Lessons from Higher Ed: What Working with Universities Teaches Us About Strategic Communications

At 829 Studios, we’ve had the privilege of partnering with organizations across nearly every sector, from emerging tech and cybersecurity to e-commerce and healthcare. But one vertical we’ve come to deeply appreciate is higher education.

Supporting universities, research programs, and academic coalitions has challenged and sharpened our approach to storytelling. Over the past few years, we’ve collaborated with institutions like UC Berkeley, MIT, and Purdue, helping their communications teams amplify the work of researchers, faculty, and campus initiatives. While the subject matter might differ from that of a startup or Fortune 500 company, the fundamentals of effective comms—clarity, relevance, and connection—still apply.

Here’s what we’ve learned.

Aligning with Academia Requires a Mindset Shift

Academic institutions have a unique relationship with storytelling. Unlike product-focused companies, many university partners aren’t launching a new app or driving direct-to-consumer sales. They’re publishing groundbreaking research or collaborating across institutions to build something bigger than any single brand. This makes the messaging less about promotion and more about purpose.

Our approach centers on helping faculty and institutional spokespeople articulate not just what they’re doing, but why it matters. That often means coaching researchers to step back from granular methodology and lean into narrative framing, looking at why the work is relevant, urgent, and uniquely positioned to drive impact.

Messaging Must Feel Authentic—Even When It’s Aspirational

Many academics are used to speaking to peers in classrooms or at conferences, where shared understanding of a field removes the need for context or simplification. But media engagement is different. Reporters—and the broader audiences they write for—need clarity around impact, real-world applications, and the broader social or technological context.

Messaging for higher ed audiences requires balance. It needs to be grounded in rigor, but bold in ambition. We often remind academic clients that framing research in terms of its societal value doesn’t oversimplify it, but rather it amplifies its importance.

The Media Strategy Looks Different Too

The media landscape for higher education isn’t the same as for tech or consumer brands. While outlets like The New York Times, WIRED, and Bloomberg still matter, much of the traction comes from more targeted media, like academic journals, sector-specific newsletters, and vertical-specific platforms like Inside Higher Ed or EdSurge.

It’s less about mass visibility and more about influence within networks of policymakers, peer institutions, funders, and engaged public audiences. Our outreach strategies reflect that.

The Goal Isn’t Promotion. It’s Collaboration

In tech, media coverage often ladders up to product adoption, fundraising, or talent recruitment. In academia, the goals are more collaborative, centered on shared knowledge, public understanding, and attracting cross-institutional support.

For example, our work supporting UC Berkeley’s Cybersecurity Clinics wasn’t just about UCB. It was about raising the profile of an entire consortium of universities committed to strengthening digital infrastructure. Similarly, MIT’s Work of the Future initiative spanned across partners and disciplines, with a shared focus on societal impact.

Custom Strategy > Cookie-Cutter Templates

Perhaps most importantly, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to communications. Supporting higher ed organizations reminds us that every partner, whether a university department, a tech nonprofit, or a startup, has its own culture, language and goals. Our role is to meet them where they are, and build a strategy that honors both their expertise and their audience.

Supporting Academic Storytelling, One Project at a Time

Whether it’s research on the future of work, innovations in public health, or collaborative frameworks to reimagine cybersecurity, at 829 we’re proud to help academic institutions bring their stories to life.

Want to learn more about how we support university communications teams and research initiatives? Let’s talk.