Ella Account Executive 29 May, 2025 • Reading time: 10 minutes Cutting through the noise at COP30 COP is the biggest climate event of the year – and the stakes have never been higher. Find out how can you design a digital comms strategy that stands out. Digital Strategy
The Empower team have attended or supported teams at every COP since Paris, so we know how to create digital communications campaigns that land. With just over five months to go until COP30, we’ve been reflecting on some key lessons learnt, applicable to environmental nonprofits navigating this critical moment. Keep reading to elevate your digital comms strategy ahead of COP in November. Address the window of influence pre-COP By the time that COP begins in Belém, the window of influence for policy decisions is largely over, as countries and groups arrive with their Nationally Determined Contributions, policies and standpoints already set. Any strategy aiming to influence policy outcomes at COP must focus earlier in the year, at many small and large sectoral and policy moments, including the G7, London Climate Action Week, and Climate Week NYC. COP itself is still an incredibly important moment, and excellent communications is vital. Each COP sets the tone for the coming year, generating the outcomes, atmosphere and momentum around the policy window of influence that reopens almost immediately. Nonetheless, you’ll want to lay the groundwork for your COP narrative in the lead up to the event, to make sure your partners and supporters are clear on your organisational mission and key messages.
Set a clear goal for your COP comms activity For lots of organisations, COP is the most significant event of the year, and they will be making big announcements to match. As well as governments and businesses, there will be a range of civil society groups running stunts and takeovers around the COP venue and online. Amidst all this competition, it’s worth establishing a clear goal for what you want to achieve at COP – including asking yourself if you have the resources to truly make the most of the moment, or if it’s better holding back your campaigns for other times when the climate community is less active. “ Establish a clear goal for what you want to achieve at COP – including asking yourself if you have the resources to truly make the most of the moment, or if it’s better holding back your campaigns for other times when the climate community is less active.
Establish comms partners Collaboration is key. If you’re working on a cause that is helping to address the climate crisis, it’s highly likely that there are a whole range of allies working on tackling the same issue. Make sure you establish comms partners who can help amplify your messages, and vice versa. Check with your peers that your digital comms activity is complementing each other’s content rather than competing, so that you’re not cancelling each other out. As a specialist sustainability communications agency, we have an established digital comms partner network, having worked with climate change organisations including the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Business for Nature, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, the FAIRR Initiative, and Global Commons Alliance. Want to join them? Contact the Empower team to start your sustainable comms project.
Business for Nature's digital strategy with a difference How Empower built a long term partnership with Business for Nature, becoming a key strategic partner. Read the case study.
Showcase spokespeople apart from senior leaders Given LinkedIn’s emphasis on thought leadership and expertise, it’s expected that you will leverage your CEOs or other senior leaders as key spokespeople during COP – and that’s a great place to start. However, involving people from across your organisation can also help to boost engagement, and presents a valuable opportunity to diversify the voices we hear from on climate. A thought-provoking post from a specialist in your team may be far more valuable than a slick but impersonal video. Remember: amidst saturated feeds and the influx of AI-generated content, authenticity and transparency pay off. Use paid media to amplify reach With a larger volume of environmentally-focussed content around COP being published, you’ll need to use paid media to give your content the best chance of being seen by the audiences you want to reach. This is especially true as organic reach continues to decline across social platforms. Although your paid media activations should be live throughout the year, it’s wise to raise your budgets for any flagship digital campaigns you’ll run during the event. LinkedIn is a natural channel to run paid ads around COP, but should be activated with tight criteria around lead generation given the cost to run ads on the platform. You can also take advantage of the targeting opportunities offered by paid media, including geotargeting, demographics, job titles and seniority on LinkedIn, to make sure you’re targeting the right audiences. Be cautious of climate fatigue A lot of the news around the climate crisis can be exhausting, with constant negative headlines and reminders of an uncertain, pressing situation that we as individuals can feel hopeless towards. To keep people engaged, you’ll want to plan your digital comms activity for after the event, ensuring that you remain focussed on inspiring hope and action – without wearing out your audience. In the current political climate, it’s all the more important to consider how you continue the momentum after COP. Ready to streamline your digital comms strategy ahead of COP30? Get in touch with the Empower team. Contact the Empower team
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