ACTION PLAYBOOK
Pitch the Media
Push for coverage of the climate crisis that is fair, accurate, and inspires action.
Step 1: Choose your reporters
Make a list of media people you read, follow, watch, or listen to. These can be all-around reporters in your local area, climate-specific reporters at the national or regional level, or even well-researched climate content creators.
Ideas:
local TV news anchors
Staff journalists at your local paper (print or online).
reporters on the climate/environment beat (meaning their stories are primarily on that topic) at large national publications
climate bloggers
essayists and opinion contributors
newsletter authors
podcasters
social media creators who primarily cover climate change
Pro tip: Keep your outreach local to increase your success rate, since there’s much more competition for national media attention. And while it deserves national attention, climate change is also a hyper-localized issue with different effects on different populations.
Step 2: Compile contact information
Look for an email, social media handle, phone number, etc. associated with their content or profile page. Often, you can figure out the email format for a specific news outlet by searching Google for other email addresses at the outlet and then plugging in the reporter’s name or initials into that format. Most content creators are accessible via social media DMs or public tags, such as on X, so if you can’t find their email address, feel free to send your whole letter via DM.
Step 3: Write your letter
Personalized emails are attention-grabbing and journalists want to know what’s on their readers’ minds!
Use the issue-specific writing guides below to craft an email to your favorite journalists or content creators.
Tips & reminders:
Bcc advocacy@climatechangemakers.org to help track our collective impact.
Customize the sections in brackets - or more if you’re up for it!
Be kind. reporters are often beholden to their editors.. It’s possible they wish they could cover climate more! Consider adding a sentence like, “Please feel free to forward my email up the chain so your team hears from viewers like me directly.”
Stand out in their inbox. The subject line of an email or the first sentence of social media outreach is critical for catching the attention of the reporter/content creator. Use punchy words or reference major ongoing news stories.
4. Tag the reporter or media outlet on social media
Now, choose one or more social media platforms where you can tag the reporter. Adapt the message you wrote in Step 3 to the correct length and for a public audience, then use the social media handles you found in Step 1 to tag the reporter/creator.
Journalists are actually quite accessible online. They rely on social media to monitor their beat, connect with sources, receive tips and pitches, and build their organization’s profile. Social media is often as effective for reaching reporters as email, and you never know who else you inspire with your post, too.
And that’s it, playbook complete! Feel accomplished.
Thank you for taking action.
🎉 CUE CONFETTI by clicking COMPLETE! 🎉
Want more action?
Go to the current Action Plan
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