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If you’re running an advocacy campaign, chances are you’re using email as one of your core communication methods. However, when it comes to digital marketing, there are a host of easy mistakes to make that might be costing you donations.
For instance, your email subject lines might not be standing out in supporters’ inboxes. Without that “wow” factor that inspires support, your advocacy campaign can only fundraise and do so much.
To help your advocacy group connect with supporters, spur action, and earn donations, this guide will break down four tips for writing emails that turn recipients into advocates.
1. Create intriguing subject lines.
If your email’s subject line grabs a recipient’s attention, they’re one step closer to supporting your campaign.
There’s a lot of advice available online about subject line best practices, from how many characters one should use (30-50 to avoid getting cut off on mobile devices) to tricks to avoid spam filters. But what writing strategies actually spur a supporter to click on your email?
Try these tactics to spark your supporters’ curiosity and encourage them to open your emails:
- Ask questions. Make your emails a two-way conversation by posing a question in your subject line. This shouldn’t be a simple yes-or-no question but one that invites supporters to engage and consider their own experiences. For instance, an anti-pollution group might ask, “How’s the air in your city?” to interest supporters in learning about local air quality laws.
- Share statistics. Bold statistics grab attention. Subject lines like “1 out of 5 children will go hungry this winter” or “Toxins in water expected to increase by 60% by 2026” immediately share what your cause is about and why your audience should get involved. Be sure to fact-check information and have the necessary research ready to share with interested supporters.
- Be provocative. Avoid true “clickbait,” attention-grabbing headlines that are ultimately misleading or link to underwhelming content. However, advocacy groups can leverage a few tested strategies to promote their genuinely valuable content, like creating subject lines with bold statements, short and dramatic phrases, or mysterious sentences that pique curiosity. The key to not being clickbait is ensuring your emails’ live up to their subject lines.
If you’ve received a political fundraising email this past election cycle, you’re likely familiar with several of these strategies. Think back to how various subject lines made you react. Did they spark your interest or make you roll your eyes? Then, consider your target audience and envision their likely reactions. Are they looking for content that shares new information, provides data immediately relevant to them, or entertains them?
2. Tell stories.
Stories help your advocacy group stand out from the crowd with specific, memorable details that inspire supporters to develop an emotional connection to your cause. Rather than simply laying out facts, tell a story that demonstrates why your mission is important.
When writing copy for your stories, keep these strategies in mind:
- Choose your main character carefully. All stories have a protagonist, and in your advocacy emails, this will be either your organization, a beneficiary, or the recipient of the email. When your advocacy group is the hero, emphasize your positive qualities. When a beneficiary is the hero, encourage empathy and show impact. Finally, when the supporter is the hero, invite them to see themselves as changemakers.
- Invoke emotions that inspire action. Emotion is key to inspiring action. However, some emotions work better than others. Nonprofit marketing professionals organize emotions along two axes: negative-positive and low-high arousal. High-arousal emotions, whether negative or positive, are likely to inspire action. These include awe, excitement, anger, and amusement.
- Be relatable. Ultimately, people are more likely to respond positively to a story if they can identify with the protagonist and the problems they face. Add details that encourage supporters to think about their own lives and how the issues you discuss might affect them if they were in your protagonist’s shoes.
While these tips do encourage dramatic storytelling, remember that your stories, above all, need to be true. Interview stakeholders associated with your advocacy group and report their accounts accurately. While you can choose which specific details to focus on, avoid inventing characters, omitting key facts, or changing timelines.
By reporting truthful stories, you present your advocacy group as a reliable and professional organization that supporters can put their faith in.
3. Personalize content.
Hyper-personalization is a rising trend in marketing as consumers expect content to cater to their specific interests. For your emailing strategy, this means using your marketing tools and audience knowledge to tailor content for each recipient as much as possible.
A few strategies to try include:
- Addressing recipients by name. Show recipients that you care about their specific contributions by using their preferred names. Additionally, using a supporter’s name in your subject line is a great way to grab their attention.
- Referencing engagement history. Use your donor database, CRM, and volunteer management tools to reference supporters’ past engagement with your advocacy group. For instance, if a supporter is enrolled in your monthly giving program, mention and thank them for their participation before asking them to upgrade their gift.
- Segmenting your audience. Create separate emailing lists for different types of supporters. For instance, a political campaign might have contact lists for volunteers, existing donors, prospective donors, and target voters. Then, for each audience, create unique emails that speak to their specific interests. For instance, emails aimed at persuading voters would share policy information and voter registration deadlines. In contrast, an email for donors would emphasize how close the election is and how gifts can help tip the scales.
These tips apply to all types of emails. A thank-you message should share exactly what the recipient is being appreciated for, while a fundraising appeal should have a donation ask that aligns with the supporter’s past gifts.
4. Provide directions.
When a supporter finishes reading your email, they should be compelled to act on it immediately. End each email with a call to action (CTA) that tells supporters exactly what they should do and why they should do it now.
You can encourage action by making it easy to get involved, such as by linking supporters to a donation page where they can give. Or, you might emphasize that time is limited, such as a get out the vote email sharing early voting deadlines.
Additionally, limit each email to just one CTA. This keeps supporters focused and provides them with a specific next step they can follow to make a difference. This means sending three separate emails to fundraise, recruit volunteers, and urge supporters to contact their representatives rather than one general email that might cause choice paralysis.
From your website to social media to political hotlines, emails are just one part of your advocacy campaign’s outreach strategy, but they can be highly valuable. Increase response rates and inspire action by writing emails that compel supporters to click, featuring content that forges a personal connection, and providing the tools to become passionate advocates for your cause.
