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Have you ever visited a website only to notice that ads for that site seem to ‘follow’ you around the Internet? You’ve been
Whatever you do—don’t just imagine your headline on your page itself. Consider how your headline performs without the rest of your page to
Your reader trusts their own mind way more than they trust yours. No offense but it’s true. Knowing this, try to avoid
It doesn’t matter if you’re writing an email, a blog post, or a tweet—the full gamut of attention-seeking and attention-keeping tactics apply. Social
The General Data Protection Regulation (commonly, GDPR) came into effect in May 2018. It impacts all businesses and organizations, everywhere in the world,
On-page videos can be your best friend and your worst enemy. At the same time. Know the pros and cons so you
Take your time. In the pursuit of saying more with less, I’ll admit—not every big idea can be reduced to a snappy soundbite.
Think of a radio tower. Broadcast signals beaming far and wide. Most people think about email broadcasts this way. Please don’t think
Think of digital pipelines as pathways that lead your supporters down progressively deeper levels of engagement. Without designing your pipelines intentionally, your supporters
The needs of supporters at opposite ends of the engagement spectrum are very different. So are the opportunities. If you are tracking your
If your action email has one job—to get your supporter to click through to a destination—then what’s the quickest way to get
Preview text appears in most email clients in the form of a few words after or below a subject line. While it doesn’t
You’ve sent your action or appeal broadcast. It went okay. But you’re not satisfied that enough supporters noticed it or recognized its urgency.
How tempting is it to ‘bust myths’ and confront your opponent’s ridiculous claims head-on!? Hint: very. Proceed with caution—countering false claims can unintentionally
A ‘hero’ image is one that carries the most visual weight in your layout. Usually accompanying your headline, this is the image
It’s not hard to preach to the choir. Or to mount an argument so agreeable that it won’t offend or challenge anyone. The business of wide-scale change-making affords us neither of these luxuries. Since you’re reading this, let’s assume it’s your job to reach the masses and challenge the status quo. Welcome to fiery opposition hitting you from both sides of the divide.
In a world that is increasingly polarized, the ‘grey area’ can be a challenging place. But that’s where impact lies.
The more polarizing a topic, the more ‘common ground’ techniques will help you reach the fringes of your audience and keep your message (rather than distracting debates) at the centre of attention. Give up now if your aim is to satisfy everyone. (You can’t. But maybe, you can get close).
The idea is simple: find the intersection of what different factions care about. Frame your message around that.
Steps to finding common ground
- Understand the ‘poles’ of your audience. Know their trigger points so you can more effectively navigate around them. Understand what motivates their positions—are there shared values there? If they are argumentative, what ‘need’ are they attempting to satisfy through debate? There may be ways you can proactively meet that need.
- Frame ideas around values. Construct messages in ways that puts values and outcomes (not tactics) at the heart of your narrative.
- Be positive. If parts of your audience are prone to the negative, shift the tone of conversation towards positive, tangible impacts of progress.
- Don’t judge. Model encouragement and support among your audience. Direct any culpability at a common opposition.
- Don’t compromise yourself. Building bridges can reach new audiences and foster greater understanding. But trying to please people can lead to ... people pleasing. If you can no longer deliver your message with authenticity, you’ve gone too far.
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Let’s put these principles to the test. Here are three scenarios where common ground theory can help make messaging more impactful and inclusive:
When it comes to sensitive topics, broadcast audiences are like tinderboxes. Segmentation can help navigate some polarized territories. But it’s no fail-safe. Common ground messaging can help maximize audience reach, minimize triggers and distracting debates, and keep your supporters focussed on effective action.
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Hi there! I’m Karen. I’m on a mission to reach my former self. Had I known 10 years ago what I know today, I could have achieved more good, made fewer mistakes, and had more weekends. Every time we share what works, we win faster. Let’s create digital experiences that move people — that grow our base and fuel our movements. Are you with me? Please share this with someone you know who wants to up their digital game!
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