A casual selfie with students, thanking them for stopping by the president’s office to chat. A snapshot of an iconic campus building, accompanied by “Have a great first day of classes!” A digital image of the university’s commencement invitation, with the simple, heartfelt message “All are welcome!” Each of these is a recent social media post from a new campus leader in the first weeks of their presidency. All three are small but powerful examples of what even a quiet social media engagement can do for someone stepping into a visible leadership role.

Presidents who maintain a regular presence on social media have the advantage of being able to speak directly to their constituents in an active and engaged way. Such a move can be a daunting prospect for those who have risen to the presidency from provostship positions, for example, where they may be more accustomed to operating in the administrative realm.

But social media doesn’t have to be scary. Whether you’re a sitting president or aspiring president, you’ll be a more effective leader if social media engagement is an established and enjoyable practice for you. Here are five key steps to finding your place on social media.

1. Start slowly. You don’t need to be present on every channel. In fact, excessive social media activity can work against you, potentially suggesting misplaced priorities. Instead, take a minute to decide on two key factors: Which social platform are your main audiences on? And where are you most comfortable? Social media works best if you and your audience are optimized for engagement. Choosing the type of content you like to generate (e.g., written thoughts on LinkedIn or Substack, or images or short videos on Instagram) and pairing it with the most likely engagement platform will increase the potential for a positive feedback loop, especially when you’re just starting out.
2. Be yourself. Social media is personal and direct, a direct way to present yourself on your campus as a fully realized individual rather than a faceless, anonymous administrator. Your social media presence should reflect that you are both a dedicated professional and a person with particular passions, concerns, and perspectives. In an age where authenticity in leadership is highly valued—and inauthenticity is easily exposed—letting your constituents see what you notice and celebrate in campus life, the academic priorities you care about, and what moves you in the world builds a reservoir of trust and connection. Being human also means being imperfect. Don’t stress about the perfect angle or shade in your photos; don’t strive to appear academic. Be open to sharing small moments of beauty and surprise without over-selecting.

3. Don’t just broadcast, listen. One of the dangers of senior leadership is losing touch with those at the heart of your mission: your students, staff, and faculty. This can be especially true for presidents and deans, whose day-to-day perspectives on the institution can be disproportionately influenced by what they spend on their day-to-day tasks: budgetary issues, thorny personnel issues, and board and committee meetings. For deans, the faculty and academic staff in your care, especially those early in their careers, increasingly conduct their professional, intellectual, and nonprofessional lives online. Following them on social media, with their recognition and approval, provides insight into the academic life of your institution in a way that ordinary days and weeks of administration rarely afford. And noticing concerns or questions raised by professors online can help you and your teams anticipate information gaps and address rumors before they gain traction.
4. Share the load. Social media is not a solitary island, but a vibrant community, and your work creating and maintaining it can be just as communal. Even as you develop your own individual social media identity, don’t hesitate to involve staff members who can help you build the basics: taking a photo of yourself with visiting students, checking spellings of names, or even planning and posting approved content on your behalf. Give yourself the opportunity to play to your strengths by tapping into those whose expertise fits areas of the social world you’re not familiar with. You can also task staff members with directing followers with questions to appropriate campus resources.
5. Ask the experts. Get to know the staff members who manage social media for your institution. They love teaching. And they stay up to date on frequent changes to social platforms’ privacy settings, algorithms, and legal frameworks. They can also be a source of information for recognizing and optimizing for social media trends in real time. While their responsibilities extend beyond managing individual accounts like yours, your work and theirs are intertwined. They need you, too! The content you post can serve them well as they seek to maintain a dynamic cadence of activity across all institutional channels.

Being active on social media can often feel like an extra, an “add-on” that struggles to climb to the top of a long to-do list. It’s critical to resist this mindset. Higher education leaders are increasingly expected to be accessible, to have personal connections with their constituents, and to feel close to them. A strong, authentic social media presence is not a luxury, but a necessity—and, more often than not, a way to stay connected to the joy that drew you to academic communities in the first place.