What does it take to make a climate tech company stand out in a crowded media landscape?

In our new series, we speak to our Life Sizers to hear their insights and perspectives on all things PR, pitch decks, branding and marketing.

First up is Sam. Since joining the team in 2024, she has built solid relationships with key journalists in top-tier media and crafted impressive stories for startups that have landed quality coverage across Europe.

Her storytelling got energy VC SET Ventures’s fourth fund close into TechCrunch and Pionix’s complex open-source EV charging technology into Forbes. She landed an in-depth interview in Bloomberg for Kempower’s then-CEO, Tomi Ristimäki, and has contributed to over 200 pieces of annual quality coverage for the company, among many other PR successes.

Sam shares her secrets on how to level up your PR strategy…

What is one ‘invisible’ skill – that may not be obvious or something that you can list on a CV – that you’ve developed and that is critical to being an expert in PR?

I’d say one invisible skill is building relationships with journalists that feel genuine and not transactional. It can be easy for it to come across like you’re using journalists purely as a distribution channel if you’re reaching out with stories and ideas in a way that feels entitled, rather than collaborative.

In PR, the best results and relations with journalists are achieved when you take the time to understand their priorities and show genuine interest. Our pitches should offer something that supports their work – commentary, insights and stories that interest their audience and expand on their reporting focus. Our work together should be respectful of their role, avoiding trying to edit their work or take control of their timelines.

What have you read recently that has helped you with client work?

I subscribe to a newsletter from Michael Smart, a PR expert who now runs a company that supports other PR professionals in levelling up their work.

A recent edition was about pitch length – something that is often talked about in the industry, with the consensus usually being ‘shorter is better’. However, he offered a slightly different perspective, which was that your pitch should be as long as it takes to persuade the journalist without them switching off – or, in simpler terms, longer pitches can work as long as you don’t ramble.

This advice helped me when pitching a range of journalists for a robotics client. For the business and startup journalists without specific tech or robotics expertise, I kept the pitch shorter and avoided going into too much technical detail. But, for those specific trade journalists who are well-versed in this kind of technology, I peppered in some of the technical USPs that I knew would stand out for them and keep them reading.

I thought it was a refreshing take and helped me to tailor my pitches more effectively.

Which one piece of advice would you offer a climate tech startup that’s ready to start building a PR strategy today?

I would tell any climate tech startup that trade publications and channels are your friend.

The opportunity to gain coverage in mainstream publications is indeed exciting (and always possible with a strong story) but a solid strategy is to invest a good portion of time into earning trade media coverage over time. These are the publications that will publish your regular company news, interviews and guest articles much more frequently than mainstream titles, and it helps to build up a credible media presence which tracks your progress.

From a PR perspective, this process of building your media presence in trade publications will gradually increase your chances of landing that mainstream coverage. Top-tier journalists want to report on credible businesses that are actually making the big moves they say they are, and third-party validation from trade media outlets is a powerful way to position yourself as one.
And from a commercial perspective, these are the publications your customers are reading, so coverage here can also lead directly to business enquiries and partnerships.

That’s why we always apply a blended approach to our media strategies at Life Size, which aim toward a healthy mixture of mainstream and trade coverage.

Is it time to build a PR strategy that gets you the coverage you deserve? Speak to Sam to discover how we can help you reach your commercial goals through strategic communications.