Like Old Denim Jeans, Email is Always in Style
Robin Sidel
Kaiser Family Foundation
Jason Tomassini
Atlantic 57
Donna Norton
Moms Rising
Key Takeaways:
Ideas shared among the panel and attendees about types of communications that are best for email versus social media.
Strategies for continuing to build and maintain a healthy email list.
Examples of email successes and failures from the panel.
Slide Deck:
Breakout Notes:
Creating Click-worthy Emails (Jason)
Email is more specific to a known recipient and more likely to be read in its entirety. Unlike social media – content is read mostly by happenstance and quickly disposed of or scrolled past after skimming a headline if its not of interest.
Use email newsletters to provide added value to readers
Don’t just aggregate headlines from the homepage
Subject lines are the first interaction
Engage multiple audiences
Create a curiosity gap
Use A/B testing to find your best performers
Bring in Emojis to stand out in the inbox
Innovative formats attract new audiences
Pop up newsletters
Find your niche – hyper focused and specific to the reader
Open dialogue with readers – encourage feedback and constructive criticism
Make it easy to find and share the newsletter
Embed sign up forms
Create referral rewards
Preview email before sign-up – readers can decide whether they want to receive the email based on content, before signing up
Quick Exercise
Pair up with a partner. Choose one of your organizations OR imagine you run an association for nonprofit communications
Develop a concept for a newsletter for that organization, using the tactics we just reviewed
What is your newsletter about?
What will it be called?
Who are the audiences?
What distinct value will your subscribers get from the email?
How will the newsletter achieve your goals?
Layer Cake Model of Organizing: Petitions (Donna: Moms Rising)
Synergistic Collaboration
Coalition coordination is still done mostly on email listservs
One-Click Member Advocacy
Links to petitions, stories, letters to the editor, on-the-ground actions in email
The Power of Stories
Most people are inclined to contribute to a petition when the base story is personally relatable
Does this apply to me?
Would I be affected by the proposed change?
Email for Message Testing
Subject Line Testing – does the subject line grab the reader?
Member Voice “Proxy”
Creative ideas to convey a message to an otherwise uninterested office
On the Ground Engagement
Reinforces the stories, and mission of the petition/campaign
Engaging Leaders
Provide an environment that welcomes leaders from “both sides of the aisle”
Most newsworthy petitions garner bipartisan support
These notes were captured by The Communications Network and have been reviewed by the presenters. ComNet18 Breakout Session notes were made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kalliopeia Foundation.
