Political Campaign Tips and Strategies by Online Candidate

Writing Content For Your Campaign Website – Examples

What should I write for my campaign website?

This is a question that often comes up when we get a new campaign website client. Sometimes the candidate has just started their campaign and has not prepared their content ahead of time.

The candidate may know why they are running, but has never had to put that reason to words. One way to distill a campaign to its essence is to break it down as if everything had to fit in a single brochure. This means creating effective subheaders, short sentences and bullet-point lists. The elements that make material readable for a brochure also makes it readable online.

Writing content for a home page or issue page generally comes down to :

Why a candidate is running or how they see an issue(s).
How they will address an issue(s) and perhaps why they are qualified to deal with the issue.
Followed with a call to action of some type for each page. This includes ‘vote for’, ‘support’ and ‘donate’ requests.

Another way to inspire your creativity is to see what others running for a similar office have written. Obviously, you can’t just copy another candidate’s biography or platform. That’s unethical and, frankly, too easy to discover on the web. To create a political candidate profile, you’ll want to include information about your personal, professional and political life. Make your reasons for running for office personal and relatable to voters.

[bctt tweet=”When creating content for your campaign website, make your reasons for running for office personal and relatable to voters. via @onlinecandidate”]

To help create your initial website content, we’ve put together some sample text and copy on our client resource site. This material can be used for general political, judicial, sheriff and school board websites. There are several thousand words available for ideas to use as a template for your own content.

Of course, every campaign and candidate is different. The material is designed to provide a starting point for writing. It does require editing to make it unique and appropriate for your use.

We recently updated and expanded this sample content. We hope you find this helpful in writing out your campaign material.

Bonus tip: Writing in the third person on websites is better for search engine results. If you write in the first person, the search engines won’t know who “I” is – unless you use ‘pull quotes’ and a third-person call to action to incorporate your name into the copy.

Find sample website copy examples at OnlineCandidateResources.com!

Preparing Content For Your Campaign Website

Before your website is designed, you should plan out what content will go into the site. Website content consists of two things – text and images. If you have already created advertising material, that can provide a great starting point.

When writing your website copy, it’s a good idea to save the page separately or to combine them into one file with each page content separated and marked off.

These are the main pages that will require content:

Home Page Text: The home page text should change often, but to start, you may want to create a ‘letter to voters’ announcing your campaign, why you are running and what you hope to accomplish if you win. In time, you can update this text to include new developments or to shift your focus from awareness to support-gathering.
About the Candidate: Start off with some personal information, such as family, time lived in the area, hobbies, etc. Then take your resume and work it into a short biography. Keep it short and bullet-pointed, but don’t simply make it a list of your work history. Work a few words about what you did in those positions. Electing someone is more than just whether are qualified – voters need to like you, as well.
Issues: This is the heart of your website content, and the most unique content you will create. Stake your positions against those of your opponent. Where necessary, break tissues into separate pages.
Donations: Make sure this page has a strong call to action. You should prominently link to this page throughout the site.
Endorsements: Include organizations and direct quotes, where possible. Endorsements can be added throughout your site, particularly where they are relevant to a particular issue.
Voter Registration Information: This would include links to county or state voter resources.

Finally, work and rework your initial text to make your content as readable as possible .

Preparing images

Include at least one good head shot for the home page. If running for office, you might want to use a flag as a backdrop.
Include images of recognizable landmarks, particularly if your issues touch on those areas.
Use photos from public or campaign events throughout your site. Where possible, try to include captions explaining the event.
When using photos for endorsements, it’s a good idea to ask for permission first.
Make sure your images are optimized for the web, so they load quickly and still look good.
For both online and offline advertising, when sending images to a designer, larger, higher-resolution photos are best. The designer will be able to re size and cut down the size of the images. In other words, they can optimize a good-resolution image down, but they can’t make a poor resolution image look better.

Good photography and images can make a difference in how your website looks and how it is perceived by visitors.

Having your information written ahead of time will make your website creation go smoother. Nothing looks more unprofessional than pages that say ‘coming soon’. Well-written web content can often be incorporated into offline advertising to ensure a consistent message.

We recommend to our clients that they begin work on their website content as soon they can – even if they are not going to go ‘live’ with the site for some time. This provides time for editing so that when the site is launched, it is as effective as it can be.

Clients that need help coming up with content can use our website copy examples for help. Access is free for Online Candidate website clients.

Screwing Up Your Election Website

One of the best marketing tools a political candidate is a website. To put one together takes planning and work, particularly in putting together content. The quality of campaign websites vary as much as candidates themselves. Some are excellent, and some fail to hit the mark.

Below are some of the biggest website blunders we encounter.

Missing Critical Information – We’ve been through this previously, but we still see too many sites without enough basic information. Don’t forget to include the candidate’s name, elected position, location and election date. And if you want people to vote for you, please, please mention the election date. All of this information is critical for search engines to find your website.

Not Enough Quality Material – You may not be running for the elected position in the land, but you still need to convince voters to support you. At a minimum, your site should include a brief biography, reasons why you are qualified for the position, and a request for support. Address some major issues so voters know where you stand, but don’t overload your site with endless blocks of text. Break things up into digestible pieces so you don’t lose visitor interest. Subheaders and bullet points makes content easier to follow.

Not Adding Personality – You want your site to be professional, but that doesn’t mean that your website copy needs to read like a marketing-approved press release. Personal quotes and stories can help voters get to know and like you. On the other hand, being too personal or colloquial can be a negative.

A Lack of Compelling Images or Video – Compelling images helps communicate your story. Enhance your content visually to build your brand and show how your campaign is connecting with the community. How many words is a picture worth? Exactly!

Not Making the ‘Ask’ – Every page should have some call to action. Usually, it’s a request for a vote on a certain date. On a donation page, it’s a request for money. On a volunteer page, it’s a request for support. Don’t assume people know what you want them to do. Tell them! Ask them to donate. Ask people to follow your social media accounts. And most important of all, ask them to vote for you on Election Day. But don’t overload your pages with requests. Too many calls to action can be confusing to visitors. Specific landing pages for different types of traffic are more effective and have higher conversion rates when they are focused on a single call to action.

Spelling and Grammar Errors – This is pretty basic, but important. Would U vot for somone who spell liek this? Always have your campaign material (both print and web) double and triple-checked by outsiders for spelling and grammar.

Not Enough Promotion – It takes more than just a website and a donation page to raise money and win an election. What is your strategy for getting visitors to your site? Has the site been optimized for search engines? Will you run pay-per-click or retargeting ad campaigns? Will you use social media to keep supporters in the loop? Email is still a powerful way to keep in touch and grow your network. You need a strategy that extends beyond the website.

Online Candidate includes a complete system to easily create and edit your own campaign website. Clients have access to our full article archive, resources and tools at OnlineCandidateResources.com

Sample Campaign Fundraising Letter – Online Candidate

Below is a sample template for an initial fundraising appeal from a candidate to a friend or close acquaintance. This is a template letter from the Online Candidate Political Letter Templates package.

To give you a better idea of how to create a political request, note the basic letter structure. This sample campaign contribution letter begins with a candidate introduction, followed by specific issues and suggestions for solving those issues.

Next comes an intent to run, and a request for support along with a specific, time-sensitive contribution request. It’s wrapped up with a thank-you and reminder about the campaign website where supporters can find out more information about the campaign and how they can help.

Here is sample letter asking for political support:

Fundraising Letter Templates

These election campaign fundraising letter samples will give you a head start and ideas to create solid campaign correspondence. Get your message across in a professional manner that will lead to more donor action. With these political letter templates, you can create:

Well-written fundraising appeals that brings in donations.
Endorsement requests that help capture you in the best light.
Press releases that the local media will be happy to print.
Use the copy in all your election brochures, leaflets and handouts.

The full letter package contains:

- Political Donation Thank You Letter – Event Related
- Political Donation Thank You Letter – General
- Endorsement Letter To the Editor Samples
- Political Endorsement Request
- Support and Endorsement Request to PAC [NEW]
- Political Fundraising Appeal to Close Family and Friends
- Fundraising Appeal to Friends and Acquaintances
- Fundraising Appeal – After Primary
- Fundraising Appeal – On Behalf of Candidate
- Fundraising Appeal – Acknowledging Tough Times
- Fundraising Appeal – Followup
Fundraising Appeal – Final Push
Personal Invitation Letter
Press Release – Entry into the Political Race
Press Release – Website Announcement
Press Release – Endorsement
Press Release – Campaign Event
Press Release – Position Statement
Press Release – Post Fundraiser Event
Press Release – Political Apology
Press Release – Post Election
Thank You Letter – Event Speaker
Volunteer Followup Letter
Volunteer Thank You Letter
Campaign Letter Writing Tips
Local Press Release Resources
Additional Resources

Save time and effort with your campaign correspondence. Download our Political Letter Templates or save with our Digital Combo Package.

Political Campaign Fundraising Letter Tips

Whether you are raising campaign seed money or contacting previous donors, here are some tips when writing your fundraising letters to make them more effective. These suggestions work for both mailed print letters or email requests.

Personalize your fundraising letter as much as possible. Make sure the donor’s name is used in the salutation. Segment your letters to the recipient. For example, if there is a issue that you know the donor cares about, don’t send a generic fundraising letter. Have the letter relate to that particular issue.
Make donor appeals relevant to their relationship with you. A first-time donor letter should be different than a letter to a long-time supporter.
Make it easy to read. Break up your letter with interesting subheaders and short paragraphs.
Make the ask. Don’t be wishy-washy and ‘hope they can give’. Tell the recipient exactly what you want them to do. Don’t just ask for money; ask for a specific amount of money. If you know the recipient is a big donor, make the requested amount higher. If you ask for just a little money, that may be all you get.
Give options to donate online. Not everyone will take the time to write a check, but they may find it more convenient to make an online donation. Provide a link to the campaign website where they can donate. If your web site landing page can match the specific fundraising appeal, it will convert even better.
PS it. Don’t forget a postscript at the end of your letter to remind the donor that time is short. If the recipient doesn’t give right away, they may forget to do so later.
Don’t forget an SASE. If you are sending by snail mail, include a return envelope. That alone will increase the chances that your donors will contribute.
Follow the law. All political fundraising material should contain relevant disclaimers as required by your state or local law.

Writing an effective fundraising piece takes work. Your letters should include some basic information for the donor. For example: You should let them know what elected position are you running for. Tell them why you running for office. More importantly, you should let the recipient know what the benefit is for THEM. What will they get out of helping you? Will they get lower taxes, school improvements, tighter law enforcement?

How much money do you need to raise? Is this a generic appeal or a specific one? (Specific appeals are more effective.) You won’t be able to raise your entire campaign budget from one fundraiser. If you get people to invest early on, they will continue to support you. You can count on initial donors to give again and again in the time leading up to Election Day.

Download our Political Campaign Letter Templates or save with our Digital Combo Package.

How Many Households Must I Reach to Win A Local Election?

You probably don’t need to reach as many households as you might think. Let’s assume that you have already figured out the number of votes you need to win your election, but you want to know how many households that translates into.

In other words, how many doors can you expect to knock on?

Let’s assume that there are two voters per household. Some households may have three or four voters living under the same room. Some households will have a single voter. We can also assume that two spouses are likely to vote together, and if you talk to one member of the family, than you can probably expect to get the second vote.

So, how many households will you need to communicate with to receive the number of votes needed to win?

Let us say that your district has total number of 10,000 voters. In the last local election, there was 50% turnout of voters, or 5,000 votes cast. In a two-person race, you would need 2501 votes to win. In a multi-candidate race, you would calculate the number of votes needed based on the number cast for the winning candidate.

In this example, with a two-person race, there might be an average of two voters per household. That would come to 2500 households.

You can’t assume that every voter you speak with will be persuaded to vote for you. Let’s say you can persuade seven out of ten voters you directly communicate with to vote for you.

With those assumptions, you would need to talk to about 7150 voters or about 3575 households in order to be assured of the level of support needed to win.

The upside is that now you have a better idea how many households you will need to reach during your campaign canvassing. From there, it’s a matter of scheduling time to personally reach out to the voters.

Want to reach voter households directly? Consider IP Targeting. Your ads can show on user devices on specific addresses, appearing on news websites, email portals and more. Learn more.

Creating a Political Campaign Swipe File

In marketing, a swipe file is a collection of excellent sales letters and materials that provide an easy reference for ideas for creative projects. Maintaining a swipe file is a common practice for advertising copywriters and creative directors.

You can use the same technique for your own political campaign.

You need all the help you can get if you are the person who writes brochure copy, campaign website material, and advertising material for a political campaign. With a swipe file, you can study persuasive techniques and provide a template for your own writing. Using reference material that you’ve previously saved can save production time, help you overcome writer’s block, and jump-start your creative process.

Whenever you find a great campaign mailing, brochure, or copy, add it to your swipe file. You will have no shortage of material during election season. Sign up for larger campaign and non-profit email lists. (You may want to use a dedicated email address for this purpose.) This can help you collect ideas from professional copywriters and marketers.

Emails, graphics, and screen shots are easy to save. For non-electronic material, take a picture and save it digitally. Set up a folder on your computer to store your files. Online tools like Evernote are great for storing and organizing material. You can capture, organize, and share notes from anywhere and keep them in sync.

Organize your content into categories, such as interesting quotes, effective emails, and advertising ideas. Before long, you’ll have a repository of inspirational content to reference when you create your own campaign material.

Picasso is credited with the saying, ‘Good artists copy; great artists steal.’

Is swiping stealing? Not if you create a campaign swipe file.

Is swiping stealing? Not if you do it right.

But don’t be a thief. Plagiarism is defined as taking the original work or works of another and presenting them as your own. Directly lifting text, images, or campaign slogans from other sources will very likely come back to bite you.

There is a long history of politics and plagiarism, ranging from speeches to slogans to political campaign brochures. Everything is searchable on the internet.

Instead, use your swipe file to understand how materials can be effective and engaging. Always rework and rewrite material for your own use. Give it your own personality.

Political campaigning is just another way of marketing. Studying successful marketing material is a great way to develop your own effective campaign content.

Start collecting for your swipe folder today!

From setting up a political online presence to social media setup to IP Voter Targeting, Online Candidate can help your election campaign.

How Much Should Your Political Campaign Budget For Digital?

Online campaigning has evolved over the past decade. So has the spend on political digital marketing.

Digital media spend totaled $1.9 billion in 2018. That was a 20% share of total political ad spending, according to a Borrell Associates study. Much of this spend was on the local level for elections and ballot initiatives. In the post-pandemic era, you can figure that at least 20-30% of a campaign’s advertising budget should be dedicated to digital.

With these numbers in mind, how much should your campaign budget for digital advertising?

To determine how much a political campaign will cost, we need to pull together a few numbers. First, you need to know how many votes you need to win your race. This can be an estimate, but it provides a base number in determining the amount you will need to spend. Your local board of elections can help provide information.

In addition to the number of votes cast, look at what money was spent by winning candidates in past elections. Dividing the amount spent by the candidate by the number of votes cast will give you the cost per single vote. For federal elections, you can check opensecrets.com. This number can vary depending on the elected position and whether it was a general or primary election.

Of course, money doesn’t always translate into political victory. (But most of the time, it does.)

Political campaign budgets are determined by several factors. They include staffing, voter operations, fundraising costs, and mailings. These line items tend to be more fixed costs. Digital expenses can be harder to budget for as costs can be more fluid, depending on real-time events.

Let’s look at the math to determine a rough digital budget estimate for a political campaign.

Suppose you need 5000 votes to win your local election. Based on past races for the position, you’ve estimated that your cost per single vote is $5.

So if you need 5000 votes to win, and will spend an average of $5 per won vote, and you plan to spend 20% of your budget on digital, then your budget for digital media would be $5000. (5000 votes x $5 per won vote == $25000.) 20% of that for digital equals $5000.)

Some local candidates will do the minimum and just build a political website. Others will also create social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter.

Unfortunately, you won’t get far or attract much of a following without spending money. In the online realm, there is no free lunch anymore.

Even low-budget local candidates must campaign online to reach voters. How a political marketing budget is spent will depend on your resources and how you want to reach voters.

Facebook advertising is a cheap and simple way to promote your campaign. You can promote posts and target Facebook ads to voters in your area. You can target your even ads by interests and demographics. However, new restrictions and disclosure requirements are changing the ad landscape. If you plan to run ads on Facebook, prepare early and get yourself verified. Depending on the number of people you want to reach, pushing individual posts can cost as little as $5-20 each to promote to your followers and their friends or as much as hundreds of dollars if you target a much larger audience.

Pay per click on Google is another method of promoting your campaign. Ads are displayed when people search for phrases that you bid on. Most campaigns will target their name, location and keywords related to various issues. Display advertising allows you to broadly market to geographic areas.

For Google display advertising, political advertisers are limited and can only target by zip code, age and gender.

Retargeting displays recurring ads to people who visit your campaign website. The goal is to get them to return to your site by showing your ads on ad networks that display on other websites. While affordable, this advertising method limits your audience only to those who have already seen your site.

IP Targeting allows you to reach voters directly, even if they have never visited your website. Physical addresses can be translated to IP addresses, allowing ads to be targeted one-on-one to potential voters. You can reach members of your party, households matching a certain demographic or even specific geographic locations. IP-backed banner ad campaigns have been shown to be 50 to 100 times more targeted then television, and 6 to 60 times more effective than other online ad methods. IP Targeting starts at $750 per ad campaign. This is a service offered by Online Candidate. Learn more about political IP Targeting.

Text messaging services have grown in popularity and ease of use. Text messaging has a very high delivery rate. However, recipients must opt-in to receive texts. You can send a mass text message to supporters during important points of the campaign. For example, you could send one after a debate or rally, and ask for a donation. Text messages are a good follow-up for volunteers who are working phone banks.

Most online services provide pricing, so you can get a rough idea of how much you might spend on particular services over the course of a campaign. PPC and social media might be more difficult budget for. You may want to start a trial campaign just to see what your costs may entail. Even with a rough number, budget extra money for unexpected expenses and for a major push just before Election Day.

The key to advertising online is to reach voters and constituents wherever they are. Not everyone uses social media or has a data-enabled cell phone. You wouldn’t just rely solely on television or radio ads; use as many advertising mediums as you can – or can afford to use.

Ideally, you want to advertise several weeks to over a month before the general election. Why so long? The election season starts earlier than you may think. There are mail-in voters to consider, and the early voting that some states initiated in 2020 have since become a trend.

Tracking your marketing efforts is important. Your campaign site should have analytics to track your visitors and where they come from. If you can, split test your outbound messaging. Testing and monitoring your results helps you discover what resonates with voters and provides the most interaction. This includes running multiple PPC ads at one time, A/B testing your email subject lines, using different splash pages for your fundraising efforts and carefully monitoring your social media interaction.

Digital advertising isn’t about clicks, web visits, donations raised or submitted volunteer forms. It’s about delivering your message to voters so they remember you when they cast their ballot.

The more touches and exposure you make, the better. It improves your visibility and improves your personal brand.

How much should you put aside for your digital efforts? Our advice for smaller campaigns is to allocate a decent percentage of your campaign’s ad budget to online and digital. Budget some early money toward building exposure and online fundraising. Later, spend to increase awareness and later budget for your get out the vote efforts.

Ultimately, your advertising success is measured in votes on Election Day. Digital advertising is a big part of that. Even if you are in a local race, be prepared to devote a section of your budget to online spending.

Online Candidate provides an affordable, powerful way to build your online campaign. Find out why we are the choice for hundreds of campaigns every election cycle.