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Email Strategy & Writing

An introductory lesson on email strategy and

what makes an effective *action* email.

By: Ju-Hyun Park and Emily Jovais

Recording of 4/11/18 presentation: video or audio only

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Before you even start writing…

What do you want people to do? (show up to an event, sign a petition, donate). HINT: you should pick one main “ask”
Why should someone do what you’re asking - what will happen if they show up or sign the petition, why does it matter, what difference will it make?
Why does this matter now? What is the window of opportunity right now, why is this urgent? What is the impact?

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What we’ll cover

Be goal-oriented
Be aware of your audience
Keep it short
Make it scannable
Use informal, conversational language
Include a call to action
Always proofread
Email structure

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Start with your goals

Are you trying to get people to sign something?
Are you trying to get them to understand something? Feel something?
Are you trying to get them to come to your event?

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Be aware of your audience

Who are you targeting? Why are you targeting them? What buy-in do they have for your campaign?
Don’t exclude groups of people by implication.
Make people feel like the in-group.
Make people feel important & part of the story.
Recognize and thank your audience for what they’ve already done

Your whole project as an email writer is about crafting an experience for your reader. Write what they want or need to hear, not what you want to write. Get into their head.

Remember to adhere to 350’s voice guidelines -- these were designed to help build affinity. We want them to like us. We want them to feel like we’re all an “us” together.

Examples of exclusion to avoid:

-Phrasing that assumes people read last week’s email (unless you’re targeting appropriately).

-Phrasing that assumes age, race, gender, etc.

-Phrasing that assumes specialized knowledge, e.g. of climate change.

That said, each of these has a flip side:

-DO put in details that add to the experience for people who *do* read all the emails and come to all the things, (e.g. “for those of you who were at the march last month…”).

-DO add details about yourself that are relevant and help them see you as a whole person (e.g. “As someone who grew up in the South in the ‘80s…”).

-DO talk about the science frankly, and assume a baseline knowledge.

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Remember: Email is about relationships

Email is about trust and authority.
How do we build and maintain trust and authority?

Be accurate.
Don’t be alarmist.
Don’t be spammy.
Be convincing

Theory of change is essential: why should your reader do what you ask? What difference will their action make?
Build on past events to craft narrative continuity — this is a story, and your reader is part of it.

Your whole project as an email writer is about crafting an experience for your reader. Write what they want or need to hear, not what you want to write. Get into their head.

Remember to adhere to 350’s voice guidelines -- these were designed to help build affinity. We want them to like us. We want them to feel like we’re all an “us” together.

Examples of exclusion to avoid:

-Phrasing that assumes people read last week’s email (unless you’re targeting appropriately).

-Phrasing that assumes age, race, gender, etc.

-Phrasing that assumes specialized knowledge, e.g. of climate change.

That said, each of these has a flip side:

-DO put in details that add to the experience for people who *do* read all the emails and come to all the things, (e.g. “for those of you who were at the march last month…”).

-DO add details about yourself that are relevant and help them see you as a whole person (e.g. “As someone who grew up in the South in the ‘80s…”).

-DO talk about the science frankly, and assume a baseline knowledge.

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Keep it short...

That’s it, really.

Alternate short and long sentences, but lean shorter.

Break up long paragraphs into shorter chunks.

Be direct. Avoid long explanations.

Tip: Pick 10 words and cut them. (Then pick another 10…)

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Make it scannable...

What are some ways we can make the email easy to read?

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Make it scannable...

Word count. Keep it short!

Paragraph density. Paragraphs should be short too!

Bolding & formatting. Use it to guide the reader's eye to the most important bits.

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Use informal language...

What are some hallmarks of informal or conversational language?

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Use informal language...

Use contractions.

Break some grammar rules!

Write how you talk. If it helps, think about someone specific and "talk" to them as you write.

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Include an urgent call to action...

"Ready to get started? Click here to start your own petition."

Every email needs to have urgency. You need to make the point why now is better than later -- always.

Small asks: Emphasize timeliness
Large asks: Emphasize importance

Note: Urgency, not panic.

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Get Creative

Photos: If you’re doing a report back from an action, maybe include a photo from the action!
Video: If you want people to watch a video - include a screenshot of the video and link the image to where to watch.
Take Action Box: Experiment with adding buttons or boxes
Screenshot/icons: If you’re sharing a resource, maybe include the cover image.

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ALWAYS PROOFREAD

(Really.)

(In fact, get someone else to do it too.)

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OK, so let’s get down to it:

Basic email structure

The Moment Story. Lay out the context/urgency (“Above the link”)
The Ask/Link (1-2 bolded sentences)
The Movement Story. What will this do (“Below the link" also called Theory of Change)

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Open with...

Your “moment story”

Contextualises the email
Draws the reader in
Establishes urgency
Explains why this action will make a difference
Makes or breaks your email

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OK, so then… you ask.

Your ask:

Has a link to sign up or sign a petition
Is singular. Decide on one thing per email, not five.
Will create change in a way that your reader can understand.
Is scannable (1 sentence bolded).

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And wrap it up with...

Your “movement story”:

The bigger picture & context.
History, science, plans for follow up.
Repeat TOC + ask.

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How to convince the reader this action will make a difference?

Explain how this action will make a difference in a way that your reader can understand and appreciate.
The heart of your email.
A cause and effect sequence.
A story that presents a problem + a way that the reader can act to solve the problem.
Grounded, realistic, believable, and complete.

Crisitunity! This is a word that people talked about a LOT with regards to digital campaigning. I’m going to try and make it a side-note. Crisitunity: Situation with a crisis and an opportunity to resolve it. Can be primarily about either the negative or the positive possibility. Ideally, it leads with one but includes both. We are at a crossroads. Things will get better or worse but the status quo is not an option. Note: It’s not just about identifying the moment as a strategist. It’s about communicating that to your supporters. (Eg. If you decide to send an email at a particular reason because of a news story or other event which suggests you have a window, but don’t include that in your email, the supporter is now “out of the huddle”.)

Examples: In 72 hours, the company responsible for the largest marine oil spill in history could receive the green light to drill in one our largest whale breeding sanctuaries -- but we can stop it.

----

"In days, Nigeria's Parliament could approve a $5 billion fine against giant oil polluter Shell for a spill that devastated the lives of millions of people. ||| This is a watershed moment, but unless we all speak out, oil giants will crush it."

Note: Plausible TOCs in climate organizing are hard. Since climate change is such a HUGE global issue, it can sometimes feel hard to create campaigns with a strategy and a theory of change that measure up to the scale of the crisis. The trick is explaining how your campaign fits into the larger vision of building a global climate movement -- connect your chapter to a larger movement story and strategy.

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Email hamburger

Moment Story

Ask

Movement Story

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Got that?

Great! Don’t sweat it.

Remember that best practices like these are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. The most important parts of this training are:

Email is about telling a story (and making a point);
It’s a conversation, and follows conversational rules. Try to put your own conversational voice in your writing;
Center your reader.

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Some general principles

Email is about telling a story (and making a point)
It’s a conversation, and follows conversational rules
Try to lean into the writer’s voice
Know your goals -- what do you want the reader to do?
Make people feel important & part of the story
Remember to keep it short & scannable (following the 350 writing for the web & voice guidelines)

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Avoid essays! Remember most people aren’t reading the whole thing.

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The most important part?

The subject line.

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If you can’t convince someone to open it...the rest of the email won’t matter

ALWAYS test subject lines for full list sends
There is no hard and fast rule about what works and what doesn’t. But we have found that straight to the point works well.

Eg: “Tuesday - March in Detroit for a Green New Deal”

A “curiosity gap” can be helpful. That is enough info to get someone interested, but not everything so they need to open to find out more.

Eg: “An invitation from me and my friends”

We AVOID clickbait that deceives or misdirects people. It annoys people and erodes trust.
Be concise (5-7 words)
A good trick is giving yourself 3-5 minutes of uninterrupted time to brainstorm as many subject lines as possible

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Example 1

Don’ts

To Whom It May Concern:

The PSE wants to expand fracked gas infrastructure in WA State and thereby increase our dependence on this dangerous fossil fuel for decades to come. They’re building a huge LNG facility in Tacoma, despite local opposition, including from Puyallup tribal members. But they don’t have all their permits -- we still have the power to stop them.

Can you join other folks in your community at your local PSE office this coming Thursday? If we don’t take action now, we’ll have no hope of solving the climate crisis.

We have the power to save our community, don’t let your laziness seal our fate!

Do’s

Friends,

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is trying to expand fracked "natural" gas infrastructure in Washington State to increase our dependence on fossil fuels for decades to come. They’re moving swiftly to build a huge liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Tacoma despite local opposition from the Puyallup Tribe and beyond.

Puget Sound Energy still doesn't have all the permits it needs -- can you join us at your local PSE office for a statewide day of action on September 21?

By standing together, we can fight for the health and safety of everyone in our community. But we can’t do it without you. Join us on Sept 21.

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Example 2

BEFORE:

Dear Kate,

You are invited to an evening with Tom Steyer on September 7th.

Tom is a business leader and philanthropist who believes we have a moral responsibility to give back and help ensure every family shares the benefits of economic opportunity, education, and a healthy climate. He serves as President of NextGen America, an organization he founded as NextGen Climate in 2013 to prevent climate disaster, promote prosperity and protect the rights of every American.

RSVP now to join Tom Steyer in San Diego.

AFTER:

Dear Kate,

Joining together to discuss, learn, and ask questions about the climate crisis is critical to strengthening our movement.

That’s why SanDiego350 is co-hosting an evening with Tom Steyer on September 7th in San Diego and you’re invited.

Tom is a business leader, activist, and philanthropist who believes we have a moral responsibility to ensure that every family has access to economic opportunity, education, and a healthy climate. He is President of NextGen America, previously NextGen Climate, which he founded in 2013 to prevent climate disaster, promote prosperity, and protect the rights of every American.

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Questions?

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Resources