Behind the scenes of The Poly's social media

Keeping in line with our change to online-first journalism, The Polytechnic now has a regularly updated social media presence and a department dedicated to promoting our content.

I’m quite bad at introductions, so I’ll keep this brief. I’m Rachel, The Poly’s new publicity editor, meaning I manage our social media and make graphics and other materials to promote our organization and work. Currently, The Poly has Facebook and Instagram (be sure to follow us @rpipoly and like our page The Polytechnic), and we promote our articles through posts and Instagram stories.

Some articles, like the weekly notebooks written by members of our editorial board, have certain posts attached to them; notebooks are always publicized using Instagram stories. Breaking news and longer articles always get a Facebook post. Sports content also tends to be promoted through Facebook. Articles with great photos get promoted through Instagram posts. Instagram stories tend to be a “catch-all” category, being used to promote articles which don’t have a photo, grouping together articles of a similar category, etc. We also use Instagram stories to promote new types of articles—such as our Behind the URLs—and I’m hoping to include more explanatory type stories (e.g., how to submit a lead, behind-the-scenes of our organization) in the future.

The other part of my position includes making graphics and posters. I sketch ideas and make graphics using Adobe Suite, mostly InDesign. In the upcoming weeks, be sure to look out for our signature red-and-white design on posters around campus. In the future, I want to make a digital newsletter that compiles recent articles (similar to the New York Times’ Morning Briefing newsletter) that students can subscribe to.

I really love my job on staff—it’s really important that the Rensselaer community stays informed on issues that affect our campus—and I love seeing people interact with our content and provide meaningful insights. If you’re interested in any of this—graphic design, making posters, running social media—or have any questions, feel free to contact me at rachel@poly.rpi.edu. I’m currently a one-woman department, and I would love to chat with or on-board new people!