FAI/FAO Social Media Presence and Introduction to Visual Abstract Opportunities.

Today, social media has become an essential part of our lives. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn have opened up new avenues for communication, marketing, and promotion. Social media is not just a tool for personal use. It is a powerful tool for professionals to promote their products and services worldwide. Authors published in Foot & Ankle International and Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics have an opportunity to allow their research to reach beyond those who regularly read these journals. This letter will outline our reasons for how social media can promote your publication and provide a new opportunity for authors to create a visual representation of their research for use in the social media world. First, social media platforms have a massive user base. According to Statista, as of 2021, Facebook has over 2.8 billion monthly active users; Instagram has over 1 billion monthly active users; and Twitter has over 330 million monthly active users. By using social media to promote your publication, you can reach a vast audience. With such a large audience, you can draw attention from specific demographics such as practicing orthopaedic surgeons, residents, and students to ensure that the publication reaches greater visibility. Second, social media is a cost-effective way to promote your publication. Although traditional forms of advertising, such as print and TV, can be very expensive and slow, social media advertising is relatively cheaper and faster. With @ AOFAS_Journals, we can reach out to thousands of followers who are interested in our publications. Also, social media allows us to track performance in real time. Third, social media can help authors build a brand identity. By creating a social media presence for your publications, you can establish a brand identity that resonates with a key target audience—our colleagues. For example, by creating a consistent voice, visual style, and messaging, you can create a brand identity that represents your research group’s research interests, values, and mission. Over time, this brand identity can help your publication stand out. Last, social media can help you engage with your audience. Social media platforms offer many tools for engagement, such as comments, likes, shares, and direct messages. By responding to comments and messages, you can show the audience that you value their feedback and opinions. Moreover, social media allows for the creation of polls and surveys that can help you quickly connect with other colleagues. Platforms are a quick way to create a sense of community and encourage dialogue. Social media has become an integral part of our society regardless of our opinions of it. Promoting your publication through these platforms is a smart and effective way to reach a large audience, build a brand identity, and engage with your readers. By leveraging the power of social media, you can improve your publication’s visibility and awareness in this digital age. We invite future authors of accepted publications to consider creating a social media post to be featured on our journal’s online handle (@AOFAS_ Journals) and consider submitting an easy-to-read infographic panel to present your top findings (see example below). We hope to see you online. 1171824 FAIXXX10.1177/10711007231171824Foot & Ankle InternationalEditorial editorial2023