Bluesky has Blue Ocean Potential for Climate Tech Marketers

Despite being owned by the world’s most successful electric car maker, X is, to put it mildly, not the best platform to use for climate tech marketing these days. Between the increasingly conservative userbase and an opaque algorithm that deprioritizes non-verified posts, there’s an obvious need for an alternative. Which is what makes Bluesky’s rapid growth such an intriguing opportunity.

At first glance, the upstart social network seems insignificant, lacking both the name recognition of X or the impressive scale of Meta’s Threads. On closer examination, however, it’s an ideal environment for both climate tech brands and marketers. To understand why, we need to zoom in further and look at some unique features of the platform’s structure and user base. 

Escape from the Algorithm

There’s a reason people keep comparing Bluesky to the early days of Twitter—the feed is strictly chronological and populated with nothing but posts and reposts from the users you’ve followed. This has two key advantages for marketers. First and foremost, it frees you from algorithmic whims that can destroy your reach at the drop of a hat. That means you can keep posts aligned with your content strategy or brand guidelines without needing to chase recently prioritized formats or topics. Your posts show up in your followers’ feeds, no matter what.

Of course, you’ll still need to build an audience. Fortunately, the lack of algorithmic filtering and the platform’s relatively small scale makes that much easier on Bluesky than its competitors. If you’re not seeing the follower growth or engagement you want, troubleshooting is fairly straightforward—you need to change some combination of when you post, what you’re posting, and how often you post it. Poor results mean what you’re doing isn’t resonating with your audience, not that you haven’t hit the specific combination of keywords and post length that appeals to a computer program. The clarity is refreshing.

The Right Kind of Crowded

Perhaps even more importantly if you’re trying to grow your network or audience, there is simply less competition on Bluesky than its rival platforms. With 26 million users, Bluesky is about half the size of X and a full order of magnitude smaller than the 275 million-strong Threads. Being in a smaller crowd makes it easier to stand out.

There’s an obvious rejoinder to this, of course. Isn’t having a high profile on Bluesky just being a big fish in a small pond? It’s a fair critique, but this particular pool has quite a few sharks for its size. The Bluesky userbase is full of early adopters and thought leaders, with a solid progressive skew. 

There’s a vibrant community of climate scientists, climate tech professionals, and movement activists, with regular discussion of new ideas and innovations. Add in a healthy population of journalists covering the category and it’s clear that the supposedly tiny pond is more like a deep lake, stocked with lunkers. Go ahead and dive in – Bluesky has another smart design feature that makes sure the water’s just right.

The trick is to find the right starter pack. There are multiple user-curated lists of accounts that make it easy to ensure you log on for the first time to a skyline that’s full of interesting people. In fact, why not get started with this Tofu-approved collection of climate and climate tech specialists? Check out our starter pack here.