How to Reach New Climate Audiences

This interactive report answers why climate communications hasn’t delivered on the promise of engaging the masses, who has been left out of the conversation, and how to reach people more effectively.

Contents

Introduction

Climate messaging has a distribution problem. We need new tools for a new era of climate communications. Always put the audience first. A lot of climate content is only reaching existing supporters. That’s because it doesn’t align with the values of audiences outside the progressive base, and because it’s delivered via news, which many audiences just aren’t consuming.

This interactive guide, How to Reach New Climate Audiences, by Harmony Labs (in partnership with Earth Alliance) dives deep into audiences based on what they value, the media they engage with, the voices that speak to them, how they relate to climate, and the storytelling approaches that resonate.

This research invites climate communicators to start with audience values (based on Schwartz’s Theory of Basic Human Values) and engage people where they are, organically and authentically, in addition to relying on traditional messaging strategy or approaches.

The techniques they use to think about reaching audiences are useful to any issue area.

01 TL;DR
02 Background
03 A New Audience Map
04 The Opportunity
05 Climate & Cultural Profiles
06 Storytelling Tips
07 Key Takeaways
08 Methods & Acknowledgements

Summary

Climate messaging has a distribution problem
A lot of climate content is only reaching existing supporters. That’s because it doesn’t align with the values of audiences outside the progressive base, and because it’s delivered via news, which many audiences just aren’t consuming.
New Tools for a new era of Climate Communications
This report dives deep into a map of audiences based on what they value, the media they engage with, the voices that speak to them, how they relate to climate, and the storytelling approaches that resonate.
Audience-first FTW; RIP Message-first Approach
This research invites climate communicators to start with audience values and engage people where they are, organically and authentically, in addition to relying on traditional messaging strategy or approaches.

Excerpts

Here is a sneak peek into this interactive guide.

Take the Quiz to find out what Audience you are

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How to Reach New Climate Audiences

About Authors

Harmony Labs
Harmony Labs researches and reshapes society’s relationship with media, using science, data, and creativity. For more than a decade, our work has helped storytellers and strategists, decision makers and dreamers, harness the immense power of media to shape a positive, pluralistic future. Learn more about our media research lab here.

Earth Alliance
Earth Alliance works at the intersection of climate and creativity to inspire action. We collaborate with diverse networks of people and organizations to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis. Therefore, we are deeply committed to understanding how to move culture towards climate positive behaviors and beliefs. Learn more here.