Media exposure is a powerful tactic for amplifying messages and movements across
business, politics, culture and academia — proven over millennia to spur action
and catalyze dialogue. After all, what’s more impactful than being a relevant
part of public conversations?
When it comes to talking about climate initiatives, however, public-facing
communications are layered with complexities. To start, the work of those in the
climate space — be it climate-tech startups, climate scientists or company
sustainability initiatives — can be highly technical and complex, often proving
a challenge to explain succinctly what it is you do and why anyone should pay
attention.
At the same time, there is broad skepticism, or even blatant distrust, towards
companies promising solutions to the climate crisis — thanks to years’ worth of
companies publicly overpromising and overhyping their environmental commitments,
or
greenwashing.
Consequently, any journalist (or responsible consumer, for that matter) worth
their salt will do a deep dive into your work before covering you or investing
in your services — to see if your actions add up to your public promises.
A new era for PR
This is where climate communications come into play. Words inform realities;
stories shape perceptions. The public relations field is a vehicle for change,
both good and bad. Meaningful media coverage can uplift the profiles of
changemakers and experts — galvanizing action and creating paths forward with
solutions for a better future. On the other hand, PR has also been used as a
frontline weapon to dilute the climate crisis — exploited by players such as
Big
Oil
to paint climate change as a matter of opinion and partisan line. These highly
successful media campaigns delayed climate
action,
glorified oil and gas, and slandered the credibility of scientists who raised
the red flag.
Today, there’s some serious hurdles that stand in the way of disseminating the
messages of those offering meaningful solutions. But a new generation of
impact-driven communicators are leveraging media relations to undo the damage
caused by Big Oil’s deception campaigns and fast track legitimate climate
innovation. Organizations such as Clean Creatives
are building a climate coalition for the communications industry that is rooted
in trust — amplifying the power of storytelling in service to climate action.
I’m honored to be a part of this new
guard;
it’s a responsibility I take seriously.
In my work with companies across both emerging and well-established
environmental sectors, time and again the two most successful aspects of any
effective climate-communications strategy are its ability to educate and build
trust. Do people understand what you’re doing, how you’re doing it and who
you’re impacting? Do they feel confident that you’re the best option to do this
work?
How do you talk about what you do?
When it comes to climate initiatives, communicating your work concisely can be
hard. Ever had a conversation with a scientist or data engineer in another field
using approaches that are foreign to you? You likely walked away with your head
spinning. To reach a mainstream audience, they need to be able to grasp what you
do in order to buy into your approach. Running through a deck filled with
technical jargon isn’t going to cut it: I need you to bring me there swiftly and
painlessly. Build my intrigue, make it relatable to my life and make it easily
digestible.
Are you trying to communicate a highly technical scientific finding? Meet your
audience where they are: Use terms that are accessible to the audience you’re
trying to reach. Take advantage of this opportunity to inform and teach people
about the science behind your work — but do it in a way that includes them in
the conversation. Break down the barrier to entry that can so often shut out
people without scientific backgrounds and use language that invites them to be a
part of these discussions.
Not sure of where to begin? Cultivate a deep understanding of your target
audience: What news outlets do they read? What do they value? What can you
uniquely provide them? Digestible and compelling storytelling will make or break
your ability to broadly grow your brand recognition.
Your local impact speaks volumes
Climate change is a local story — its impacts vary wildly depending on where in
the world you live, with low-income communities and vulnerable people at
exponentially higher risk from its worst effects.
Climate solutions also vary greatly depending on the location where they’re
deployed and the communities they seek to engage. It’s impossible to provide one
universal blanket solution without accounting for a localized context.
More often than not, the common denominator for these innovations is that they
rely on community support and buy-in to succeed. How — and if — you talk about
your local partners speaks volumes.
Be aware of the language you use*.* The subtleties of language can convey potent
— sometimes unintended — messages. For example, savior vs. saved; provider vs
helpless. We talk a lot about the potent messages hidden within language with my
client ReSeed, a leading carbon marketplace: They
partner with smallholder, traditional and indigenous farmers around the globe —
the majority of whom live at or below poverty
levels.
Think “partner,” not “beneficiary.” For ReSeed’s operations, these farmers are the
star of the show — their regenerative-farming
techniques
reduce
deforestation,
feed
biodiversity,
bolster food supply
chains,
improve soil health, and increase the amount of carbon drawn down from the
atmosphere. The company’s operations and financial model put smallholder farmers
at the center; its communications strategy needs to echo that. In action, this
manifests as thoughtful and intentional language selection, and publicly
amplifying farmers’ expertise and voices in tandem with those of the company’s
founders.
As your organization publicly broadcasts its impact, highlight the expertise and
insights of your local partners. For every bold claim you make, have the data to
back it up — and, when possible, share that data publicly.
Best of all, hand the microphone over to your local partners to share their
own stories, perspectives and expertise. What impact does your partnership have
on their lives? Give them the opportunity to speak for themselves. This will
legitimize your company’s climate claims, and add a depth and personalization
that drives home the imperative for the work that you’re doing.
No one person or organization will ever be the singular climate hero, so avoid
positioning yours as such. Be mindful of eradicating any semblance of saviorism,
colonialism or power inequities in your messaging. The success of climate
promises and goals will be defined by the buildup of actions taken over time.
Your company’s words and its actions need to line up every single time.
Inspire a cultural conversation
The most meaningful climate-communication strategies create an avenue for
conversations rooted in hope and action. Prioritize contributing to a larger
societal narrative that creates positive conversation to cultivate hope and
inspire action. Shift public discourse around the climate crisis away from doom and
gloom by highlighting meaningful wins and global
successes.
We’re in an age where every company, no matter what they do, is a climate
company: No matter the sector or output, every organization has a responsibility
to address its environmental impact and incorporate climate action into its
model. If your organization is looking to communicate that publicly in any
capacity, you will more than likely be met at some point by critics and
cynicism. Public skepticism may feel like a hindrance or impediment to
implementing your solution — I challenge you to shift that mentality.
Understanding the root cause of skepticism will aid you in amplifying your
company’s climate story and ultimately bolster your impact. Your
climate-communication strategy holds the potential to fast-track climate
innovation, invite people to a conversation and propel forward a movement.
Embrace this opportunity to educate and build trust by aligning your message
with your values and contributing to a positive cultural commentary.
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Emma Kemp is Client Relations Senior Account Executive: Climate at Pace PR. She is a MIT Climate En-Roads Scholar and was named a 2023 Top Woman in PR by PRNews.
Published Jun 28, 2024 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST