I've got a crazy couple of weeks ahead of me, so I thought I'd revisit some old posts. This first appeared last June as part of my Week of Tips for Writing Successful Fundraising Letters. I hope you find it helpful.
IDoes your copy jump out, begging -- screaming -- to be read? Especially at year-end, it's challenging to make your letter stand out from the hundreds of other appeals for giving that your donors are receiving. If you want to compete with the deluge of mail people are receiving, you need to electrify your copy. One of the easiest ways to create electric fundraising copy: Make your strongest copy stand out.
When you're writing a fundraising letter or other fundraising or marketing copy, there are some ideas you want to really it people over the head with. So you shine a spotlight on them.
You can see I used bold up above. I wanted you to know what I was talking about, even if you're just skimming the copy. Caught your eye, didn't I?
If you're writing on the Web, try highlighting words in color. But be careful! If you go too light, you'll make your copy harder to read and risk having people skip over the thing you thought was so important.
Pick up any fundraising letter, and you're bound to see a lot of underlined copy. This, too, draws your eye and forces it to pay attention. I always like to underline the Ask, and any particularly outrageous statistics or compelling arguments get that treatment, as well.
Some copywriters use italics for additional emphasis. I like to use them to highlight any quotes. Since quotes lend authority to my arguments, I want to make sure readers see them.
Really want people to sit up and take notice? Try handwritten notes and underlines. Not too many, or your copy will become cluttered and look like a scrap of paper you pulled off the Executive Director's desk. But judicious use of handwriting (or a handwriting font) can draw the eye.
Once you've finished your copy, go back and look over your emphasis. Sometimes, those ideas that you want to highlight change as you refine your copy. So double-check them. Are you using enough underlines? Too much bold? And most important: are the phrases that jump out at you really the ones you want people to see?
Do you have a favorite way to electrify your fundraising letters? Post it in the comments section below.
