Building community and visibility: A year of social media growth for Cephalalgia

Cephalalgia, the well-established official journal of the International Headache Society (IHS), serves as an important resource for exchanging new ideas, celebrating successful research and education, and advancing the field of headache medicine. Effective communication is imperative to allow the headache medicine community to address the pressing needs in the management of people with migraine and other headache disorders (1). Cephalalgia has a dedicated team working tirelessly to overcome barriers and provide up-to-date information to its readership. The social media editors are honored and excited to be part of this dynamic and growing community. Over the past year, as social media editors of Cephalalgia, we have experienced a period of growth, engagement and new initiatives for the journal. Appointed by our editor-in-chief, Professor Simona Sacco, we embraced the challenge of expanding our digital presence and increasing the visibility of the research published in Cephalalgia and Cephalalgia Reports.

One of our primary focuses has been ensuring that all papers published in Cephalalgia and Cephalalgia Reports are highlighted across the IHS and journal's social media channels. We have diligently shared the latest findings, and updated guidelines (2,3), using more engaging captions, creative designs and visual content to draw the attention of our audience. Each post was tailored to ensure every research article was effectively represented, with consistent and timely sharing on all platforms. In addition, Cephalalgia launched an initiative to feature graphical abstracts, a new element for the journal, which were also promoted and shared across various social media platforms.

We also developed a guide for authors to promote their papers after publication. This instruction sheet, which is shared upon paper acceptance, helps authors maximize the visibility of their work, providing them with practical tools and strategies for engaging with the community and driving the impact of their research.

Another exciting addition this year has been the “Editor's Choice” feature. Each month, the editor selects a notable paper, and we have taken the opportunity to interview the authors of these selected works. This gives us a unique opportunity to hear directly from the leaders in the field of headache medicine about their discoveries and future directions of research, and education. We produced video podcasts of these interviews, which were published on the IHS website and YouTube channel and further promoted across all our social media platforms.

We also embarked on producing educational videos to support the research community. These videos cover a range of topics, such as how to promote one's research, how to track the impact of a study and how to select a reputable journal for submission. By sharing these educational resources across our platforms, we aim to support researchers, particularly those early in their careers, by providing them with valuable information beyond the publication itself.

The choices for engaging with Cephalalgia are abundant. Readers can dive deep into the article or obtain a thorough overview through newly designed graphical abstracts, getting a spark of new ideas for their clinic and research from Cephalalgia's social media posts and more. The one thread uniting all this is the connection to cutting-edge knowledge and enhanced community accessibility.

The past year has been about creating more than just a digital presence – it has been about building a community. We are proud of the progress that we have made, and we look forward to continuing to explore new ways to engage with our audience, increase the visibility of the impactful research published in our journals and support the broader headache community in innovative ways.

We welcome the submission of your articles to Cephalalgia and strive to continue serving this community by equipping clinicians with the best available treatment plans for patients, promoting research, education and advocacy, as well as supporting the development of pipelines and careers in headache medicine.

We hope that the online readership of the Cephalalgia community finds the much-needed tools in their day-to-day professional lives in the journal of Cephalalgia and on the IHS website. We extend our gratitude to our editor-in-chief, Professor Simona Sacco, for her support and encouragement, as well as our audience for their engagement. We look forward to the coming year as we continue to innovate and expand our social media presence for Cephalalgia and Cephalalgia Reports.

As we look ahead, we invite the entire headache community – researchers, clinicians, advocates and patients– to join us in building a more informed and connected world for headache medicine. Whether it is by submitting your work, engaging with our content or sharing your ideas, you can play a pivotal role in advancing this field. Together, we can create a future where no patient feels isolated, and every clinician is equipped with the tools they need to provide the best possible care. Let's continue to grow, innovate and support each other in this journey.