High ROI Signup

PORTFOLIO

TESTIMONIAL

"What a great resource! I have received a number of similar mailings over the years, and always ended up unsubscribing — mostly because they were too much text. This was short, sweet — and useful! I can't think of someone better qualified to share this kind of advice!"

Josephine Martell
International Fund for Animal Welfare

Giving Back E-Tips

Name Your Poison

When you’re trying to write about a complex issue — such as a new piece of legislation that will hurt your constituency — it’s easy to get lost in the details and the legalese.

But you can’t afford to get too wordy, because your online readers are only going to give your message a very brief scan. They will click off immediately if they don’t get what problem you are trying to fix — and if the issue doesn’t resonate deeply with their own values.

What I’ve learned to do is to “name your poison.” For example, if you’re writing about a threat to prairie dogs that will “weaken” their protection — that’s not a very compelling premise for motivating readers to take action.

But if you re-name the threat the “Prairie Dog Expressway to Extermination” scheme, you’ve got a campaign name that you can telegraph on your email banner.

I’ve used this technique a number of times — and achieved email open rates as high as 55%. Once you get activists engaged around a threat, a subsequent fundraising appeal is likely to bring in lots of donations as well. I’ve seen campaign-themed emails bring in more than 3 times the forecasted revenue.

If you’d like to see samples of high-performing email and direct mail packages featuring this “Name Your Poison” approach, contact Karen at 718-680-1627 or at kg@karengedney.com.