Content formation principles for growing a museum’s social media audience: the experience of the Earth science museum of MSU

The article examines the role of social media in the activities of the Earth Science Museum of Lomonosov Moscow State University, focusing on digital audience engagement strategies. Using the museum’s VKontakte community as a case study, it analyses content creation features, promotion methods, and subscriber engagement mechanisms. The results of a three year audience activity monitoring (2023–2026) are presented, including demographic characteristics, subscriber growth dynamics (nearly 2500 people in three years), and engagement metrics. Key principles of post creation are described, namely: format diversity (photos, videos, and polls), publication regularity (1–2 posts per day), use of relevant news hooks (professional holidays, anniversaries of scientific discoveries), and integration of online and offline activities (QR codes near exhibits linking to videos). The most effective content types were identified, namely: posts about the peregrine falcon (leader in engagement) and educational videos (over 150 materials). Promising directions for developing the museum’s social media presence are outlined: expanding the audience by attracting natural science students and researchers, enhancing outreach to regional residents about distance learning, and advancing multimedia content. It is demonstrated that a well designed social media strategy not only increases reach but also boosts museum visibility, popularises science, and promotes educational programmes.