Communicating Media Insights
Throughout my time in the course “Communicating Media Insights” with Professor Amanda Sturgill, I learned the value of analytics and how communication professionals can use them to execute and adjust successful campaigns, within both social media and traditional communications.
​
I also developed important professional skills like organization, team leadership and collaboration, presentation skills, grammar & brevity, and understanding how to speak to different types of professionals.
Eye Tracking Report
Click PDF to view
In a project involving eye-tracking data, I learned how to synthesize research findings into an executive summary tailored to a specific and professional audience. This report was written for the Director of Elon’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL), so I was intentional in defining communication-specific terms, including a glossary, and using language that would be accessible to a faculty member outside the field of communications. This experience sharpened my ability to write strategically, adapt to my audience, and present technical information in a clear, engaging, and professional format.
​
While learning technical skills of drafting reports accordingly, I was simultaneously learning how readers approach documents. People tend to follow an “F” pattern when reading a traditionally formatted page with little to no design elements, skipping over a majority of the information by the end of the page. When visual design elements are incorporated in a document, readers tend to fixate on sections of the page longer without interfering with the overall time spent reading. This was likely because readers were more engaged and less likely to go back and reread certain sections.
As part of a group white paper project, I explored Reddit’s evolving potential as a strategic marketing tool, especially in light of its recent partnership with Google and advancements in AI. My partners and I explored Reddit’s growing relevance in marketing, focusing on its culture of anonymity, candid engagement, and niche communities. My main focus was looking at how anonymity shapes user behavior and how brands can harness that candid engagement to gather real insights. My research examined best practices like launching targeted subreddits, hosting AMA sessions, and embedding into communities through conversation rather than promotion.
To deepen our analysis, I interviewed digital marketer Leigha Henderson, whose insights emphasized the need for authenticity and audience understanding before engaging on Reddit. Because demographic data is limited by the platform’s anonymous nature, I sourced surveys and behavioral trends to build a clearer picture of user demographics. I also studied case studies on advertising reception, reinforcing that Reddit users respond positively to campaigns that respect platform tone and culture.
This work sharpened my ability to translate abstract platform dynamics into practical strategy, an important skill for building trust-based marketing approaches in nuanced digital environments. It also highlights my ability to collaborate, conduct professional interviews, and package insights in a way that's both thoughtful and market-savvy. This project among others taught me how to effectively source research to navigate dynamic digital landscapes.