Think National Enquirer, not National Geographic.
 Here’s an easy quiz. Don’t think about it too much. Just give your first gut-reaction response and be honest with yourself. What is more likely to get your attention? #1. New photos of Kim Kardashian’s baby or a new report on climate change? #2. The latest news about Blake Sheldon and Gwen Stefani or statistics about girls education in Syria.
And now for the bonus question: A heart-warming story of Scruffy and how he was lost and broken but found a loving home — Or a report about how the local swim club held a yard sale and raised $237. The answer is easy. We are humans and we love photos and stories that evoke our emotions.
In his recent video post, Steven Screen shared 3 Simple Newsletter Changes That Caused Donations to Skyrocket http://moviemondays.com/mm2012/216-newsletter/. When developing newsletter content and layout, Steven wisely tells us, “Think National Enquirer more than National Geographic.”
The 3 simple changes are:
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1. Write to one person. Don’t write to a group. More you. Less we and us. It is always more engaging when you are talking directly to me and not addressing a crowd. That’s especially true in writing. |
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2. Put the donor at the center. Make the donor the super-hero of your organization. Take yourself out of the equation and give the credit to your successes to the donor. After all, you couldn’t do it without their support. |
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3. Design for scanning. You have to assume the reader will scan the newsletter and not read every article or every sentence. Therefore it is imperative the reader get the whole story by just skimming. That means use headlines, pull quotes and picture captions to advance the message. And make sure your photos are close-ups that show eyes. |
A newsletter can feel like a necessary chore: the required reporting back to donors and constituents of all the happenings at the office. Don’t use it for that. Leave out the event wrap-ups, the updates on your air conditioning replacement and the large donation you just received from a generous funder. Your newsletter has one goal: To inspire your donors to keep supporting your cause. |
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Category: Article
