Bolding the odd word or phrase can help skim readers catch key ideas you don’t want them to miss. It’s also great for SEO. But in order to preserve impact, use bold words sparingly. It’s tempting to...

Quick read

The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias that leads us to overestimate the knowledge of our audience. If you allow this curse to infect your writing, you may unwittingly leave supporters feeling confused an alienated. To...

Consider the moment before your supporter decides whether to open your email. They must sacrifice something in order to give you their attention. Either, they’ll need to delay the thing they were about to do next, or...

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...

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 supporter directly to a specific page. Let’s work with that. Make your action...

You sent 100,000 emails to the wrong list... You directed people to last year’s action... You addressed everyone as “Jane”... It happens. Stop hyperventilating. It’s time to focus. Here’s your action plan. Assess the damage...