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Inboxes aren’t often exciting places. Neither are the majority of web pages, if we’re honest. This can work to your advantage. Your
What’s the magic number of emails you need to send to maximize supporter engagement and minimize fatigue?The answer is “five”. Kidding. It would
One of the hardest lessons to learn as a communicator is knowing what not to say. In a medium that forces us
What draws people to your cause? What motivated your supporters to take their first action? What did they feel when they first donated?
You might know definitively that your call-to-action (CTA) is the single-most strategic thing your supporters can do today to help your cause.
In 2025, more emails are being viewed on iPhones than any other device. The average iPhone affords us a measly 41 characters
There are plenty of reasons people struggle to complete online actions. Poor page layouts, confusing language, onerous forms, and too many (or too
The needs of supporters at opposite ends of the engagement spectrum are very different. So are the opportunities. If you are tracking your
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.
It might seem too obvious to mention. But it’s critical that you’ve defined the objective of your email. Often, it’s to lead your
A token is a little snippet of encoded data that identifies a supporter and can be attached to links in your email broadcasts.
SPOILER: it’s not good. Sure—you know you’re writing an email to 5,000 people. But your task is to make your reader feel like
Trying something risky and new? These methodologies can save you from diving in head first when it might have been wiser to test
Most email broadcast systems come packed with standard analytics. Just to be clear, here’s what we care about: Recipient volume This is the
It’s not hard to preach to the choir. Or to mount an argument so agreeable that it won’t offend or challenge anyone.
How can you keep vegans on board with lobbying efforts to incrementally improve welfare standards for systems they’ve chosen to boycott? Let’s apply common ground messaging theory to answer this question.
- Triggers: Ethical vegans recognize that cruelty exists in even the ‘best’ systems. Anything that could be read as an endorsement of animal production may be jarring.
- Common ground: This audience wants to see cruel production systems eliminated.
- What to avoid: Economic arguments and mentions of higher welfare systems could be misinterpreted as endorsements of the status quo.
- What to highlight: Maintain focus on eliminating the target production system, give context to immediate goals by framing them in the bigger picture, and draw attention to the animals whose suffering can be eased.
Don’t say:
“Help secure better welfare for egg laying hens!”
“Urge CruelCompany™ to go cage-free!“
“Together we can make the egg industry kinder to animals.”
“Please thank BetterCompany™ for choosing to use cage-free eggs!”
Do say:
“Help free hens from cages!”
“Urge CruelCompany™ to dump cruel cage eggs!”
“Together we can end one of the cruelest practices ever inflicted on farmed animals.”
“Please thank KindCompany™ for ending its support for cruel battery cages!”
More examples
Here are some other scenarios where common ground theory can help make messaging more impactful and inclusive:
From: Find common ground
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