pressure points: how to pick the right target for your campaign
Every problem has people who can fix it and people who fund, insure or cover it. Name them, pick the pressure angle each one feels, and hit them where they already listen.
"Stop deforestation" isn't a target. It's a wish. Somewhere, a named person signs the permit, approves the loan, insures the project or writes the story. Those people are your pressure points, and they're far more reachable than you'd think.
Here's how to find them, and how to hit each one where it hurts (politely).
the TL;DR
A target is someone who can say yes, or someone the decision-maker can't afford to lose. The best campaigns don't pick one. They map several and open a new front every time one goes quiet.
the pressure points table
| target | what they feel | best way to help | copy that works |
|---|---|---|---|
| government (ministers, MPs, senators, councils) | constituent voice, votes, deadlines | email to a named official, phone call to their office | "Tell [Minister]: vote NO on [bill]. Your constituents are watching." |
| corporation (CEOs, brands) | reputation, customers, share price | email to the CEO or head of sustainability, plus a comment on their latest post | "Tell [CEO]: pull [brand] out of [project]. Public pressure is building." |
| bank or investor | financial risk, peers moving first | email to the head of ESG or sustainable finance | "Email [bank]: stop financing [project]. Your competitors already moved." |
| insurer | risk they can't price, headlines | email to the underwriting or sustainability lead | "Tell [insurer]: don't insure [project]. It's a liability, not a policy." |
| media | a story nobody else has | email to a named reporter or editor | "Tell [journalist]: investigate who's funding [project]. The paper trail is public." |
| the public | identity, community, fear of missing out | survey, social comment, external link | "Answer this: should [city] let [project] use our water?" |
how to map your targets in 20 minutes
- Write the decision in one sentence. "Stratos gets its water rights approved." "Iceland renews the whaling licence."
- List who signs it off. Agencies, councils, ministers, committees. Their websites list names and contact details.
- List who pays for it. Banks, investors, funders. Check press releases, annual reports and investigative coverage.
- List who protects it. Insurers, lawyers, lobbyists, PR agencies.
- List who profits from it. Customers, suppliers, retail partners, tourism brands.
- List who covers it. Journalists and outlets that have written about it, and those who haven't but should.
- Circle three. Pick the ones with a real decision coming up and a contact you can actually reach. Those are your first ways to help.
find a name, not a department
A named person beats an organisation every time. "Email the Head of Sustainability at [bank]" gets read. "Email info@" gets archived.
Where to look:
- official government and parliament directories (most list email and office phone numbers)
- the "leadership" or "board" page on a company's website
- LinkedIn, for titles like "head of ESG" or "head of sustainable finance"
- the byline on the last article about the issue
- your own community: someone always knows someone
how the pros stack pressure
Stratos: 8 pressure points in five weeks
Caroline Gleich didn't just email one official. With chilli, she ran 38 targeted actions across 8 pressure points, from legislators to investors, insurers and media. Supporters emailed county officials, Utah water authorities, the military development authority behind the project, state auditors, congressional offices, insurers, brokers and possible Big Tech customers. The result: a public backlash that helped push a 75% scale-down, from 40,000 acres to around 10,000.
real win · Caroline GleichHow Caroline Gleich made Stratos a national fight
krill: seven fronts, eight creators
The krill campaign pushed governments, retailers, certifiers, insurers, investors, embassies and public opinion at once. Holland & Barrett, dm-drogerie markt and Time Health all committed to drop krill products.
real win · Celina ChienHow creators made krill impossible to ignore
Iceland: when one door closes, knock on the next
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation hit the whaler, then the banks, insurers, ports and fuel suppliers, then ministries and embassies, then hotels and travel platforms. When one tactic slowed down, the campaign pivoted to a new pressure point, and supporters followed.
turn your map into actions
Once you have your targets:
- one action per fight, with a way to help for each target, or
- one action per front if the fight is big and long, like Stratos or Iceland.
Then write the titles with the CTA formula: how to write an action title people can't ignore and pick the right type for each target with ways to help, explained: every type of action on chilli.
your next move
You've built the action. Now get it in front of people: share your action: captions, stories and reels that get people moving.
