Want Climate Media Coverage? Meet Them Where They Are

When members of the media talk about how they approach readers, they usually say “we want to meet people where they are.” With that as the cue, climate leaders have a huge opportunity to more intentionally meet their ideal media “where they are,” too. 

What I have realized since my podcast launched earlier this year is what so many journalists have long experienced: lots of people just want to be interviewed, even if the topic or outlet is not a strategic fit. That adds up to a lot of wasted time for all involved.

With my years of experience with both sides - being someone aiming to get media coverage for myself /my clients and being someone who has gotten to know the climate media a bit - I knew there had to be a better way.

There is.

To meet the media you seek “where they are”, think about:

• Who they really are. Think about the top five journalists you read avidly and would dream of being a source for. I urge you to think bigger than the obvious climate tech podcasts or verticals. When you aim high your result is always better than aiming attainable. And, BRIDGE your niche solution to the bigger picture sectors and issues that interest larger audiences.  
• Where they are online. The most likely platform for media has long been Twitter/X but… And, now, depending on the particular journalist, they are on a range of platforms (possibly lingering on Twitter/X, and some are even on LinkedIn these days). You can also think about which conferences they’ll be attending, and so on. A bit of research needs to be done, but it’s worth it.
• Get to know them. Watch, read and/or listen to their body of work. Get a feel for what they cover and the angles they take, so you can understand how to support them and ultimately “be where they are” for future reference.

If you’d like to learn the details and apply this to your own leadership presence, let’s work together.

The broad idea is to warm the relationships far in advance of when you might have a particular announcement or activation moment. It’s about shrinking your list of journalists and seeing your own stories in phases or smaller slices. For example, when your business really wants to impress funders, that’s a different phase than when your company needs to increase the consumer awareness of it’s solution. If you have a solution that serves a wide range of sectors, niche down for the biggest impact.

I could go on.

The point is that this approach is far from a numbers game. It is much more strategic and nuanced. It definitely takes more front-end work because it’s about intentionally becoming more visible and media-accessible, toward truly “being seen as a leader” in the climate space.

Worth note: Journalists are looking for better stories and more unexpected messengers or surprising validators to interview. If you’ve positioned yourself this way over time, there’s a great chance that your ideal media will see you/your company aligning with their need for fresh COP 28 angles, for example.

Remember, first, you have to be seen at all by the media.

It’s a longer term game than you’d otherwise think, and it often doesn’t have anything to do with your press list or press release. This strategy provides the very best return on investment. And, this is how you start to build climate influence.

News to Use

RE: Climate and Democracy. A 2022 article on the Climate and Energy Funders Group approach, by Paige Brown, via Center for Effective Philanthropy

CEFG has identified democracy as a core pillar to achieving an effective and fair climate policy. We must strengthen and defend our democracy to effectively and fairly combat climate change and overcome the political power of the fossil fuel industry. It is hard to imagine an issue in philanthropy untouched by the assault on democracy. Antidemocratic forces seek to close the door to the will of the majority, elevate misinformation, and actively seek to exclude people of color from the voting booth. This assault threatens a bedrock value and our ability to make progress across a host of issues.

My context/takeaway: This article makes the case for better understanding and helping (funding) leaders, nonprofits and all entities working on climate to build their climate influence. There’s big room for philanthropy to catalyze efforts and more wisely support the storytelling and media savvy of those leaders already out there doing this work. We’ve got the science. We’ve got binders of leading voices. Let’s strategically select a few more to amplify much better.

RE: Politicians and walking the talk. Conan O’Brien interviews Rahm Emanuel for his podcast . In it, Ambassador Emanuel drops a major diplomatic and political insight: drop the gigantic black SUVs and the ducking in and out of buildings and instead take the train and be seen walking.

My context/takeaway: There is constituent trust-building gold and social/political capital-building gold here. This is so key for leaders to understand about how to build climate influence (and something that comes up a lot in my conversations with political leaders for Living Change podcast). Be seen leading from your own climate values in whatever way is authentic. Emanuel is a loud, brash Chicagoan who is very used to taking trains and walking. So, that is his authentic go-to for diplomacy. Imagine if more local, state and national leaders were seen doing that in the U.S.? The cheers, the positive media coverage, the… climate influence.

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Thanks *so much* for reading/sharing/subscribing. Please comment or message me with questions on building climate influence. I may cover your suggested topics in a future issue. In the meantime, feel free to follow me on LinkedIn or BlueSky in the meantime (I also linger on “X”.)