Copywriting for Fundraising 13 February 2014
Copywriting for Fundraising
13 February 2014
Damian O’Broin
@damianobroin
Annetta Murphy
@annettamurphy
slideshare.net/damianob
www.askdirect.ie
Women’s Aid
‘Working to End Violence Against Women’
Client list 2010-14
Think of a song thatmakes you cry
Did an angel whisper in your earAnd hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments
We used to driveThru Lafayette and Baton Rouge
In a yellow CaminoListening to Howling Wolf
He liked to stop in Lake CharlesCause that's the place that he loved
Some questions you need to answerbefore you start...
Who are you writing to?
Describe them
Exactly what do you want my money for?
And why?
Who is signing the appeal?
Why?
What are the tangible and...
...intangible benefits for the
donor?
Why respond NOW?
Stories & Stickiness
SUCCES
implenexpectedoncreterediblemotionaltories
heathbrothers.com
Simple
“It’s about elegance and prioritisation, not dumbing down”
– Chip and Dan Heath, Made to Stick
Simple
Unexpected
This is an unsolicited fundraising appeal from Women’s Aid.
Please discard it immediately if you feel it’s presence may put you at risk
20
Unexpected
Unexpected
Surprise. Then interest and curiosity.
You need to open up gaps in people’s knowledge... and then fill them.
Harris Interac,ve Poll, October 2010
Unexpected
Concrete
Concrete
Concrete
Think about proverbs.
“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”
Credible
Credible
The importance of the Darth Vader toothbrush
More details
Vivid stories Concrete words
Active language
CREDIBILITY
Credible
Emotional
Why emotionsare important
Drive action
Enhance memories Increase attention
The Mother Teresa Principle
If I look at the mass,I will never act.
If I look at the one, I will.
The Joe Stalin Principle
One man’s death is a tragedy,
but a million deaths is a statistic.
The RokiaExperiment
Food shortages in Malawi are affecting more than 3 million children.
In Zambia, sever rainfall deficits have resulted in a 42% drop in the maize production from 2000. As a result, an estimated 3 million Zambians face hunger.
4 million Angolans – one third of the population – have been forced to flee their homes.
More than 11 million people in Ethiopia need immediate food assistance.
23% of earnings donated
Her life would be changed for the better as a result of your financial gift.
With your support, and the support of other caring sponsors, Save the Children will work with Rokia’s family and other members of the community to help feed her, provide her with education, as well as basic medical care and hygiene education.
48% of earnings donated
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
EmotionalRational
Combination
Small, Loewenstein & Slovic
Proportion of Earnings Donated
Closeness: Proximity to the victim; feeling of kinship
with them.
Vividness: Detail, description, ‘colour’.
Drop-in-the-bucket:Can I make a difference?
Dan Ariely, The Upside of Irra,onality
Rebirth
Tragedy
Comedy
Voyage and Return
The Quest
Rags to Riches
Stories
Overcoming the Monster
H/T to @markyphillips (queerideas.co.uk)
How can you make your appeal sticky
The copywriter’s toolbox
Geroge OrwellPolitics and the English Language
(1946)
1. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word when a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
Geroge SmithAsking Properly
(1996)
Use Saxon words not Latin
Indicate Show
Information News, facts
Immediately Now, right away
Construct Build, make
Discover Find
Geroge SmithAsking Properly
(1996)
Use vivid words and not hackneyed ones
Use short sentences and vary the lengths
Use short paragraphs and vary the lengths
Geroge SmithAsking Properly
(1996)
Get to the point!
“You are a charity. People expect you to be asking for money. So do not delay this primary reason for communicating. Do not feel you
have to lead up to your vulgar request via 200 words of self-justification, for nothing is more tiresome than an overlong
preamble to a predictable question.”
Geroge SmithAsking Properly
(1996)
Use active verbs and not passive verbs
Donations are needed to complete this vital work
Will you make a donation to complete this vital work?
Geroge SmithAsking Properly
(1996)
Relate the story to the reader
One in three of the population will suffer from cancer.
One in three of your friends and family will suffer from cancer.
Geroge SmithAsking Properly
(1996)
Ask for money not support.
Use ‘I’ and ‘You’
“You” or “Your” is repeated 14 times on Page 1
(and donor’s name appears four times)
Geroge SmithAsking Properly
(1996)
Does it sound like someone talking? If not, why not?
A few points about grammar.
It helps to know the rules. But you can break the rules.
You can start a sentence with ‘And’ or ‘But’
And you can have a sentence without a verb.
(Like this.)
A sentence can be one word long.
A paragraph can be one word long. Or one sentence long.
Long copy almost always beats short copy
Appeal on the basis of benefits, not needs (or features)
Tell people exactly what you want them to do(make a gift of €25 today)...
... And make it as easy as possible for them to do it.
PS: Always include a PS - it’s usually read first and most often
More tips for direct response copy
You can drive up response by using...
... urgency
... deadlines
... targets
More tips for direct response copy
Use a large font (12pt or larger) and a serif typeface
Indent paragraphs and vary their length
Break up the text with sub-heads, bold, underline, italics, images, handwritten notes
More tips for direct response copy
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Putting it all into practice...
Start by writing the response device.
Next, write the outer envelope.
Now, write the lead.
Finally, write the letter.
Damian O’Broin
@damianobroin
Annetta Murphy
@annettamurphy
slideshare.net/damianob
www.askdirect.ie
THANK YOU