Writing Advocacy Alerts That Drive Results
As promised, Dear Readers, we are doing a deep dive on advocacy alerts. Today’s topic is one that we at Sage Solutions are particularly passionate about: remembering your audience when drafting advocacy alert content.
Advocacy alerts are made up of three elements:
- The email advocates receive,
- The website text, and
- The letter lawmakers receive.
Your audience in the email and website are your advocates so you need to adopt a voice for their unique needs, which we will discuss today. But don’t let that fool you. We are just as passionate about remembering your audience when writing a letter to lawmakers and, in a future post, we’ll take to our soapbox again to discuss it. So let’s get into it…
Consider this:
“You are currently experiencing a geological disturbance resulting from pent up friction between the Pacific tectonic plate and the North American tectonic plate. Under these circumstances, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends that you quickly identify and go beneath a sturdy structure and cover the cervical portion of your spine as well as your cranium with your manus.”
Means the same thing as:
“It’s an earthquake! Get under your desk and cover your head and neck!”
The first paragraph is the voice you would assume when you write a comment letter or correspond with a member of the administration, a lawmaker or a member of your organizational leadership. But is it the voice that you should assume when you speak with your advocates?
When the ground is shaking and books are falling off the shelf, we all know that the second statement is the correct one to issue. Similarly, when your priority legislation is hours away from being heard in committee and you need your advocates to act, tell them so in language they can understand. That means:
You don’t have to prove your intelligence
Your organization’s brand and reputation have already done the heavy lifting for you on that front. Your advocates signed up to receive action alerts because they want to support your mission.
That said, don’t make it difficult for them. Re-read the first earthquake statement and realize how difficult it is to wade through. Compound sentences, formal language and lengthy titles prove that you can rock the English SATs. However, they make it difficult and intimidating for an average person to read, which means your advocates are less likely to act.
Speak to your advocates’ emotions
Instead of saying: “The recently released Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed Physician Fee Schedule would cut the conversion factor by 2.95%.” Simply say: “The agency that oversees Medicare has threatened to once again cut your reimbursement rate.”
First, see how the plain language drives the emotion and gets to the point? Moreover, by adding the word “threatened” and the phrase “once again,” you’re drawing on your advocates’ emotions and increasing the chances that they will act.
Now, Dear Reader:
Will your issue expert pull out their hair when it becomes apparent that you’re glossing over the conversion factor? Absolutely!
But is the statement close enough? Sure is.
Will the email drive your advocates to act? You bet!
Is that the point of the communication? Yup.
This is not the time to educate your advocates
To your (now potentially hairless) issue expert’s point: the complex policies driving the issue are important for your advocates to understand.
However, to our earlier point: the ground is shaking and books are flying.
The time to educate your advocates was weeks ago. Now you need them to come out in full force.
Lucky for you, we’ve already discussed when to educate your advocates. Read our post about designing a grassroots campaign here.
While we’re on this point, the same reasoning applies to links. We beg you: please don’t include other links no matter how tempting. The only website you want your advocates to go to is your advocacy center. Please don’t distract them with bright and shiny objects to click on- you will lose them.
So….
Remember Dear Readers: clear, concise, and emotionally compelling language is the key to mobilizing advocates. When time is of the essence, ditch the jargon and speak in a way that resonates. Your advocates are already on your side—make it easy for them to act. By keeping your message simple, engaging, and action-driven, you increase the likelihood of meaningful participation.
This is just the beginning of our deep dive into action alerts—subscribe to stay tuned for more insights. And go into the comment section to let us know what topics you’d like us to cover. Perhaps we can brainstorm ways to convince those in your approval process that it’s okay to be a little less formal. Let’s work together to turn engagement into impact!
As always, Sage Solutions is here to help!
For a budget-friendly price, we develop advocacy communications plans, draft your advocacy alerts and even help you develop a grassroots program. Imagine taking an hour to bring us up to speed on your legislative goal and then having your entire advocacy content delivered to you worry free!
We even tailor our work for federal or state government affairs teams. Learn more about our services specifically designed for your work or contact us today!