Localgiving have put together a useful article to help charities write effective copy in just six essential steps.
There's no need for long fancy words or a degree in English Literature to produce insightful copy for your charity, instead, considering the below tips when planning your content will be sure to help you hit the mark.
1) Know Your Audience
The first tip to get the ball rolling is perhaps one of the most important questions you must ask yourself before you put (virtual) pen to paper...'Who are you writing for and why?'
Think about your demographic, your target audience, and what motivates them to engage with your content? Keeping your copy in line with the needs, wants and interests of your target audience will ensure your copy stays relevant and tangent-free, and that your readers stay engaged with your charity.
2) Engage and Incorporate Real Life Stories
The power of relatability and emotional engagement cannot be underestimated, so make sure to find opportunities to tie in real life examples and harness the power of human stories. A memorable and simple story that suitably encapsulates your charity and its aims can do wonders for bringing a piece of copy to life. Including quotes from those in the story is also greatly helpful for bringing trust and credibility to your message. By incorporating real life stories into your charity's copy, you will have a much stronger impact on your readers.
3) Take Care When Choosing Statistics
Don't be tempted to throw in all the statistics you have into your copy, be selective and confident in their meaning first. Too many statistics can be overwhelming, but when used wisely, they showcase a deep understanding of the issues raised and the impact of your charity's work.
4) Keep it Short and Simple
When you're passionate about the cause, it's all too easy to get ahead of yourself and pour both your heart and all your knowledge into your writing. But this can be off-putting for readers, and you can lose their attention with lengthy pieces. Be selective and concise and include only the necessary information.
5) Your Headline Matters
Just as you put thought and effort into writing effective charity copy, so should you think wisely about your headline. This is the first thing your readers will see, and it has to be eye-catching enough to draw them in in the first place. Localgiving recommends that your starting point should be to follow the ‘4 R’s’: Urgent, Unique, Useful, and Ultra-specific.
6) Think About When To Add Your Call-to-Action
Planning the structure of your copy is important and will naturally change depending on the context and topic; there is no one-size-fits-all!
You may want to instil a sense of urgency by positioning your call to action at the very start of the article, or you may need to build a strong argument for your cause first. Either way, it's vital to think about when in the text it will be most effective, and thus when your reader will be most receptive and engaged to act.
Try to make your call to action as specific and persuasive as possible, so your readers are motivated to rise to the call, rather than lost in an overly-descriptive chunk of writing.
To read Localgiving's six tips in more detail, click here.
Comments