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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
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
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
A token is a little snippet of encoded data that identifies a supporter and can be attached to links in your email broadcasts.
Whether your call to action (CTA) is a button or a link, don’t get too clever. Speak directly to your supporter and tell
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
Think of split testing (or AB testing) like a deathmatch for ideas. It’s the best tool we have for figuring out what works
Call it what you will. It’s the idea that when we work together, we’re part of something bigger than ourselves. If achieving
Does this sound familiar? Back up your position with facts; the more reasons you can offer, the more persuasive your argument. Right?
The education system taught many of us that long words and complex sentence structures are signs of sophistication. Un-learn this as fast
Think of digital pipelines as pathways that lead your supporters down progressively deeper levels of engagement. Without designing your pipelines intentionally, your supporters
One of the hardest lessons to learn as a communicator is knowing what not to say. In a medium that forces us
Most organizations want to grow their online audience. Some of us rely entirely on our supporters to fuel actions and fundraising—the organizational
These folks are some of the most innovative and transformative communicators in (and beyond) our movement. And they’re on a mission to help
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.
Sometimes, the purpose of an email can be simply to inform. But often, we’re trying to get someone somewhere. An action page. A donation form. A video...
When your email has a destination, be protective of the pathway that leads people there
The instant someone clicks on a link in your email, they’re not coming back. Consider your email narrative finished. In other words, you get one chance to lead someone to a web page with your email. Make it count.
The truth is, the more options we offer—the more links we include—the more asks we make—the less likely it is that our supporters will do the one thing we most need them to do. The best action emails have a crystal clear, singular goal. Be conscious that every link that points somewhere other than your ultimate destination will dilute your conversion rate.
Think of your email like a hiking map. Every link in your email is a crossroads with a signpost that points to a destination of interest. If you don’t want supporters wandering off into the wilderness, then don’t lead them astray.
If you want to maximize engagement and neutralize choice paralysis, then limit your asks to a single call to action per email. It’s fine to repeat your CTA, but try your best to make all links point to a single destination.
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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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