How to Write an Best practices for messages that generate actions, turn out attendees, and recruit volunteers. By Debbie Chong, Nicole Ghio, Cara Longpre, and Kelly Gould October 2009

Subject This is the first (and maybe the only) part of the that people see. A short and catchy subject line will entice readers to open the to learn more and take action.

Subject Line Best Practices Work on the subject line first, not as an afterthought. Spend at least 8 minutes just on the subject. Limit the subject to no more than 7 words. Front-load the action: Tell Governor ____ to ____ When appropriate, personalize the subject line.

Envelope Along with the subject line, recipients can see the senders name and address before opening the . You should send messages from people, not from chapters. From: Carl Pope, Sierra Club

Envelope Best Practices Format the senders name First Last, Sierra Club. Adding the chapter may lengthen the sender name so it will not all display. Use the same sender on your s so people become familiar with the name. Always use address. Never address. Do not use sender names and addresses that do not match.

Good example: subject and envelope

Bad example: subject and envelope

The Message Timely Urgent Clear impact Use everyday language Part of a narrative Tell a story Follow-up and close the loop

Structuring The Message Only put one ask in the message. Additional asks or options will depress your response. Keep the message short words. Put the ask high in the . You should tell people what you want them to do by the 2 nd paragraph or 4 th sentence. Link to the ask more than once.

Writing Write to your audience – people dont read s, they scan them. Avoid bill numbers and abbreviations unless they are widely known, like EPA, and even then write out the full name the first time: i.e. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Use short paragraphs of 3 sentences max. Bold key sentences to break up the text. The reader should be able to understand the just by reading the bolded parts. No all caps, no italics unless it is a title, and no underlines unless it is a link.

Good example: structure and message

Text Boxes A text box will dramatically increase the number of people who click on your ask and take action. Boil the ask down to 1 short sentence or phrase and include it in the box. Include an action button: i.e. RSVP, Take Action, Sign Up, etc. You can also include an image. Be sure to include alt tags on any images you include in your message. An alt tag is the text that shows up when you hover your mouse over an image.

Good example: text box

Links Dont link entire paragraphs or only one word. At least one link should be visible in the top portion of the message. The ask should be linked to about 3 times in the . Links for more information should be footnotes. If you are making big statements, it is always good to include footnotes. If there absolutely must be a second ask in the , introduce and link to it in the P.S. below the senders signature.

Good example: links

Good example: footnotes and second asks

Bad example: links The only clickable link was too far down the page

Images Add an image to your s that conveys the spirit of the issue. Resize images before adding them to your . Be sure to include the image size in the image tag – if people have images turned off, this will prevent your entire message from being blocked. Make sure you have permission to use the image. Choose appropriate alt-text for your images that explains what they are or encourages readers to take action. This text will be visible when readers move the pointer over the image. Make the images links to the action.

Bad example: image alt-text The alt-text was from a previous about polar bears.

The Icing Start the by personalizing it with the recipients name. Dear Debbie, Sign the from the sender. Include a robust tell a friend in the P.S. You can use a Tell-A- Friend link or ask people to forward the message.

Good example: tell-a-friend

Before You Send Have at least one other person read the . A friend who is not familiar with the issue is a good choice. He or she should be able to understand it. If you are loading the message into Convio, have 2 people review for spelling, grammar, broken links, image alt-text and display problems. Check how the looks in as many clients and programs as you can. Outlook, AOL, Earthlink, Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail. You can create free accounts just for testing.

Bad example – display problems

What and When to Send Send timely messages. If people recognize the issue from the news or word-of-mouth, they are more likely to open and take action. Do not send just because you have space in your schedule. It is better to give your audience a break than to send something that will not engage them. Do not send too early. The best event recruitment s are sent a week or less before the event.

Good example: timeliness This action alert was sent out in response to a breaking news story.

Practice makes perfect! Keep this Powerpoint for reference when you compose your s. Use our tips and examples to optimize the impact of your message and formatting.

Questions? Contact: Kelly Gould Nicole Ghio Cara Longpre