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When it comes to targeting the best supporters for specific activities, many of us are using (or have used) the sub-list model.
Imagine you’re at a party. There are plenty of new people you could meet and talk to. There’s a guy talking himself up.
One of the hardest lessons to learn as a communicator is knowing what not to say. In a medium that forces us
Preview text appears in most email clients in the form of a few words after or below a subject line. While it doesn’t
Okay, back up—what’s a ‘value proposition’? Think of your value proposition as the reason your reader should care about investing
Have you ever visited a website only to notice that ads for that site seem to ‘follow’ you around the Internet? You’ve been
Imagine you’ve been asked to have an important conversation with ... ‘someone’. Chances are, you’ll be much happier to have that conversation if
I know what you’re thinking. “Subject lines”. And you’d be right. Subject lines are hailed as the ‘be all and
If you’ve ever been annoyed by a website that stopped you from watching a video because you’re in the ‘wrong’ country ... you’re
A ‘hero’ image is one that carries the most visual weight in your layout. Usually accompanying your headline, this is the image
Great communication is not just about what you say but how you say it. Who says it also matters. You won’t always
Segmentation gives digital communicators the power to reach the right people with the right message. The shift from a broadcast communication model to
The education system taught many of us that long words and complex sentence structures are signs of sophistication. Un-learn this as fast
A token is a little snippet of encoded data that identifies a supporter and can be attached to links in your email broadcasts.
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
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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