Need help with that campaign email or program registration mini-site due to launch last week? Ready to move from making mediocre messages to the most audience-delighting, highest-impact calls to action of your life? How about getting there via a captivating romp through the life—and laws—of one of the most motivating fundraising writers around?
You can get it all with Jeff Brooks’ Turn Your Words into Money: The Master Fundraiser’s Guide to Persuasive Writing. You’ll learn and laugh as you gobble your way through this guide to writing good—then great—messages that spur the actions you need.
We’ve all been there. Overwhelmed by a huge writing to-do list for right-now campaigns, the annual report, and probably some special projects thrown in just because we don’t have enough to do.
Whether we’re newish to the field, sick of being stuck in the same old communications content, or obsessed with breaking into the all-star league, there is a way out of this message morass. Jeff provides the specific, concrete and frequently counterintuitive to-dos—and the kick in the patootie—we crave.
Let me share a few of his more surprising steps to nonprofit message magic, and I think you’ll see what I mean:
- Your high school English teacher would HATE your most effective writing because it breaks almost every rule he taught you.
- Choppy sentences, fragments, drama and clichés top the fantastic marketing list. You were taught NOT to use these techniques but they work beautifully to capture supporters’ (and other audiences’) eyes, hearts and brains. Each one helps slow your busy prospect down so what you’re saying is more likely to seep in. They also make messages more conversational, so more compelling than most written content.
- Simple saves the day. Write for a fifth-grader to boost the likelihood you’ll capture attention and spur giving. Run your content through the Flesch–Kincaid readability test to ensure it’s accessible to all prospects.
- Repetition rocks, when done right. I remember when my 10th grade English teacher redlined each of the 15 times I made my key point in my final term paper. Think again, Mrs. Hunter! When you make your main point in several different ways—directly, or using a story, testimonial, or profile—you’re doing everything you can to ensure your people get what you’re saying, have the time to agree with you and act.
Grab your copy of Turn Your Words into Money today! Jeff’s counterintuitive counsel of what to do and what NOT will guide you to create masterful messages for today’s campaign and every email, website, social posts, direct mail letter, and conversation you craft going forward.
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