An interview with climate tech writer Amelia Zimmerman

One thing I learned early in my freelancer experience is that service providers of all stripes need a community to succeed. Being aggressively competitive may win you some business in the short run, but it will never trump the power of cultivating a network of like-minded individuals who can serve as friends, mentors, or a source of business referrals. 

I myself have found such a community in Evergreen Writers, a Slack group created by ESG and sustainability writer Amelia Zimmerman. Since meeting Amelia a few months ago, I was happy to have the chance to circle back and get to know her better. She shared about how to combine tried and true B2B marketing skills with the new field of sustainability and how she had to choose a niche to effectively brand herself and gain clients.  

How did you find your way in writing about sustainability? 

“I started writing about environmental management/sustainability outside of my 9-5. It started as a passion project and I think the enthusiasm really showed through. Eventually I realized my background in advertising copywriting and startup marketing could be an asset to climate tech companies looking to articulate their value.”

What unique skill sets do you bring to the climate writing space, and how are they helping your clients?  

“Two things — the first is my background in startup marketing, which gave me a really good grasp of the entire marketing mechanism and means I’m always creating content in the context of ‘where does this fit in the buying journey?’

Second thing is my ability to synthesize complex topics into memorable takeaways. My content reaches B2B audiences but in the field of sustainability; many B2B readers are highly skilled in their own fields but often new to decarbonization. I try to employ jargon strategically to acknowledge their expertise with existing corporate functions but introduce sustainability concepts in a way that’s easy to understand.”

“Many B2B readers are highly skilled in their own fields but often new to decarbonization. I try to employ jargon strategically to acknowledge their expertise with existing corporate functions but introduce sustainability concepts in a way that’s easy to understand.”

Which areas of sustainability would you say you are most interested and / or experienced in?

“Carbon markets — I think carbon projects are drastically underfunded because they’re so misunderstood.

Climate tech — I love that smart people are leveraging science and technology to maximize nature-based solutions and create brand new tech-based solutions.

Carbon accounting — I think this is a fundamental skill for corporates moving forward and am loving seeing it made more accessible.

Climate risk — corporates need to see the writing on the wall. Whether they believe in it or not, climate is the next big force that will change global markets.”

Did you make any mistakes in your climate freelancer journey that you would suggest newcomers to avoid? 

“Not making my niche public earlier. I was scared to narrow down my options, but until I branded myself in this way, I couldn’t attract my target clients.”

Shout out what services you’d like to highlight or what projects you’ve got going on.

“I’m starting a side project over at chiefsustainabilityofficer.substack.com, Launch date TBD.”

You can connect with Amelia over LinkedIn and check out her website.

For green freelance writers interested in joining Evergreen Writers, you can DM Amelia on her LinkedIn. 

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