July 25, 2025
In today’s race to solve the climate crisis, breakthrough technology isn’t enough: the winners are those who can translate science into story. Whether you’re a climate startup entering the market or a scaling clean tech company on the cusp of mainstream visibility, your ability to capture hearts, minds, and headlines will determine your trajectory.
As we’ve seen from Yulu’s work with bold innovators, a smart, well-executed climate tech media strategy can do more than generate buzz – it can catalyze partnerships, mobilize funding, and shape public understanding of what’s possible.
Here’s how to position your climate solution for maximum media impact.
1. Lead With the “Why,” Not the Widget
Too many clean tech founders lead with their product features. But for media and the public, what matters first is why your technology exists. What problem does it solve? What paradigm does it shift?
Take Carbon Engineering: Yulu helped position this Direct Air Capture (DAC) pioneer not as a science experiment, but as a scalable solution to draw down emissions at climate-relevant scale. Messaging focused on permanence, feasibility, and market readiness – sparking coverage in Forbes, Vice and The Atlantic.
Messaging Tip: Anchor your pitch in the scale of your impact. Are you removing gigatons of CO₂? Enabling regenerative agriculture? Decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors? Say that, first.
2. Educate With Purpose (and Personality)
When Yulu partnered with Lithos Carbon, the media had little familiarity with Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW). The communications challenge was clear: introduce a complex carbon removal approach while building trust across a diverse audience of buyers, farmers, and investors.
Yulu responded with a multi-pronged climate innovation PR strategy:
- Narrative development to frame ERW as permanent, scientifically validated, and agriculturally beneficial.
- On-the-ground storytelling with site visits for journalists, producing immersive video, photo, and broadcast coverage.
- Audience segmentation to tailor messaging for corporate buyers vs. farmers.
The result? Coverage in Fast Company, Reuters & Grist – positioning Lithos as the ERW category leader.
3. Visualize the Future You’re Building
Clean tech storytelling demands more than words. Your mission, methods, and milestones need to come alive visually – especially for media that rely on compelling assets to tell your story.
This was central to the success of Yulu’s campaign with Pachama, a climate tech startup using remote sensing and AI to protect and restore forests. Yulu paired technical credibility with vivid imagery – satellite maps, forest footage, founder portraits – that showcased both innovation and impact.
Pro tip: Always have high-res photography, explainer videos, and data visualizations ready. Better yet, offer journalists exclusive assets and early access.
4. Time Your News to the Climate Conversation
The climate news cycle is dynamic. Journalists are scanning for stories that align with major milestones – climate summits, UN reports, legislation, IPCC releases, and funding rounds. Your news needs to feel relevant to what’s happening now.
Yulu’s team has earned climate startup press for clients by strategically launching news during COP conferences, or riding the wave of federal climate funding announcements to drive media interest.
Watch for timing windows:
- Major policy updates (IRA, SEC climate disclosures, etc.)
- Climate finance news (e.g., Breakthrough Energy investments, carbon removal credits)
- Market shifts in renewable energy, carbon markets, and adaptation tech
Final Thought
Breakthrough solutions need breakthrough storytelling. Your technology can be revolutionary – but without a clear, credible, and compelling media strategy, it may never reach the audiences who need it most.
Yulu has helped bold innovators translate complex science into cultural relevance. Are you ready to make headlines and a difference? Let’s position your climate solution where it belongs: at the center of the conversation.
Let’s Work Together
Looking to elevate your climate tech or environmental innovation with a bold media strategy that sparks headlines and drives impact? Call or email us to set up a call at hello@yulupr.com or +1 604-558-1656. Let’s build something impactful together.