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Every time you email your supporter, you’re doing much more than delivering a message. You’re cultivating a relationship. If
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.
Don’t wait for supporter fatigue to set in before creating a plan to mitigate it. Nice idea, right? Most of us only recognize
Most email broadcast systems come packed with standard analytics. Just to be clear, here’s what we care about: Recipient volume This is the
The moment after someone completes an online action presents a critical opportunity. A well-crafted thank-you email will help cement this action as a
To steal a mantra from our friends in journalism: don’t bury the lede. The idea might have started in newspaper offices
Preview text appears in most email clients in the form of a few words after or below a subject line. While it doesn’t
The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias that leads us to overestimate the knowledge of our audience. If you allow this curse
Serious question. Success is more than a number. It’s an outcome. An increase in list size isn’t an end-goal; 1,000
It would be a lie to claim that ‘delivery time’ is a highly influential factor in email open rates. Compared to heavyweights
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
It’s not hard to preach to the choir. Or to mount an argument so agreeable that it won’t offend or challenge anyone.
It can feel intuitive to place your action form elements at the end of your page—after your theory of change. However, your supporter
Great action pages will attract people via social media, search, traditional media, and even word of mouth. This means they’re ideal for list-building.
When it comes to targeting the best supporters for specific activities, many of us are using (or have used) the sub-list model.
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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Don’t let these ‘cognitive biases’ hurt your conversion rates 
How ‘why’ is the most important question you need to answer 
Give your headline ‘consequence’ 
Say more (by saying less) 
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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