From storytelling to social media: how to create engaging content for Horizon Europe projects

By Julien Sudre, founder of Grant360, grant writer with more than a hundred applications written, and provider of Horizon Europe communication and project management services. Updated 9 October 2026.

European research is full of extraordinary stories, but too often they are told in the dullest possible way. We talk about "synergies", "methodologies" and "stakeholder engagement" when the public really wants to know something simpler: why does this matter, and how does it affect me?

Creating engaging content for a Horizon Europe project is not just marketing. It is the practical work of connecting science to people. It turns technical progress into a human story that informs, inspires and invites participation.

This guide shows how to move from compliance to communication mastery: how to build content that gets read, watched, shared and remembered. For the wider strategic context, start with our Horizon Europe communication guide and our guide to designing a strong communication work package.

Why does engagement matter in Horizon Europe?

Horizon Europe funds impact, and impact starts with attention. If your audience does not notice your project, it cannot learn from it, use it or be inspired by it.

Engagement is now central to communication obligations because projects are expected to reach non-specialist audiences, use modern formats and make science accessible, relatable and relevant. Your content must help people care.

That does not mean chasing vanity metrics. It means designing communication that gives the right audience a reason to stop, understand and act.

Why should storytelling come before reporting?

Scientists love precision; communicators love emotion. Engaging content needs both. A useful storytelling formula is:

The problem: What issue are you tackling?
The quest: What is your project doing to solve it?
The impact: What difference could it make?
The people: Who is behind the work?

Every format, from a blog post to a short video, can follow this logic. Do not just describe tasks. Tell a story of transformation.

This also helps partners contribute better material. Instead of asking for "news", ask what problem they worked on this month, what changed and who was involved.

How do you turn complexity into clarity?

The biggest barrier to engagement is jargon. If your sentence has more than two acronyms, start again.

Try this rule: write as if explaining the project to a bright 16-year-old. If they can understand the idea, most audiences can.

For example:

Weak: "The consortium applies an AI-based multi-modal approach for cross-domain data harmonisation."
Stronger: "We are using artificial intelligence to help hospitals share and understand medical data faster."

The science has not changed. The language has. Clarity builds credibility.

How can projects create content around human stories?

Projects are made of people, not deliverables. Audiences respond to faces, voices and experiences.

Useful story formats include:

Interviews with researchers explaining why they care about the topic.
Profiles of early-career scientists, engineers, clinicians or field teams.
Stories of citizens, patients, users or practitioners affected by the problem.
"Day in the lab" or "day in the pilot site" videos showing the work behind the results.

Human stories build empathy, and empathy drives engagement. They also make technical results easier to remember.

Which content formats work best for EU projects?

Different audiences prefer different media, so diversify formats while keeping one consistent message.

Short videos, 1 to 2 minutes: useful for the general public because they combine visual and emotional impact.
Infographics: useful for policymakers, media and non-specialists because they simplify complex ideas at a glance.
Blog posts and articles: useful for professionals who need more depth and context.
Podcasts or recorded conversations: useful for specialists, students and stakeholder communities.
Social media posts: useful for continuous visibility, partner amplification and quick feedback.

The format should follow the audience and the message. Do not create a podcast because it is fashionable; create it because a listening audience exists.

What makes content useful, readable and shareable?

Great project content usually sits inside a triangle: useful, readable and shareable.

Useful content answers a real question or solves a real problem. Readable content is simple, structured and visually clear. Shareable content is short enough to repost and interesting enough to trigger discussion.

If a piece of content does not tick at least two of those boxes, it is probably not ready.

Social media is where Horizon Europe projects can show progress, celebrate milestones and interact directly with citizens and peers. You do not need to be everywhere. Choose 2 or 3 platforms and use them consistently.

Useful channel choices include:

LinkedIn: professional audiences, policymakers, partners and industry.
X or similar policy/science networks: conference updates, policy conversations and scientific communities.
YouTube: explainers, webinars, interviews and recorded events.
Instagram: visuals, behind-the-scenes content and human stories.
Facebook: citizen-oriented projects, community events and local audiences.

Link your channel choices back to the communication plan. A dedicated account is not automatically required for every project. See also our guide to communication and visibility obligations in Horizon Europe.

A good post has a hook, a clear value point and a call to action.

Hook: the first line catches attention. Example: "What if hospitals could predict infections before they happen?"
Value: the core idea or insight. Example: "Our team is testing AI tools to make that possible, while keeping patient safety at the centre."
Call to action: an invitation to learn more, ask a question, register, download or discuss.

Add a clean visual: a photo, short clip, quote card, diagram or infographic. Without a visual, most social posts are easier to ignore.

How often should a project post?

Forget rigid schedules and focus on consistency and rhythm. A practical pattern for a typical project is:

1 or 2 posts per week on LinkedIn or the main social channel.
1 major story, article or video per month.
Short posts for events, deliverables, milestones and partner activities.

Use project months, not only calendar years, as your reference. This keeps communication aligned with the internal timeline, reporting periods and review milestones.

How can visuals make science easier to understand?

Visuals help people see the project before they understand the technical detail. Use real photos where possible: labs, pilots, workshops, prototypes and people at work.

Effective project visuals include:

Simple data visuals instead of dense graphs.
Captions for users who watch without sound.
Platform-friendly aspect ratios, such as square visuals for social feeds and landscape visuals for LinkedIn or websites.
Alt text, high contrast and legible typography for accessibility.

Visual identity matters too. A coherent look helps audiences recognise the project across channels. For implementation, read our guide to designing a visual identity for Horizon Europe projects.

How do you build a narrative calendar?

A calendar is more than a schedule; it is a storytelling plan. Structure it around the project life cycle:

Kick-off: explain who you are and why the project matters. Useful formats include launch videos, partner introductions and simple problem explainers.
Early work: explain the science and the challenge. Useful formats include interviews, blog posts and behind-the-scenes content.
Mid-term: show first results, events and learning. Useful formats include milestone posts, event photos, demos and media outreach.
Final phase: focus on impact and legacy. Useful formats include success stories, policy briefs, explainer videos and exploitation updates.

A good calendar also prevents last-minute content panic. Partners know when to contribute, the communication lead can prepare assets, and the coordinator can check sensitive messages before publication.

What tone should EU project communication use?

The tone should be authoritative but human. You are not selling the project; you are explaining why it matters.

Use active verbs: "we built", "we tested", "we discovered". Avoid academic formality such as "pursuant to objective 3.2" when speaking to the public. Show enthusiasm without exaggeration.

For example:

We are proud to present our first pilot site: a solar-powered desalination unit built in Crete to help reduce water scarcity.

This is informative, human and credible.

Why does emotion matter in science communication?

Emotion does not mean sentimentality. It means showing passion, curiosity and purpose. A story about a researcher working late to improve a prototype often says more than ten graphs.

If your audience feels something, it is more likely to remember something. The key is to keep emotion accurate and proportionate: do not overpromise, but do not remove all life from the story either.

How do you write for attention?

Good writing is not dumbing down; it is smart clarity. Use these field-tested rules:

Front-load value: the first two lines should explain why the topic matters.
Keep paragraphs short.
Use subheadings that guide the eye.
Prefer plain language, such as "use" instead of "utilise".
Use numbers to make abstract claims concrete.
Add short quotes to break monotony and show real voices.

The aim is to reduce friction. Readers should spend their effort understanding your idea, not decoding your sentence.

How should visuals and text work together?

Visual storytelling works best when each image has a job. Use before-and-after images to show progress, maps to localise pilots or impacts, faces to build trust and short recurring clips to create a recognisable rhythm.

A low-budget video filmed with a phone can work well if the light is good, the sound is clear and the story is human. A polished but empty video rarely performs better than a simple clip with a real message.

How do you engage instead of broadcast?

The worst social media mistake is treating the channel like a megaphone. Engagement is dialogue, not monologue.

Practical habits include:

Replying to comments and questions.
Tagging partners and acknowledging their work.
Sharing relevant external news with project context.
Using hashtags carefully, such as #HorizonEurope or topic-specific policy hashtags.

The goal is not vanity metrics. It is connection with the audiences that matter to the project's impact pathway.

What should communication teams measure?

Measure what helps the project learn and improve. Useful indicators include engagement rate, link clicks, time spent on page, event registrations, downloads and qualified stakeholder contacts.

Use the data to refine tone, formats and topics. If videos consistently outperform text for a specific audience, shift resources accordingly. Data should inform creativity, not replace it.

For more on evidence and review preparation, read our guide to continuous reporting in Horizon Europe.

What ethical rules should engaging content respect?

Engagement must never come at the cost of accuracy. Avoid exaggerated claims such as "revolutionary" or "game-changing" unless they are justified by evidence. Always acknowledge EU funding and partner contributions where required. Check data, confidential information, personal data and intellectual property before publication.

Communication, dissemination and exploitation are connected but not identical. Before releasing technical information, check whether the communication may also disclose results that need protection. For the distinction, see our article on communication, dissemination and exploitation in Horizon Europe.

What workflow works for a consortium?

The best workflow is simple, repeatable and review-friendly. A practical process is:

The editorial lead drafts topics for the next quarter.
Partners propose stories, visuals and events from their activities.
The central communication team edits and schedules content.
A lightweight approval loop checks accuracy, confidentiality, IP and EU visibility.
A monthly review checks performance, evidence and upcoming milestones.

This keeps communication aligned with project delivery and makes reporting easier.

What does good storytelling look like in practice?

A coherent campaign uses several formats to tell one story. Imagine a climate adaptation project working with coastal cities:

A 90-second video shows flood risk and researchers explaining new planning tools.
A blog post explains how a pilot city is using citizen data.
An infographic shows three steps for resilient waterfronts.
Social media shares a quote from a local decision-maker and photos from fieldwork.

The secret is one narrative across formats. Each asset does a different job, but all of them point to the same project value.

What common mistakes should projects avoid?

Small mistakes can make good research invisible. Common problems include:

Posting only deliverables instead of turning them into stories.
Overusing jargon and acronyms.
Posting irregularly and losing audience trust.
Ignoring visuals.
Broadcasting without interaction.
Measuring reach without asking whether the right audience was reached.

A few small improvements can double the usefulness of project communication.

Which tools make content creation easier?

Use tools that reduce friction without scattering evidence. Canva or Figma can help with visuals and templates. Pexels or Unsplash can help with generic images when real project photos are not available. Grammarly, DeepL Write or similar tools can polish language. Notion, Trello or a simple shared spreadsheet can support planning. Plausible or Matomo can provide privacy-conscious analytics.

Tools do not replace editorial judgement. They help the team publish consistently, keep evidence and learn what works.

How does content support impact?

Every article, post or video should contribute to broader impact objectives. Before publishing, ask:

Does this raise awareness, transfer knowledge or inspire action?
Can we trace its results in our indicators?
Does it strengthen our reputation as a reliable EU consortium?
Does it support the audiences and pathways described in the proposal?

If the answer is yes, publish confidently and record the evidence.

Conclusion: engagement is a bridge, not a show

Creating engaging content is not about being flashy. It is about building bridges between research and society.

If you tell stories instead of listing deliverables, speak clearly and visually, listen as much as you broadcast and measure what truly matters, your Horizon Europe project will not only comply with communication rules. It will connect with people.

Great science deserves to be understood, and Europe's progress deserves to be seen.