This is the era of the climate Instagram
A roundup of the climate conversation across social media this week
Welcome to Climate Monitor, a weekly, data-driven report on the digital strategies polluters and pro-Climate groups are using to shift public opinion and move legislation. Here’s what we found:
Toplines:
Big climate-focused accounts are having a GREAT year on Instagram… and we’re breaking down their growth and content strategies
Conservatives are going after the Biden administration on Facebook after two offshore wind projects in New Jersey were canceled
Occupy Democrats is reminding voters about the success of the Democrats’ Clean Energy Plan a year out from Election Day 2024
Sad news for foodies… it turns out that famed chef (and, one could argue, early influencer) Julia Child was in the pocket of Big Oil and Gas
Digital Advertising Roundup
Facebook + Instagram 👍
Unfortunately, due to Meta’s failure to update its ad transparency data for the last seven days, there is no Facebook and Instagram spending data this week.
Google & YouTube 🎞️
There were several noteworthy climate or energy advertisers archived by Google last week – most of these organizations have been running ads for several weeks. Maine Affordable Energy ($17,100) is continuing to run ads that tell Mainers to vote no on Question 3. The NextGen Climate Action Committee ($9,300), Virginia League of Conservation Voters ($19,400), and Clean Virginia ($11,800) are all running ads for pro-climate candidates in Virginia ahead of the 2023 elections (which happened this past Tuesday). Clean Jobs for Michigan ($11,500) is running video ads calling for Siting reform for farmers who want to use solar power. And finally, the American Petroleum Institute ($9,400) is also running ads in VA: they are warning Virginians that if they elect progressive candidates, they will be hit with electric vehicle mandates.
Snapchat 🤳
There were no new ad climate or energy campaigns archived by Snapchat this week.
🔦 Spotlight: This is the era of the climate Instagram
Last week, we wrote about the excellent strategy that @environment uses for their Instagram account (which has 827,000 followers and counting). And they are not the only ones who are deftly using IG to spread climate news and encourage action. It cannot be denied: we are in the era of the Climate Instagram.
We took a look at the growth rate of several of the most popular Instagram accounts that post specifically about climate and the impacts of climate change. The accounts we analyzed (several of which we’ve posted about in the past because of their top-performing content) are @cnnclimate, @nowthisearth, @environment, @livekindly, and @futureearth, which is affiliated with Climate Power. Here is what we found >>>
These major climate accounts were already very well-followed six months ago and they have seen a strong trend of growth since then, ranging from +10,000 followers to +400,000 followers. This is notable as it typically can be difficult for big accounts not to stagnate – but that doesn’t seem to be the case for any of these accounts, which is a testament to the appetite for climate content on IG.
Zooming in, we also took a look at the “grids” – which is what you see when you visit each of these account’s pages – of two of the accounts that experienced the most growth, @livekindly and @futureearth. Here’s what they look like >>>
In the same vein as what we discussed last week, there are some common elements that seem to make this content – and these accounts – so successful. The first element is climate news that people haven’t consumed elsewhere. The second is tying climate news to other interest areas like pop culture, sports, technology, and even holidays, which enables one to tap into other audiences. The third and final element is brightly colored and well-planned graphics (which makes content extra shareable and snackable). And a bonus lesson here – don’t be afraid of trying out a meme or two!
It should be noted that there are several smaller climate Instagram accounts – like @browngirlgreen, @sustainablebaddie_, @grist, and many others – that are also doing great work and amassing strong audiences on IG. All in all, if you or your organization are thinking about making a climate-related Instagram… this is your sign.
What’s Trending on Social Media
How are climate and energy issues being discussed by Americans on social media? Every week, we conduct a robust keyword search using CrowdTangle for general terms like “climate change,” “global warming,” “fossil fuels,” and over 40 more specific topics (like “electric vehicles,” “gas stoves” and “pipelines”). Here were the 10 top-performing public posts (by # of interactions) related to climate and energy on Facebook last week:
Last week, over 12,300 public Facebook posts mentioned climate or energy issues, and they earned a cumulative 766,400 interactions.
Over on the Right, several prominent conservative accounts, including Jesse Waters and Fox News, attacked the Biden administration after two offshore wind projects in New Jersey were canceled.
And over on the Left, Occupy Democrats had a reminder for voters about Democrats’ Clean Energy plan a year out from Election Day 2024. And if you haven’t seen the Clean Energy plan website, definitely check it out >>>
And finally, conservative comedian Terrence K. Williams posted whatever this is…
Here were the top-performing feed posts (excluding Reels and Stories) related to climate and energy on Instagram last week:
Last week, over 10,000 public Instagram feed posts mentioned climate or energy issues, and they earned a cumulative 10.7 million interactions.
The top three climate-related posts on Instagram this past week (in order) came from @environment about Kim Kardashian’s new product and the ~interesting~ ad campaign built around it, @cnnclimate about the new “SINK / RISE” photography project, and @insidenews about Earth’s climate change “black box.”
Weekly Reading
Want to go deeper? Here’s a quick roundup of news from the past week at the intersection of climate, digital strategy, and advocacy.
P.S. Are you signed up for Climate Nexus’ daily newsletter, Hot News? It’s a one-stop shop for everything you need to know in the climate and environmental policy space. Subscribe here>>
Climate data saves lives… but most nations don’t have access to it (Grist, 11/6)
Here is where each of the GOP presidential candidates stand on climate change (NPR, 11/8)
Sad news for foodies… it has been revealed that famed chef Julia Child was sponsored by the Big Gas lobby (Vox, 11/4)
That’s it for this week! If you enjoyed reading this week’s issue, feel free to forward it to a friend or colleague.
Climate Monitor is a product of the Digital Climate Coalition + FWIW Media. Tips/comments/questions? Email lucy@fwiwmedia.com