Follow The ABP Rule To Get Online Traction
Michael Grossman • October 21, 2025
When I was a political ad maker for candidates in the pre-Instagram/TikTok world, audience attention was gained primarily through TV ads, direct mail, and driving traffic to a website.
The money that drove key messages was spent wall-to-wall in a several-week pre-election sprint when voters were paying attention. Before that larger communication window, candidates vied for attention from a much smaller audience of donors, activists, and the local political press to shape the narrative of the campaign.
It was all very scripted and risk-averse. And it no longer applies in today’s attention economy.
Today, cleantech founders aren’t just fighting for attention against the equivalent of an opposing candidate. They’re competing with every candidate on the ballot, from the President down to the local school board. This is multiplied by two billion people getting their information from videos, newsletters, social media posts, podcasts, and niche media.
To compete in this landscape, cleantech companies need to follow the A.B.P. rules: Always Be Posting.
Too often, companies that don’t prioritize telling their story only pop their heads above the ground when they have an announcement, win an award, or attend a conference--the marketing equivalent of spitting in the ocean.
Algorithms don’t care about your award or who from your company attended a conference, so unless you’re promoting that social media post with a paid ad, it will only appear in the feeds of a limited number of people. That’s not a successful strategy for staying top-of-mind with potential funders, partners, accelerators, or trade media.
Algorithms, Like Humans, Like Attention
In our attention-driven economy, algorithms are like the bloodthirsty plant from the musical Little Shop of Horrors—you need to constantly feed it more if you want your following to grow.
Successful content creators will tell you that to compete in the digital attention world, there’s no penalty for quantity. To be clear, that’s not the same as posting slapdash on every medium. “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” may have swept the Academy Awards, but it doesn’t apply very well to cleantech content.
It’s better to dominate one or two platforms than blanket every digital channel. For B2B cleantech companies, YouTube and LinkedIn are your best bets. We recommend Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram if you’re building a clean energy project in a community or if you’re trying to generate grassroots support for legislation.
Video Content Wins
It’s not a secret that algorithms prioritize video content above all else, because video keeps people engaged on these platforms longer than written content, which, in turn, increases the stock price for their owners.
Written content is a necessary component of a cleantech company’s content strategy to build credibility, but it’s very time-consuming. Video can be more spontaneous and doesn’t need to be as polished. With a smartphone, even a novice can add some background music to set the mood or cancel out ambient noise.
There is little downside risk in creating unrefined video as part of your content strategy, especially if the alternative is not being seen at all. If you’re queasy about looking unprofessional, YouTube, a crowd-sourced platform, now commands more TV viewing time than Netflix and Disney+ combined.
Keys To A Successful Content Posting Strategy
Your company should be as methodical in creating an editorial calendar for posting content as it is in creating a business plan or a product launch.
Here are some best practices to follow to expand your audience reach:
• Schedule your posts for specific days of the week. Like Must See TV in the days of broadcast television, if your audience sees a regular post from you on a specific day of the week, they will come to associate that day with your content.
• The shorter the better. Instagram recently sent a memo to creators that the average time viewers spent looking at a video before continuing to scroll was down to seven seconds. Give your audience video content in bite-sized pieces rather than trying to cram your science into a single video.
• Bark like a seal. Yes, it’s demeaning to ask for applause, but the more likes you get on a post, the greater the chance the algorithms will show it to more viewers.
• Create value. Your company is not about your invention; it’s about the problem you solve for your audience. Try to see the value of your written and video posts through their lens.
• Be human. Show “behind the scenes” videos and a range of emotions. After the Theranos debacle, funders are wary of the “always on” founder who never has a doubt or a fear. Vulnerability isn’t a liability.
The hard part of content creation is deciding to make it a part of your routine. But, like exercising, the strength of your brand will improve when you make it a habit.
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