Abstract: The vast majority of the public has a limited or no interest whatsoever in sciences and in astronomy, in particular. However, reaching them is important because of the potential impact this wider public has on funding decisions, both via state-operated and via private channels. The mainstream media is the most efficient if not the only way to expose these people, who otherwise would not make an effort to read, watch or listen to specialized popular science outlets. The effort spread the STEM knowledge is even more important in countries with languages with smaller speaker base, because of the limited media channels. Attracting people’s attention in the general media is difficult because the popular science pieces often have to compete with material on topics of much moire immediate and interest and on more tangible topics. I will share my experience of collaborating with glossy mainstream magazines in my native country of Bulgaria where the popular astronomy articles often share the pages of the same issue with astrology. I argue that the key to successfully carrying the scientific knowledge is presenting it as a human struggle and endeavor, and mostly – as a story of the human success. Using colorful language, clear illustrations and familiar examples are other important components of the accessible popular science presentations. In conclusion, we must step out of our comfort zone, and take our scientific outreach to an audience that may not be potentially friendly, but with enough patience and efforts we can plant among it interest and questions.
