How do you capture the attention of your donors in a world crowded with marketing messages?
Writing marketing materials that resonate with your donors is not an easy feat. Whether these messages are print or digital, the challenge and competition remain great.
To help you, we’ve compiled some pointers from our editorial team at Stelter. Here are some tried-and-true tips from the professionals:
1. Focus on your donors. “Look what you did!” not “Look what the organization did!”
2. Make it personal. Write to one person from one person—not to all donors from the organization. (People connect with people, not organizations.)
3. Write the way you speak. Copy should be conversational and easy to read.
4. Avoid overly academic language. The grade level for your writing should fall somewhere between sixth and eighth grade.
5. Keep your copy concise. Stick to short paragraphs, in cover letters especially, and short-to-medium-length sentences.
6. Create skimmable copy. Include compelling headings, subheadings, captions and callouts.
7. Spend time on headlines. 80 percent of people read headlines. Only 20 percent read the rest of the copy. Use strong action verbs that create urgency, connection and emotion.
8. Don’t rely on facts for donation motivation. Emotion is the catalyst for giving. People use facts and statistics only to reinforce their emotional decision.
9. Always ask donors to act. Don’t bury calls to action at the end. Be sure to repeat them several times. Make the CTAs specific and focus on the benefits to the donor.
10. Thank your donors. Do it promptly and frequently.
What tips did we miss? How do you grab your donors’ attention? Let us know in the comments.