Mapping of Communication Channels for Student 

Communication and Workshops Recruitment

1. Introduction

This section summarizes the communication channels used by BSR DeepTech Launch project partners to communicate with and recruit deeptech students and young researchers for entrepreneurial workshops. The purpose is to provide an overview of which approaches were employed, the effectiveness of each channel, and lessons learned for future promotion of similar activities.

2. Communication Channels Used

All project partners applied a combination of communication channels in an effort to reach students across universities in Germany, Lithuania, and Poland. The main channels included:

1. University Involvement (most effective)

o Promotion in lectures and classes.
o Distribution of printed promotional materials.
o Direct, personal contact with professors and deans, often coordinated via project consortia.

2. Printed Materials (somewhat useful)

o Displaying posters on university campuses.
o Handing out leaflets to students.

3. Social Media (unsuccessful)

o Posting workshop information on social media platforms.

4. Student Organizations (unsuccessful)

o Direct contact with student associations and clubs to share workshop information.

5. Local Stakeholders (slightly useful)

o Leveraging regional partners, innovation centers, and other local networks to communicate opportunities to students.

6. Digital Channels (unsuccessful)

o Information published on project and partner homepages.
o Newsletters targeted to university and student mailing lists.
o Direct emails to students where contact information was available.

3. Observations and Lessons Learned

Challenges

• Social media, student organizations, and digital communication channels proved largely ineffective in attracting student participation, despite their wide reach.
• High information saturation and lack of direct academic endorsement reduced student engagement through these channels.

What Worked Best

• Direct, personal contact with deans, professors, and teaching staff consistently generated the highest student engagement.
• Promotion integrated into lectures and classes reached students in an appropriate learning context and increased relevance.
• Active involvement of universities, supported by visible on-campus promotion (posters and leaflets), significantly improved workshop visibility.

Key Lesson

Communication channels were most effective when they combined trust, relevance, and timing, particularly through academic intermediaries rather than purely digital outreach.

4. Recommendations for Future Promotion

To improve student recruitment for future workshops or similar initiatives, the following strategies are recommended:

1. Strengthen University Partnerships:

o Engage faculty and department heads early in the planning process.
o Request inclusion of workshop announcements in lectures and official student communications.

2. Combine Offline and Online Promotion:

o Continue distributing printed materials (posters, leaflets).
o Use digital channels (website, newsletter, email) to complement, not replace, direct contact.

3. Leverage Local Stakeholders:

o Involve regional innovation hubs, incubators, and research centers to broaden outreach.

4. Targeted Communication:

o Focus on direct outreach to decision-makers within faculties rather than relying on student organizations or social media alone.

5. Conclusion

The recruitment experience of BSR DeepTech Launch workshops highlights the importance of direct academic engagement in promoting entrepreneurial learning activities. While multiple channels were tested, the most effective strategy combined university-level involvement, personal contacts with professors, and visible promotion on campus.

Effectiveness Summary (for reference):

• University involvement – most effective
• Printed materials – somewhat useful
• Local stakeholders – slightly useful
• Social media – unsuccessful
• Student organizations – unsuccessful
• Digital channels – unsuccessful

Communication Channels Overview

6. Analysis of Communication Channel Effectiveness

Although social media and digital communication channels are commonly perceived as the most effective ways to reach young audiences, the experience of the BSR DeepTech Launch partners showed a different pattern. Several factors help explain why some channels performed significantly better than others.

1. Trust and Credibility

Students are exposed to a very high volume of information online, especially on social media. Workshop announcements published through social media channels often competed with entertainment content and commercial messages, which reduced their visibility and perceived relevance.

In contrast, information shared directly by professors, lecturers, or deans was perceived as:

• Credible
• Relevant to students’ academic and professional development
• Worth attention and time investment

Messages coming from trusted academic authorities therefore had a much higher impact.

2. Context and Timing 

Social media communication usually reaches students outside a learning context, when they are not actively thinking about professional development or entrepreneurship.

Promotion during:

• Lectures
• Classes
• Direct academic communication

reached students at the right moment, when they were already engaged in learning and open to opportunities connected to their studies or future careers.

3. Information Overload in Digital Channels

Digital channels (websites, newsletters, emails, social media) often suffer from:

• Information saturation
• Low open and click-through rates
• Short attention spans

As a result, even well-prepared announcements may go unnoticed or be postponed and forgotten.

4. Role of Personal Recommendation

Direct, personal communication from professors or academic staff often included an implicit recommendation. This significantly increased students’ motivation to participate, as the workshops were seen not as “another optional event,” but as a valuable opportunity aligned with their academic path.

5. Limited Engagement of Student Organizations

Although student organizations were expected to be strong multipliers, their communication channels often:

• Focus on internal activities
• Reach only a limited or highly specific group of students
• Prioritize social or community events over educational initiatives

This reduced their effectiveness in promoting entrepreneurship workshops to a broader student audience.

6. Supporting Role of Printed Materials and Local Stakeholders

Printed materials and communication via local stakeholders played a supporting role. While they rarely triggered registrations on their own, they helped:

• Increase general visibility
• Reinforce messages delivered through academic channels
• Reach students already interested in entrepreneurship

Conclusion

The recruitment experience demonstrates that channel effectiveness depends not only on reach, but on trust, relevance, and context. Despite initial assumptions, social media and digital channels alone were not sufficient to engage students. The most successful approach combined:

• Direct academic endorsement
• In-class communication
• Visible on-campus promotion

These findings underline the importance of human, trusted intermediaries in promoting educational and entrepreneurial initiatives among students and young researchers.

7. Transferability & Future Use

The experience gathered during the implementation of the workshops may support the planning of future student recruitment activities for workshops, trainings, and similar educational initiatives.
Future projects and institutions planning similar activities are encouraged to:

• Prioritize early engagement with academic staff and faculty leadership. Printed materials can complement personal outreach but cannot replace it.
• Embed workshop promotion within formal educational settings (lectures, courses, curricula).
• Treat social media and digital channels as supportive tools, not primary recruitment methods.
• Combine personal academic endorsement with visible on-campus promotion.

These insights can support more effective outreach strategies and improve participation rates in future entrepreneurship education initiatives across regions.

8. Limitations

The effectiveness of communication channels may vary depending on institutional culture, field of study, and regional context. While the conclusions presented reflect the experience of BSR DeepTech Launch partners, they should be adapted to local conditions and target groups when applied elsewhere.