According to the Global Digital Report 2020, social media active users reach 51% of the world population, with an annual growth of 10%. Due to the penetration of social media in everyday life, many scientific collaborations and institutions are present on different social media platforms and recognize the role they play in reaching a wider audience. Social media engagement can positively influence not only scientific communication but also the day-to-day job of scientists involved since their presence on social networks can increase their networking and impact beyond the research community.

As a case study, the experience gained as a social media manager of INFN Napoli is presented. Social media were used as a tool to convey a correct message about research activities and to share the emotional side of research. In this paper, the strategies implemented on different platforms, and a way to use storytelling to increase the engagement are reported. Social media proved to be very powerful in connecting physicists with the non-specialized public, in particular with students, and each other.

Increasing the visibility and engagement of physicists can have a huge impact on how non-physicists see scientists and their relationships to science and the scientific community.