Campaign Writing Can Make or Break a Vote
First impressions will make or break a voter’s support. The campaign material you distribute should always be your best work.
Recently, a local candidate running for village trustee left some campaign literature at our door. I had not heard of this candidate before, and my first exposure to him was through his brochure.
And judging by the brochure itself, it’s highly unlikely that I will be voting for this person next month.
It wasn’t that the brochure wasn’t attractive. In fact, the piece was well-designed. It was nice and clean, without a lot of clutter that you sometimes see on campaign literature.
Rather, the problem was with the copy. The brochure was poorly written and contained a number of grammatical errors. It took two or three readings to get the gist of what the candidate was trying to say about his background and vision for the village. There were run-on sentences, bad punctuation and mangled syntax. It felt like I was like reading the first draft of a fourth-grader’s civics essay.
Sadly, the candidate’s bio stated that he was a college graduate.
As you can imagine, the candidate failed to gain my support. If a candidate cannot take the effort to clearly articulate his or her thoughts on paper, how can I trust them to deal with the complex issues of governing?
The moral of this story is to always prufread proofread your campaign materials. Even if you think it’s great, have another set of eyes go over it. Make your revisions and continue rounds of proofreading until your wording is perfect.
Only your best work should be presented to the public. In many cases, voters will only know of you through your campaign literature.
In this case, it only took one brochure to lose my vote.
Looking for campaign brochure templates? Free up your valuable time with our Political Print Templates. They will add a professional edge to your campaign print material. Or see all products in our Download Store.
Check Out Our New Political Platform Generator Tool [Fun]
Coming up with campaign slogan isn’t too hard. The real work comes when it’s time to come up with a political platform to attract voters.
Fortunately, like everything else, the problem can be solved with computers!
We just put together a great political platform generator tool to help candidates come up with just the right campaign promise to target their most important constituents.
It’s simple. It’s easy. And if you don’t like the examples, let the tool create a new campaign promise for you!
Check out our Political Campaign Platform Generator!
(If you like it, tell your friends – but make sure you keep it from the opposition!)
For those of you looking for a real definition:
A political platform is a list of actions or policy stances that a candidate, political party, or organization supports or endorses. A platform is designed to appeal to voters in order to win and office or elected position.
5 Tips To Mix Online Into Your First Fundraising Event
There is a lot of advice about planning and running your first fundraising event. Conventional wisdom is that your initial fundraising event will provide the seed money to get things started, including starting your online presence.
That’s not necessarily true.
Your online campaign should start long before your announce that you are running for office.
In fact, it’s a great idea to have your campaign website and social media accounts up and running long before your first big fundraiser. Your means of taking online donations should also be in place.
With some planning, you can use your existing online presence to turn your fundraising event into something that increases awareness, attracts more interest in your campaign – and perhaps brings in some additional money!
Here are a few things you want to do to make the most of your big event:
Set up for online donations.
Even if event attendees have paid for tickets, you can still use your campaign fundraiser event to bring in even more money. If possible, set up a laptop to show off your campaign website. Encourage attendees to make an additional online donation or set themselves up for recurring donations throughout the campaign. If it’s your first event, emotions will be high. It’s a good opportunity to tap into that optimism.
Post the event to your website and social media accounts.
Encourage attendees to start following your campaign. Many can do so from their mobile devices. Before the event, ask them to Tweet and post live status updates. Let everyone know about the event #hashtag and encourage them to use it in their posts.
Ask for online contact information from your guests.
Not only should you ask for email addresses when attendees sign in, but also ask for Twitter IDs so your campaign can follow them and they can follow back.
Put your own people to work.
Have one or more insiders at the event post live during the event. Mix pre-scheduled posts using tools like Hootsuite and live posts during the event. Multiple people posting can have an amplification effect on social media. Word of the event and your new campaign will reach a much wider audience.
Do an online follow-up.
After the event, post a “wrap up” of your event’s highlights. Post photos, videos and commentary on your website and your other social media accounts. Don’t do it all at once, though. Talk about the interesting things that happened over the next few days to get some extra mileage from the event.
Hope this helps get your first fundraising event to a great start!
Want more tips and ideas on starting your online campaign? Check out our exclusive ebook Running for Office as an Online Candidate. Have your own fundraiser coming up? You can get your campaign website started fast for a price that meets any budget.
The Fundraising Chicken and Egg Question For Local Candidates
Fundraising might not be fun for political candidates, but it’s a necessity. People can win elections on a shoestring budget, but that’s the exception. Typically, the candidate that can raise and spend the most money tends to win.
The cost of running for office has increased dramatically over the last few decades. This is because campaigns are now more expensive and require more staff and resources than ever before.
The problem for many first-time local and down-ballot candidates is getting enough financial traction to attract enough initial donors. Without enough money, it’s hard to convince donors that your campaign is viable, but building the campaign to a viable status requires money.
It’s the classic chicken-and-egg scenario.
How much does it cost to get started with a campaign?
The cost of running a political campaign often depends on the office you are seeking. For example, if you are running for office in a small district, then your campaign will cost less than if you are running for state office or Congress. The size of the city, town or district will determine how much money is needed to run an effective campaign.
Campaign costs depend on three things:
- 1) How much money is raised by the candidate or organization
- 2) How much money is spent by the candidate or organization
- 3) The type of campaign being run
Appeal to donors and potential donors
Raising seed money is the first thing a campaign committee pursues once a bank account is created. This begins with an initial fundraiser, which is usually focused on getting friends, family, and fellow supporters to donate funds.
If you’ve run for office before, you already have a list of people who have invested in your political career and will likely do so again. If this is your first time running, you can look to donors of other candidates in your party or even enemies of your political opponents. You may be surprised who provides initial contributions.
[bctt tweet=”First time political candidates should look for support from donors of other party candidates. http://ow.ly/uEc130gBjz4″]
Odds are, you’ll need to put in your own money at the start. After all, if you aren’t willing to spend some of your own money to get elected, why should anyone else?
It’s also about image. Print your fundraising letters and materials on attractive stock. Your presentation should make it appear that your campaign is already motion and growing. Donors want to support a possible winner, not bet on a potential long-shot.
That’s one reason why online campaigning is a great strategy. A well-designed website can make a political organization look larger than it might really be. Social media, online news articles and campaign press releases can enhance that perspective and can help generate real interest and attention from donors and voters.
Best of all, the barriers to online fundraising have dropped over the last decade. If you have a campaign bank account, then setting up a donation system is simple. With a website as your online hub, you can use social media such as Facebook and Twitter, email, paid online advertising and even offline promotion to solicit support.
With a little up front money and some work, it makes sense to start campaigning online as early as possible. Campaigns need to raise money from a variety of sources in order to be successful, and they need to do so in an efficient way. The most common way for candidates to get their campaign off the ground is through fundraising events such as dinners, picnics or other events.
So, break that fundraising chicken-and-egg cycle and focus on the important thing – winning your election!
Hundreds of campaigns start early with our affordable Monthly Option to raise seed money to grow their campaigns. We provide the tools to build and manage your online presence. Learn more.
Image courtesy of Gualberto107 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
They’re Not Campaign Supporters Until You Get Them in Voting Booth
The ultimate goal of any political campaign – local, state or federal – is to get people to the voting booth and cast a ballot. It’s a simple idea that it cannot be emphasized enough.
It’s not about fundraising, it’s not about drawing big crowds, and it’s not even about getting high public approval ratings. All those things are good, but they are simply mean to an end.
“A lot of supporters thought I was going to win, so they didn’t bother to go out and vote. Turnout was low, and I lost.”
Never let your supporters grow complacent. Even if your race is a cakewalk and your opponent is an incompetent candidate with nothing going for them, make it the race of your life. The closer you get to voting day, the more you need to remind voters that only their support will help you win, and without their vote, you won’t win.
Every vote counts. If someone doesn’t have the means to get to the polls, help them. Organize volunteers to drive voters to the polls. Add voting information to all of your end-of-campaign communications. Local elections are often won by the thinnest of margins. Don’t let anyone forget that, because in the end you need more than ‘supporters’ or ‘popular’ support, you need the voter turnout.
[bctt tweet=”If a #voter can’t get to the polls, help them get there. http://ow.ly/Z9Pd30gBjLH”]
After all, good intentions in politics mean nothing unless it’s backed by a vote.
Get a jump start on your online campaign press kit. Use our political print templates to add a professional edge to your campaign literature and handouts – or view all of our digital products.
First Person vs. Third Person Copy for Political Campaign Websites
Candidates sometimes contact us because their campaign website does not show up when someone searches their name.
When this happens, one of the first things we check is simple: does the website actually mention the candidate’s full name?
It sounds obvious, but it’s a common issue. After working with political campaign websites for many years, we’ve seen plenty of sites where the candidate’s name barely appears in the body copy. The home page may say “I’m running for mayor” or “I believe our town deserves better,” but it may never say “Jane Smith for Mayor of TinyTown.”
That makes the page less clear.
Search engines need text to understand what a page is about. If the candidate’s ballot name, office, and location are missing from the copy, the campaign website may have a harder time showing up for name-based searches.
This is why point of view matters.
Technically, this is about point of view, not tense. But the practical question is simple: should your campaign website say “I,” or should it use the candidate’s name?
This applies to all types of local races, including mayor campaign websites, school board campaign websites, sheriff campaign websites, city council, county legislature, judge, town supervisor, and county clerk campaigns.
What is first-person campaign copy?
Writing in the first person means writing from the “I” point of view.
For example:
I am running for office because our community deserves better leadership. I have the experience to do the job. My background is in public service, small business, and local advocacy.
First-person copy can sound personal and direct. It works well when the candidate is speaking directly to voters.
But it has one drawback for campaign websites. It replaces the candidate’s name with “I.” If most of the website is written this way, the candidate’s full name may not appear often enough on the page.
What is third-person campaign copy?
Third-person copy uses the candidate’s name instead of “I.”
For example:
Jane Smith is running for mayor because TinyTown deserves better leadership. Smith has the experience to do the job. Her background includes public service, small business, and local advocacy.
See the difference?
The second version reinforces the candidate’s name. It also connects the candidate with the race. That helps voters understand who the site is about and gives search engines clearer information.
Which style should your campaign website use?
We recommend writing most campaign website content in the third person.
This is usually best for the home page, candidate biography, issues pages, endorsements, press releases, volunteer pages, and general campaign information. These pages should clearly identify the candidate and the office being sought.
Third-person copy also avoids repetitive “I” statements. It tends to sound more formal and more campaign-ready.
This does not mean stuffing the candidate’s name into every sentence. That will sound awkward.
Instead, use the full candidate name in important places. Then use shorter references where appropriate.
For example:
Jane Smith is running for Mayor of TinyTown to restore accountability, improve local services, and make town government more responsive to residents.
Then later:
Smith has served on the local planning board for six years.
This keeps the copy readable while still reinforcing the candidate’s identity.
For more help with campaign content, see Don’t Let Weak Copy Undercut Your Political Campaign.
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When first person works better
First person still has a place on a campaign website.
It works well for a candidate’s personal message, open letter to voters, fundraising appeal, video script, or “Why I’m running” statement.
For example:
I’m running because I believe TinyTown needs practical leadership, better communication, and a town board that listens.
That sounds natural as a personal message.
Just make sure the candidate’s name appears around the first-person copy. A personal letter could use the heading:
A Message from Jane Smith
Or it could end with:
Vote Jane Smith for Mayor on November 3.
This keeps the personal tone while still making the page clear.
For biography-specific guidance, see Tips for Writing a Candidate Bio.
Simple ways to add the candidate’s name
If your site uses first-person copy, there are easy ways to include the candidate’s name naturally.
Use pull quotes. For example:
“Jane Smith is committed to lowering costs, improving local services, and making town government more accountable.”
Add a clear call to action at the bottom of important pages or in the footer as a catch-all call to action:
Vote Jane Smith for Mayor on November 3.
Use the candidate’s name in page titles:
Jane Smith for Mayor of TinyTown
About Jane Smith
Jane Smith’s Plan for Safer Streets
Write clear meta descriptions that include the candidate’s name and office:
Learn more about Jane Smith, candidate for Mayor of TinyTown, and her plan to improve local services, reduce waste, and restore accountability.
These small details help people and search engines understand the page faster.
For more on campaign website visibility, see Political SEO Strategies for Campaigns and Candidates.
Final recommendation
Write most political campaign website copy in the third person. Use first person where the candidate’s own voice adds value. That includes personal letters, direct appeals, quotes, and video scripts.
No matter which style you choose, make sure the candidate’s full name appears on each important page of the website. Use the name in page titles, headings, meta descriptions, and calls to action.
Your campaign website should make it easy for voters to know who you are, what you are running for, and why they should support you.
Looking for sample website copy and content?
Visit OnlineCandidateResources.com. Access is free for all Online Candidate clients. It’s designed to help give your website – and campaign – a winning edge.
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