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Here’s how the internal dialog usually goes: “We’re torn. We see other organizations sending from individual people but how do we know if
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
Let’s be honest, this stuff is hard. Never in human history has there been a communication medium more competitive than the Internet.
It can feel intuitive to place your action form elements at the end of your page—after your theory of change. However, your supporter
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.
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Think of digital pipelines as pathways that lead your supporters down progressively deeper levels of engagement. Without designing your pipelines intentionally, your supporters
Call it what you will. It’s the idea that when we work together, we’re part of something bigger than ourselves. If achieving
A token is a little snippet of encoded data that identifies a supporter and can be attached to links in your email broadcasts.
For several years, I drove a strategy at Animals Australia to send ‘thank-you’ emails to action takers that were jam-packed with followup
Well-designed email templates are greeeat. But even the best layouts can lull readers into complacency over time. Consider mixing up your formatting occasionally
The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias that leads us to overestimate the knowledge of our audience. If you allow this curse
When it comes to targeting the best supporters for specific activities, many of us are using (or have used) the sub-list model.
Okay, back up—what’s a ‘value proposition’? Think of your value proposition as the reason your reader should care about investing
When you hear of organizations that have amassed millions of online supporters, the first question that often comes to mind is: where
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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