Writing compelling copy for direct mail

A confession

Can everyone be a great writer?

Can everyone be a great fundraising copywriter?

Can everyone be a better fundraising copywriter?

The power of writing: a demo 10 minutesThe writer’s toolbox 20

minutesIn action 15

minutesTips from the best 10 minutesQuestions The rest

Today…

Aline ReedCreative Director Bluefrog

An introduction

Serial KillerFraudster Journalist

TV Nation 1994

Notional response

$868k $1.2 million Less

How?

• Persuasive letter• Donor focus• Great technique

SOURCE: Adrian Sargeant, 2000

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

0 1 2 3 4 5

Years after recruitment

Donors

8%

Why?

Introducing the writer’s toolbox…

The storyteller’s tool box

From Stephen King On writing

VocabularyGrammar

FormStyle

Common tools on top

Magic

The fundraising copywriter’s tool box

VocabularyGrammar

Persuasion

TechniqueFundraising knowledge

Magic**And/or hard work/coffee

Tool 1: Vocabulary

• You don’t need to know long words• You don’t need a wide vocabulary• You do need to put them together to sound right

1. NEW2. GUARANTEED3. PROVEN4. RESULTS5. SAFETY6. SAVE7. YOU8. NOW9. EASY10.FREE**www.marketingsmart.gumas.com

Vocabulary

The most important words in marketing – apparently.

1. DONOR’S NAME 2. YOU3. YOUR4. THANK YOU5. GENEROUS6. SIGNIFICANT7. CHOICE8. PROMISE9. URGENT10.PROOF

Vocabulary

The most important word in fundraising – you

Vocabulary: George Smith

Saxon rather than Latin words have more force

Latin SaxonInformation News, factsIndicate ShowImmediately Now, right awayConstruct Build, makeDiscover Find

Try swearing with Latin-based oaths.

• You do need to know the basics• You can break the rules

Tools 2: Grammar

• You can start a sentence with ‘And’• A sentence doesn’t always need a verb• A sentence can be one word long or 20• A paragraph can be one word long or 7-8 lines• Sentence length and construction needs to vary

Grammar

Sharpening common tools

Time %

Reading

Writing

Talking

Not entirely scientific as no time for eating and sleeping

• You need to build a persuasive argument• Make it easy. Make it right• Meet the donor’s needs

Tool 3: Persuasion

Ego/Esteem – achievement, status, reputation etc

Self-actualization – personal growth and fulfilment

Social – belongingness, love, family, relationships, etc

Safety – protection, security, order, stability, etc

Physical – food, shelter, warmth, sleep, sex, etc

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Needs are more potent than values

More Emotional More Rational

Change my mood Change my world

Amuse me Help me to grow Combat Helplessness

To help

• Novelty• Entertaining• Good ideas

• Status• Education• Under- standing

• Relaxing• Empowering

• Safer world• Better world

Source: Donor Need States. Bluefrog / Tangent, 2007

• Elevate status• Not macro marketing• Emphasis on special treatment• Respect and honesty• Wanted information

More Emotional More Rational

Change my mood Change my world

Amuse me Help me to grow Combat Helplessness

To help

• Novelty• Entertaining• Good ideas

• Status• Education• Under- standing

• Relaxing• Empowering

• Safer world• Better world

Help me to grow

“The best stuff is a couple of sheets with a letter from the professor…not a generic letter

just from someone in the company.”

Source: The Fundraiser’s guide to mid value donors. Bluefrog 2007

Help me to grow

“You know when it’s a computer saying thank you and when it’s a person.

And, quite frankly, I prefer if it’s a person.”

(Female, 62)

Source: After the love has gone. Bluefrog 2008

Help me to grow

Help me grow

Just for me

• Prioritise donor needs• It’s about what they want to hear• Not what you want to tell them• Via the mediums they want• At the intervals they want it

Persuasion: put the donor first

You need to be able to… • write in different voices• tell a story• edit• proof• pull not push

Tool 4: technique

You need to… • be able to write or recognise a good fundraising

proposition• know what works• understand ask strategies and personalisation• know your audience

Tool 5: Fundraising knowledge

Three key areas

Good creative is driven by knowledge and information

Free research for the sector

The Fundraiser’s

guide to lapsed donors

The

Fundraiser’s

guide to

donor needs

The Fundraiser’s

guide to legacies online

The

Fundraiser’s

guide to

mid value

donors

Why do people give? And why not?

• When a great idea pops into your head• When you put the ingredients together and

they work

Magic

In action

• Good writing doesn’t happen in isolation. You need to think about where the words go and what they look like.

In action

Envelopes

What do these envelopes say?

Inspiring envelopes

Edward Gorey

Inspiring envelopes

Miss Polly Colyer (Collier)-Fergusson (Fir-goose-sun)

Ightham Mote, Ivy Hatch, Sevenoaks, Kent.

Envelopes

• Hand-addressed• Hand-stamped

Cheaper option• Inkjet

You• Test• Best givers

Envelopes

• C4 is more expensive but we use for high value warm and cold

• Manila costs more but looks cheaper

You• Think about perceived cost

Envelopes

Other techniques• Official• Something inside• Celebrate offer• Teaser

You• Test branded versus non

branded• Handwritten note

http://www.sofii.

org/node/448#

Letter

You• Read the letter aloud• Be a person, not a

computer

Damian O’BroinAsk Direct in Irelandhttp://www.askdirect.ie

Inspiring letters

You• Write to one person• Write with emotion

@lettersofnotehttp:www.lettersofnote.com

Inspiring letters

You• Use the facts to give a

compelling reason to take action.

George Smithhttp:www.sofii.org

Letter• Capture someone’s

attention • Tell an engaging story• Use an interesting signatory• Give the letter personality

• Write to one person• Use ‘you’• Say thank you• Personalise

Letter

• Ask for a suitable sum of money• Say what the money will do• Have a target• Have a reply by deadline• Highlight key points• End each page on a split line so….

Letter

…that people turn over • Use courier typeface• Sign off in blue ink• Annotate in blue ink

• Use a PS to add urgency, sum up the appeal

• Direct donor to form, phone or web address

Letter

• Long copy worksBut is challenging to construct

• Lift letters workBeneficiariesSupportersStaff doing the workFamily

Giving form

• Feature your offer• Mini appeal• Try A4• Make it easy to give• Offer other channels for giving• Open up dialogue• Pence per pound• Give donors choice

Reply envelope

• Send back to letter signatory• Make it easy to get the form in• Fundraising deadline• Urgent stamp

Enclosure

• Ditch the leaflet• Offer more valued content• In a more personal, engaging form

Online

• People go on line to give to DM• Estimated increase 20-50%• It’s easy

Pre-mail email DM appeal Email reminder

Online

Dedicated landing page

Online

Pre-email Reminder email

Donor focused newsletters

Twelve weeks

Threeweeks

Income up

Tips from the best

George Orwell

• What am I trying to say?• What words will express it?• What image or idiom will make it clearer?• Is the image fresh enough to make the

effect?• Could I put it more shortly?• Have I said anything that is avoidably

ugly?

George Smith

• Use ‘I’ and ‘you’• Get to the point• Make it sound like someone is talking• Relate the story to the donor• Say what you mean with real words

Robert Louis Stevenson

The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish.

Over to you

Jeff Brookswww.futurefundraisingnow.com

@jeffbrooks

The agitatorwww.theagitator.net

Mark Phillipswww.queerideas.co.uk

@markyphillips

Craig Lintonwww.fundraisingdetective.com

@frdetective

Tom Ahernwww.aherncomm.com

@thattomahern

SOFIIwww.sofii.org

@SOFIIisHOT

Ken Burnettwww.kenburnett.com

@kenburnett1

Aline Reedwww.bluefrogcreative.co.uk

@alinereed

Damian O’Broinwww.askdirect.ie@damianobroin

www.whitelionpress.com

Thank you