Get a free digital strategy tip of the week:
Unsubscribe any time. We respect your data. View the privacy policy.
The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias that leads us to overestimate the knowledge of our audience. If you allow this curse
Imagine you’re seeing a 25% open rate on your emails. That means whenever you send a broadcast, 3 in every 4 recipients will
Who are your supporters? And what do they need from you to reach their potential as star advocates or loyal donors? You might
For several years, I drove a strategy at Animals Australia to send ‘thank-you’ emails to action takers that were jam-packed with followup
Okay, back up—what’s a ‘value proposition’? Think of your value proposition as the reason your reader should care about investing
(Not in that way). Do you ever find yourself staring at your screen, wishing the thing you are trying to write was done
These folks are some of the most innovative and transformative communicators in (and beyond) our movement. And they’re on a mission to help
It can feel intuitive to place your action form elements at the end of your page—after your theory of change. However, your supporter
There are plenty of reasons people struggle to complete online actions. Poor page layouts, confusing language, onerous forms, and too many (or too
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.
Don’t wait for supporter fatigue to set in before creating a plan to mitigate it. Nice idea, right? Most of us only recognize
When it comes to targeting the best supporters for specific activities, many of us are using (or have used) the sub-list model.
Call it what you will. It’s the idea that when we work together, we’re part of something bigger than ourselves. If achieving
Of all the ‘rules’ out there for writing page headlines, this is the most transformative. If your headline sits on a petition
Here’s an important piece of digital communication that you’ve probably never read: Few of us pay attention to stuff like
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.
Was this tip useful?
Don’t let these ‘cognitive biases’ hurt your conversion rates 
How ‘why’ is the most important question you need to answer 
Do you know why you’re building an email list? 
A beginner’s guide to web page optimization 
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!
Like this tip? Share it!
