Social media and mobile technology have fundamentally changed the way nonprofits communicate with their supporters. It has also changed the way supporters use email, and thus how nonprofits publish e-newsletters. Below is a list of e-Newsletter Best Practices for nonprofits to consider and integrate into their website, social media and mobile technology campaigns.
Please Note: Three new best practices are added each month. Please subscribe to DIOSA Communication's Best Practices e-newsletter to be alerted when new e-Newsletter Best Practices have been posted.
1. Keep your e-Newsletter design simple.
Five years ago three-column e-Newsletters loaded with graphics and 4-5 stories were the standard best practice. Not anymore. People are inundated with information all day long from a variety of sources and too much content can be both a visual and mental distraction. If you want to get the attention of your readers, keep your e-Newsletter design simple. Single column, black text on white, and a subtle color for your background with a bright, colorful header at the top. Oceana was a pioneer in utilizing e-mail newsletters and their current design is great example of how to successfully design an e-Newsletter in an age of social media.
2. Keep paragraphs short, color links, and use bold headlines to make it easy to skim.
Web writing 101. Keep paragraphs short. Put line breaks between paragraphs. Color your hyperlinks to make them stand out. Use bold headlines to make your e-newsletter easy to skim. People are very busy these days and bombarded with information. They need to be able to digest to gist of your e-newsletter in 5-10 seconds and understand quickly what they need to click on to take action, learn more, make a donation, etc. See a recent CARE e-Newsletter for an example.
3. Publish e-Newsletters that are 500 words or less that focus on 1-3 stories.
Before blogging, Facebook and Twitter, one of the primary purposes of e-Newsletters was to distribute a lot of information about what was happening with your organization. Now there are numerous channels where your supporters can get that information. Too much information in your e-Newsletter will overwhelm your readers. Keep it on the shorter side. Focus on one to three stories in 500 words or less. A good example is the Oceana e-Newsletter. It is 263 words and focuses on one story - a pitch to take a quiz.
4. Follow the CAN-Spam Laws.
Following the CAN-Spam Laws are crucial for nonprofits. People must opt-in to receive your e-Newsletter. You can't subscribe them just because you think they would like to receive it. You must also clearly have unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each e-Newsletter, as well as snail mail address. Nothing is more annoying to potential supporters than subscribing them to an e-Newsletter without their permission, then making them jump through hoops to unsubscribe. Most web-based e-Newsletter vendors (like Constant Contact) will automatically prompt you to do this before you send out your first e-Newsletter. If you are managing your e-Newsletter in-house, whatever you do, don't break the CAN-Spam Laws.
5. Add a "Donate Now" button to your e-Newsletter.
Not every e-Newsletter should include a pitch for your supporters to donate, but every e-Newsletter should include a "Donate Now" button. See an Amnesty International e-Newsletter for an example.
6. Add a social networking icons to your e-Newsletter.
Like "Donate Now" buttons, not every e-Newsletter should include a "Follow us on Twitter!" or "Friend us on YouTube!", but every e-Newsletter definitely should include social networking icons. Again, see the Amnesty International e-Newsletter for an example.
7. Add an e-Newsletter "Subscribe" button to your Facebook Page.
Using the Static FBML App on Facebook, you can add a "Subscribe" button to your Facebook Page. With just a little bit of html know-how, you can easily add a "Donate Now" button to your Facebook Page that links directly to the donate page on your website. See the Facebook Page of Independent Diplomat for an example.
8. Add an e-Newsletter "Subscribe" button to your Blog.
Blogging is one of the fastest ways to grow your e-Newsletter. Prioritize allowing people to subscribe to your e-newsletter over subscribing to your blog via RSS on your organization's blog. See Greenpeace's blog as an example.
9. Ask people to subscribe to your e-Newsletter via Tweets and Status Updates.
The day before you send out an e-Newsletter, post a Tweet/Status Updates asking people to subscribe to your e-Newsletter. Let them know that the can expect the e-Newsletter within 24 hours. It builds anticipation and increases your opt-in rate. Example Tweet/Status Update:
Sending our my Web 2.0 Best Practices e-Newsletter tomorrow. To receive a copy, please subscribe! http://conta.cc/2VeW7A
10. Keep e-Newsletter "Subject" lines on the short side.
Short subject lines tend to result in the highest open rate. Thus, limit your subject lines to 60 characters or less. Examples of good subject lines:
What you are doing is working (Personal)
Wow (One/Two Word Statements)
Help shut down puppy mills in Missouri! (Call to Action)
Save the Date: 8th Annual Winter Gala (Informational)
URGENT: Haiti needs our help (Motivational)
http://www.diosacommunications.com/enewsletterbestpractices.html
Showing posts with label Public Relations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Public Relations. Show all posts
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
How-to-get-local-tv-to-cover-your-event
Holding a press event is a tricky thing. It can generate great media coverage and public exposure, but you also run the risk of throwing a party where no one shows up.
If the key to your event is getting press to come, then you need to be able to get their interest and participation. That’s why I’ve jotted down the following tips to help you get the word out to the press in a way that will give you a high percentage shot at having them attend.
Media Alerts
Getting a television crew to your event requires some finesse, and the format of the pitch is different than that of a press release. A media alert is the appropriate tool which gives a TV producer or assignment desk editor all the information they need to decide on whether the event you’re holding is of interest to them. Write the media alert in five sections: Who, What, When, Where and Visuals.
■Who: Name your company and any key executives or dignitaries who might be in
attendance. Include only those who will be available to speak on camera.
■What: What is the announcement or the reason for the event? Include all material you consider news.
■When: Make certain to include the date and time of the event, and how long it will run. Also include the schedules of any on-camera spokespeople, and if they will be available before the event.
■Where: This is key. You need to include an address, directions, and a link for Google Maps or MapQuest if you can. Getting a reporter or a crew to an event can be won or lost in how well you direct them there. If security personnel will be at the event or venue, make sure they know the media might be coming.
■Visuals: TV is a visual medium, so make sure you have something for the cameras to shoot. Talking heads does not a press event make. Have demos, graphs, lots of people around, so they’ll have something other than an executive in a suit to shoot.
Communication
To get a television crew at your event, you should follow these instructions precisely, to ensure the highest level of communication possible without annoying the producers and assignment editors.
■First, send the media alert out two weeks prior to the event. Then, one week prior. Then send it to them each of the three days just before the event. The reason for this is that there are different desk editors on different days and different shifts, and they delete all their emails frequently to make room for new alerts.
■Two days before the event, call the assignment desks at all the TV stations you want to cover your event. Ask them if they received your alert – they’ll say no. That’s okay. If it doesn’t grab them right away, they’ll toss it. Send it again, and then call him back immediately afterward, and pitch your event. They’ll give you instructions on how to proceed, which will usually include them asking you to call the morning of the event. That’s okay – you’re going to do that anyway.
■Call on the morning of your event. By now, they know your event, and they know who you are. If your event is interesting enough for them, they’ll tell you. If your event is on a Saturday or Sunday, please be advised that most TV stations only have one crew on duty on the weekends. They’ll be stretched thin, so you reduce your chances for success with weekend events.
Use the right tools, making sure the producers and assignment desk editors are fully informed, but do it in a professional way so as not to drive them crazy, and you’ll have a much better shot at getting coverage for your event.
Marsha Friedman is a 20-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations, a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. She also hosts a national weekly radio talk show, The Family Round Table, and is author of the book, Celebritize Yourself.)
http://www.pnnonline.org/marsha-freidman-how-to-get-local-tv-to-cover-your-event
If the key to your event is getting press to come, then you need to be able to get their interest and participation. That’s why I’ve jotted down the following tips to help you get the word out to the press in a way that will give you a high percentage shot at having them attend.
Media Alerts
Getting a television crew to your event requires some finesse, and the format of the pitch is different than that of a press release. A media alert is the appropriate tool which gives a TV producer or assignment desk editor all the information they need to decide on whether the event you’re holding is of interest to them. Write the media alert in five sections: Who, What, When, Where and Visuals.
■Who: Name your company and any key executives or dignitaries who might be in
attendance. Include only those who will be available to speak on camera.
■What: What is the announcement or the reason for the event? Include all material you consider news.
■When: Make certain to include the date and time of the event, and how long it will run. Also include the schedules of any on-camera spokespeople, and if they will be available before the event.
■Where: This is key. You need to include an address, directions, and a link for Google Maps or MapQuest if you can. Getting a reporter or a crew to an event can be won or lost in how well you direct them there. If security personnel will be at the event or venue, make sure they know the media might be coming.
■Visuals: TV is a visual medium, so make sure you have something for the cameras to shoot. Talking heads does not a press event make. Have demos, graphs, lots of people around, so they’ll have something other than an executive in a suit to shoot.
Communication
To get a television crew at your event, you should follow these instructions precisely, to ensure the highest level of communication possible without annoying the producers and assignment editors.
■First, send the media alert out two weeks prior to the event. Then, one week prior. Then send it to them each of the three days just before the event. The reason for this is that there are different desk editors on different days and different shifts, and they delete all their emails frequently to make room for new alerts.
■Two days before the event, call the assignment desks at all the TV stations you want to cover your event. Ask them if they received your alert – they’ll say no. That’s okay. If it doesn’t grab them right away, they’ll toss it. Send it again, and then call him back immediately afterward, and pitch your event. They’ll give you instructions on how to proceed, which will usually include them asking you to call the morning of the event. That’s okay – you’re going to do that anyway.
■Call on the morning of your event. By now, they know your event, and they know who you are. If your event is interesting enough for them, they’ll tell you. If your event is on a Saturday or Sunday, please be advised that most TV stations only have one crew on duty on the weekends. They’ll be stretched thin, so you reduce your chances for success with weekend events.
Use the right tools, making sure the producers and assignment desk editors are fully informed, but do it in a professional way so as not to drive them crazy, and you’ll have a much better shot at getting coverage for your event.
Marsha Friedman is a 20-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations, a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. She also hosts a national weekly radio talk show, The Family Round Table, and is author of the book, Celebritize Yourself.)
http://www.pnnonline.org/marsha-freidman-how-to-get-local-tv-to-cover-your-event
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