In an environmental campaign you’ll want to motivate the public to support the cause, invite supporters to take action, promote events, share updates, and generally be communicative! There may be different people in your team who take on different tasks, such as taking photos, or talking with the media. Whether it’s photos, emails, or social media posts, consider how to use the same content across different platforms.
Supporter emails
You can send a message to supporters any time through your Greenpeace Community petition. By staying in touch in a meaningful way you gain trust, and nurture the group of people who care about this issue ready for future action. Use the ‘Email supporters’ function to:
- share updates
- invite to online or offline events
- share creative content
- survey
- ask them to share an experience related to the issue
- ask for help, to volunteer, for ideas, to donate
- thank them for the support
- invite to your networks, social media channels or newsletter list
- announce a different phase, or a conclusion of some kind.
Images
Many issues are hard to picture, so explore ways to tell the campaign story that people can see. We live in a visual culture, and images connect to the heart of the problem, and the solutions. We are social creatures and respond best to images of other people (and kittens and puppies.
Take photos of offline events; find images of the effects of the problem, and find and share images of local solutions. What does it look like in your region? What does it mean for a real person? Tell a story through photos, graphics, memes and video.
People focused stories
Just as we respond to images of other people, we make sense of the world around us through stories. We are story-telling beings. Facts are important, but they are like soggy kale that no one needs. As a story, the same content is like salty deep fried kale chips that will make you popular at a party.
Share something of your own journey to how you come to care about this issue. What made a difference for you? Share a supporter story or what they are doing to make a difference. What’s the inspiration, the barrier, and the way we come together to make it through?
🎥. Check out the 350 story telling toolkit Why digital storytelling for engaging and accessible tips on how your group can tell the story of your issue.
Social media
While less popular for younger people, Facebook is still the place where the larger group of people share things. Use original photos and short high quality videos, share news items with a comment sharing your perspective.
A younger audience – good for building a following who connect with the values of the cause. Use high quality photos and short high quality videos, or make your own memes. Text can also work – insta tiles are up to 10 panels that tell a story in one post. Post once a day at most.
A platform to interact with politicians, journalists, activists – good for immediate updates from events. Post as much as you want.
Tips on communicating a campaign for change
- Keep it simple and be yourself
A regular conversation style is inclusive and responsive to where people are at. If I can convince my Aunty in Ōtaki to get onboard – I can convince anyone. Even politicians who are overloaded with policy documents will appreciate it. And better yet, my Aunty will use the same language to convince her friends. Thanks Aunty!
✍🏼 Use Hemingway to simplify written content.
- Communicate based on our values, to people as their best selves
Increasing research shows that people are persuaded not by lists of facts, as much as we like to believe, but by a combination of our values, beliefs, and social influences around us. As citizen campaigners we can find the messages, images and metaphors that speak to the values that bring out our best sides to take action, change behaviours, or update perspectives, for the environment.
📸 Check out this introduction to communicating for change from our friends at ActionStation.
- Keep it consistent.
Write down ten or so key points about the issue: the problem, the reason it’s important and urgent, the solution, the challenge, how we can change this together, and what the world will look and feel like once we’ve won.
Try out the messages with friends or through the campaign, adapt, and then repeat throughout the campaign, in all your social media, emails and media. An effective message is shareable – do your messages travel beyond you?