Content & Thought Leadership Strategy

Cornell Discovery to Impact Launch

CTL had no owned external publication. Industry partners, investors, and researchers had no single place to follow Cornell's commercialization story. I built one from scratch.

Read issue 1 →

Challenge

Create a publication serving two distinct audiences simultaneously — external partners and investors who needed proof of impact, and internal researchers who needed inspiration from peers. One publication, one unified narrative, two different motivations for reading it.

Strategic approach

  • Used the commercialization journey as the unifying narrative, compelling to both audiences for different reasons.

  • Chose opt-in only distribution to prioritize list quality over list size.

  • Wrote every CTA to be self-selecting — both audiences served simultaneously without labeling either group.

  • Built a full technical infrastructure: Constant Contact, UTM framework, accessibility standards throughout, and landing page.

Publication Performance
64.6%
open rate — nearly double the 36% higher education benchmark
9.9%
click rate — more than double the 3–5% benchmark
0
unsubscribes after two weeks
100%
of sections generated at least one click — confirming full read-through

"You are effectively transitioning into a more strategic planning role, as evidenced by your leadership in planning and designing the CTL newsletter." — Supervisor’s comment

Annual and Program Report Publications

Two flagship publications produced simultaneously, serving as CTL's primary external positioning tools, designed to attract invention disclosures, demonstrate disciplinary breadth, and build credibility with industry and investor audiences.

Challenge

Producing two high-stakes publications simultaneously — each with different audiences, contributors, and strategic goals — while planning two overlapping launch campaigns. No dedicated design team or external agency.

My Role

  • Project manager, designer, and editor across both reports.

  • FY report designed in Canva. Ignite report in Adobe InDesign with custom Illustrator infographics.

  • Built dedicated FY report webpage and led both launch campaigns.

  • Deliberately chose different distribution strategies for each report based on audience.

FY25 Report
528
web page views in three months since launch
188
PDF downloads — top page event in three months since launch
1m 36s
average time on page
Ignite Report
58.8%
launch email open rate
119
PDF downloads in three months since launch
51.6%
engagement rate on top LinkedIn post

"The reports are reaching wide audiences and inspiring innovation and partnership for Cornell." — Supervisor’s comment

Content Writing and Storytelling

Stories written and placed across institutional and external channels — translating complex research, technologies, and innovations into accessible narratives for broad audiences. A selection spanning Cornell and the University of Florida.

Promotional image of the Ignite Fellow for New Ventures program
Image of the three women who won the awards

Cornell Ignite Fellows Bring Lab Discoveries Closer to Market Impact

Read here →

Women Innovator Awards support diversity in invention

Read here →

Stock image of open laptop and a virtual meeting

Innovators, Investors, Entrepreneurs, and Experts Convened at First Roundtable of Cornell Innovation & Venture Advisors Group. Read here →

Guests at the Standing InnOvation event

University of Florida Innovators Honored at 4th Annual Standing InnOvation Event

Read here →

Image of new mural "The Flow of Innovation"
Stock image of a lion

UF Innovate Reveals New Display in Lobby of The Hub

Read here →

UF Startup Structured Monitoring Products is Revolutionizing the Animal Health Monitoring Industry with Contactless Technology. Read here →

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Integrated Campaigns

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Audience Growth & Digital Strategy