I’ve written close to 2,000 LinkedIn posts for climate tech founders over the last 3 years.

And I see the same 3 storytelling mistakes over and over again. Mistakes that kill engagement no matter how good the expertise behind the post is.

The frustrating part? These mistakes are easy to fix once you know what to look for.

So today, I’m walking you through the 3 most common storytelling mistakes climate tech founders make on LinkedIn, and exactly how to avoid them.

Let’s dive in.

Mistake 1: You’re leading with stats instead of people.

“Our platform has reduced energy costs for over 200 commercial buildings across 15 states, saving an average of 34% on annual utility spend.”

Technically impressive. Emotionally empty.

The problem? Human brains don’t care about numbers until they have a face attached.

When you lead with “200 buildings,” readers scroll right past. But when you start with one person, one warehouse manager in Ohio who was spending more on electricity than payroll, suddenly that number means something.

→ Tell one story first, then zoom out to the number.

Instead of “We helped 500 customers,” try:

“Last March, a warehouse manager in Ohio told me he was spending more on electricity than on payroll. Six months after installing our system, he hired two new employees with the money he saved. That’s happened across 200 buildings now.”

One person. One detail. One outcome. Then the scale.

That’s how you make people care.

Mistake 2: You’re drowning readers in jargon.

I can’t tell you how many LinkedIn posts I’ve read that sound like this:

“Leveraging proprietary AI-driven analytics and a vertically integrated supply chain approach, we enable enterprise-scale decarbonization across Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions pathways.”

If I have to re-read a sentence to understand it, you’ve already lost me.

And I’m not alone. Most people on LinkedIn are scrolling on their phone while drinking coffee. If your post reads like a white paper, they’re gone.

The issue isn’t that your work is complex. It’s that you haven’t finished thinking through how to explain it simply.

→ Write like you’re talking to a friend at dinner.

Ask yourself: “Could a smart 14-year-old understand this?”

Instead of the jargon-heavy example above, try:

“We help factories figure out where they’re wasting energy, then fix it. One client cut their energy bill by 40% in six months.”

No buzzwords or acronyms.

If you can’t explain what you do in plain language, you’re asking your audience to do work most of them won’t bother with.

Mistake 3: Your posts sound like a press release, not a person.

Here’s a post I see variations of every week:

“We’re excited to announce the completion of our latest renewable energy installation. This project will offset X tons of carbon annually and demonstrates our commitment to sustainable infrastructure.”

Who wrote this? A committee? A legal team? A robot?

Because it sure doesn’t sound like a human.

People follow people, not brands. And if your LinkedIn posts read like corporate announcements, you’re invisible.

→ Put a face on it.

Write in first person. Share a personal opinion. Tell people what you actually think, not what you think you’re supposed to say.

Instead of the announcement above, try:

“I grew up in a house where we boiled water before drinking it. Every. Single. Day. My mom would wake up early just to make sure we had enough for the morning. When I pitched my co-founder on building atmospheric water generators, I told him: ‘I never want another kid to wake up wondering if there’s clean water today.’ Three years later, we’ve deployed units that serve 15,000 people daily. But honestly? I still think about my mom boiling water at 5 AM.”

See the difference? There’s a real person behind this. Someone with skin in the game. Someone worth following.

If you want to build thought leadership on LinkedIn, your posts need to sound like they came from a human being with a perspective, not a logo with a corporate comms strategy.

What to remember

The mistakes I see most often:

  • Leading with stats instead of people
  • Using jargon instead of plain language
  • Writing like a brand instead of a human

Fix these three, and your LinkedIn engagement will improve overnight.

Your expertise isn’t the problem. Your delivery is.