Why words matter: key learnings from ACT Persuadables research

It's not what you say. It's how you say it.

The challenge of communicating climate action has nothing to do with getting climate science right or explaining why it’s important. The challenge is to put it in words that people will resonate with, to increase interest and engagement. 

Especially if your audience are Persuadables, the 69% of people in the UK who know climate change is happening but aren't engaged. They are the 69% who have the power to make climate action mainstream.

So why haven't Persuadables got involved?

Because they think the topic is for people “not like them”, instead, they imagine people coming from a very different social and cultural context pushing for climate action.

Meanwhile, polluters are making the most of this divide by spreading misinformation that uses plain language and cues Persuadables understand.

We know climate language turns people away. That's why we focused on language and culture in our second year of researching the Persuadables. In this post you'll learn:

About the research: Where and how we delved deeper into the Persuadables.

Our audience: Who are the Persuadables? And what do they think about climate communications?

Three key takeaways: How you can reach Persuadables in your advertising.