Telling readers how a campaign is going and why you still need their support
Where you update non-donor subscribers (segment them) on how the campaign is building momentum and how much has been raised so far or how many subscribers have pitched in, and give the non-donors more reason to pitch in.
TEMPLATE:
We’re on day five of our first-ever fundraising campaign and I’m thrilled to report that we’re already 30 per cent to our goal of raising $5,000!
OR: Thank you to the XX supporters who have stepped up since we launched our campaign last Tuesday. We're already XX% of the way to our goal of making [pub name] a more sustainable local newsroom.
OR: Thank you to the XX supporters who have stepped up since we launched our campaign last Tuesday.
OR: We're more than 10 days into our year-end campaign, and with your help, we've already raised nearly $1,000 to support our independent Prairie journalism! But we've still got a ways to go before we hit our $4,000 target and sign up 25 more monthly contributors. That’s where you come in.
Now, succinctly restate the value proposition and elaborate on a different angle of it or demonstrate its value in a fresh way.
Possible Angles to Use (each with an example template):
You can choose multiple angles here and run more than one update email at this stage. This could be especially useful if the rev campaign is moving slowly.
Focus on the work you’d like to do if readers could just contribute some more money
Example from our friends at The Narwhal and a second example from them.
An honest, transparent request for money
We love this example from Peterborough Currents
Look at the awards we just won! With your financial support, we could do more work like this
A fresh story to illustrate the gap this pub fills
Example from Ottawa Sports Pages as they, alone, covered Ottawa’s amateur athletes at the Canada Games mid-campaign.
Testimonials to show how much the readers appreciate this pub and why. But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what some of our readers have to say:
(Look for compelling testimonials — strong, tight quotes from their readers on how much they appreciate the publication, preferably attributed. Check audience surveys for quotes too.)
Example from The Resolve [Subject Line: ‘My heart is smiling, my voice is ready’] Note the importance of a strong subject line!
Example 2 from The Flatlander [Subject line: ‘Nice to see newsworthy items from close to home’]
Specific story impacts to illustrate the real effect this publisher’s work is having in their community. Did a story published last quarter result in a change of policy, or a wave of community volunteers, or… ?
Example from The Frisc (Note: The Frisc readers are accustomed to long emails! If your readers are used to short emails, keep it tight)
Ask someone else to write the update to show how much the publication means to them in their life, through their eyes.
Celebrity Endorsement (see above tactic but even better if they’re famous!)
Example from The Breach This video is not an email, but it worked really well.