quote, two or three sentences long, giving an academic’s opinion about a topical subject or news item. 

If something crops up in the news that falls within your area of expertise, please put yourself forward for an “expert alert” or offer yourself for interview. It can be a great way to make friends in the media and a chance to point people towards your research by joining the debate.