Green Energy PR: Cutting Through the Hype and Clutter

The green energy industry is at a critical juncture. On the one hand you have a myriad of U.S. and international incentives helping to drive industry growth, including investment and production tax credits , carbon taxes, greenhouse gas cap and trade legislation, and loan guarantees. On the other hand you have government budget crises combined with tightening credit and venture capital markets. These developments have led to an intense focus on the green energy industry among media and government audiences. So how do innovative, entrepreneurial companies navigate the noise in the face of dozens of competing approaches? By turning to a green energy PR specialist… Nascent green energy companies have found that green energy PR specialists possess the expertise to break through the clutter and media hype to help drive sales leads, increase brand awareness with key audiences, secure investment and government funding, influence the passage or defeat of influential legislation and boost company valuation. An important tool used by many green energy PR specialists is social media. Green energy PR pros often have an easier time in spreading their message online as opposed to their corporate energy counterparts because people are more willing to spend time and effort in reading about a cause that is important to them. In many cases, individuals who have a passion for green energy will help green energy PR advocates in spreading their message. They will not however, want to spread the spin that many large, multi- national energy corporations will try to pass off as a self sufficient and self sustaining movement on social media websites. People are pretty smart, and they know “greenwash” when they see it. This is why green energy PR advocates have an easier time on the web. rnIn addition to the use of social media, green energy PR pros will utilize the mainstream media. This is done to legitimize themselves in the public eye, where perception often accounts for a large percentage of the success or failure of a particular green energy PR initiative. If a particular green energy PR initiative is seen in a positive light, then it will be much more likely to work out in the long run. It is much more difficult for green energy PR initiatives to get off the ground if they are seen as too hostile or holier than thou. The only way for a green energy PR initiative to work is if the message is displayed in concise and efficient manner. The tone of a green energy PR initiative is also important because if a particular message comes across as preachy, then it won't be successful it will only be seen as preaching to the converted.