We energy professionals spend most of our time talking to each other. But, more than ever, climate change and the energy transition are headline news. That’s not just in the mainstream media but also within our industry journals and the policy-maker press. So, we need to understand how the media works. More specifically for many, we need to know how to handle our PR providers. Sean Crowley says it’s up to us to work more effectively with the media’s existing methods. When we get it right, it’s a win-win. He summarises what those methods are, and how to shape campaigns – small or large – to get our stories noticed and start embedding them into the media in ways that have impact and that the readers and viewers will understand. Creating your own campaign or choosing a PR agency is difficult. This article can help you. [Promoted content]

# Sean Crowley is offering media training and consultancy. You can contact him directly by clicking here.

Never mind the pandemic, it’s climate change that’s the defining issue of our times with impact that is global in scope and unprecedented in scale. The ongoing series of catastrophic weather events combined with the rapid energy transition, particularly in Europe and the US, has decisively jolted public and political interest. More people across the globe, particularly the young, are joining demonstrations and strikes led by leaders like Greta Thunberg.

According to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2020, climate change really matters to most people. On average, across all markets, around 69% of respondents stated that they consider climate change to be an extremely or very serious problem.

Much of this awareness has been driven by the media, both traditional and social. The same Reuters survey found that television remains the dominant medium for news on climate change, with online and social media platforms also important, particularly for young people. Some news organisations have devoted more resources and editorial priority to climate change and the energy transition and there have been joint media initiatives including Covering Climate Now which involves 400 media outlets.

How to get noticed

So how do you go about capitalising on this heightened global awareness to get your company or organisation heard, understood and hopefully, supported? The media in all its forms is a powerful tool in your efforts. In theory, media organisations are interested in what you’re up to, but be very clear that there needs to be a substantive story that is worth reporting on if you really want to get noticed. A company board shuffle? That’s boring…A stakeholder meeting to discuss a new strategy document? Big yawn. So, what are reporters looking for? What would motivate them to cover your product launch or new publication?

Reporters are obviously motivated by the new, the interesting and the different…but any newsroom worth its salt will also focus on global or regional trends that are impacting on their audiences. The shift towards clean energies and solutions away from fossil fuels offers a plethora of stories, economic, political, social, cultural, the list is endless.

Do something different

The essence of all news is change – a change in government, a change in the climate, a change in how we generate and consume energy. The changes and their knock-on effects don’t please everybody: there are winners and losers when a society and its economy undergo such sweeping reconstruction. But it is this very tension and conflict that often lies at the heart of engaging journalism. I would predict that the ongoing energy transition story in Europe is likely to be a newsroom mainstay for at least the next decade.

Clearly define your messages

Knowing what you want to get across to an audience is a critical element in promoting yourself and your organisation. Preparing three short core messages means you know what you want to say, and don’t have to rely on being asked the right questions. Providing the media with a focused narrative, essential background material, relevant data, good quotes or soundbites from key players in a timely and professional manner all go a long way to improved reporting and ultimately enhanced audience understanding.

Small and large campaigns

In preparing to engage with the media, you might consider using some or all of the following elements, starting with the lowest investment (in time and money) and moving towards the high investment, high risk, high return campaigns at the end: advertisements, videos, social media posts, blogs, op-eds, media packages (more below on these) and news conferences.

The multimedia era

In the multimedia era, the standard press release is dead. You won’t get the attention of a major publication’s energy desk unless you provide the reporters with a media package consisting of bullet points, useable quotes, an audio clip including a soundbite, two or three high resolution photos and links to more of the same, basic data and perhaps some video material. From this, a series of reports can be produced that will carry the story forward, possibly resulting in more than one story in the same publication. You will feature both online (text, audio, photos and video) and in print.

Complex stories

But there’s a problem. Often the complexity of the topic and the lack of time or understanding make journalists vulnerable to PR from both the fossil fuel and clean energy sectors. Instead of balance, depth and perspective the output resembles a poorly researched puff piece that often misleads and confuses the reader, viewer or listener. This is a challenge at such an important juncture when an informed populace is critical to enable effective community participation in the myriad of changes directly impacting people’s lives.

Reporting on Europe’s changing approach to energy can be challenging for even the most seasoned journalist. Government institutions, NGOs and researchers publish a vast number of studies, reports, data sets and analyses every year. Focusing in on the relevant information to create a properly sourced story can be tricky.

Timing your campaign

Organisations like Clean Energy Wire (CLEW) based in Berlin provide media support in the form of chronological factsheets to help navigate the key recurring publications that provide a wealth of relevant information that is often the starting point for reporters’ research. When initiating discussions with a journalist over a potential story, drawing their attention to such valuable resources could be the difference between the story getting written up or not.

What’s hot

So which specific energy themes are currently creating a buzz with journalists? CLEW’s Editor in Chief, Sven Egenter, has some guidance. “Solutions to the intermittency of renewable sources, such as storage still get a lot of interest. Recently, carbon removal technologies have become a talking point. High-tech solutions to difficult issues in industries like steel making or cement draw a lot of interest still. And the hydrogen hype seems far from over,” he said. Industry-specific journals will have their own priorities, too. You need to get to know them.

What’s not

The days of corporate statements on climate and energy making news are probably numbered, Sven notes. “For many journalists, the challenge now is to separate credible new business models that truly focus on cutting emissions effectively from an ever-growing number of climate neutrality pledges that at best lack a credible plan or at worst are simply greenwash and counter-productive,” he said.

Planting the seed

What’s your first move? Ever wondered why rival TV stations often have exactly the same pictures of a news event? Or why competing newspapers can have exactly the same story in exactly the same words? That’s because the media industry is dominated internationally by a handful of organisations which wholesale news to the world.

In the TV world they are Reuters Television (RTV) and Associated Press Television News (APTN). In the print media they are Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France Presse and, increasingly, Xinhua.

Your first contact is their local journalist: leading news retailers tend to have a bureau in European major capitals. These centres monitor all the local media, including TV, radio and print media. If you follow the advice above and have a strong story, there’s a good chance it will be picked up by the news wholesalers.

Do get to know your local journalists. Meet up with them for a coffee, invite them to visit your company to look round. Use the occasion to give them an informal briefing. Organise field trips and have handouts and fact sheets ready for them. They are the first link in a media chain that can get your story heard, even by millions all over the world.

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Sean Crowley worked for the BBC, the UN and the ADB and offers media training and consultancy. You can contact him directly by clicking here.