The document provides guidance on writing effective action alerts through email. It discusses why email is an important communication tool, when to send emails, who the target audience should be, and how to structure emails with compelling subject lines, call-out text and images, hooks to catch attention, explanations of the issue and opportunity for action, clear theories of change, direct asks, and movement stories. The document emphasizes testing emails and focusing the content and asks to motivate the target audience to take the desired action.

1. How to write a great
action alert?
Open space session @ #rc12
@p_v_c
@ChangeGER

2. 01 Intro - Why is email important?
02 When to send an email?
03 Who to write it to?
04 How to write an action alert?
05 Testing!

3. 01. Why is email important?

4. Email is a great engine!
 Why it’s still a revolutionary form of communication:
 It’s cheap.
 It’s timely.
 Actionable, and flexible.
 Everyone uses it.
 Measureable.
4

5. You do not build a list,
you build a community!
5

6. 02. When to write an email

7. CRISITUNITY
CRISIS + OPPORTUNITY
THEORY OF CHANGE
CAUSE AND EFFECT RELATION
„When you do this X, Y will change.“

8. No F1 in brutal Bahrain
8

9. TOC
Red Bull is the biggest team in racing and has a sensitive brand.
As consumers, we have power over that brand.
If we convince one brand not to race in Bahrain, others will folllow.
It will send shock waves to the brutal government of Bahrain.
Signing this petition now helps the people of Bahrain.
ben.margetts@avaaz.org
9

10. 03. Whom to write it to

11. The Audience
• Don’t assume our audience has a shared
ideology. (Even within a certain cause
category.)
• Don’t assume our audience has knowledge of
a specific issue. (Even if they’ve taken action in
that cause category before.)

12. The Audience
• Hint: Email to your Mama trick
• Personal stories are more powerful than talking
points
• Use a friendly, familiar tone
• Don’t assume knowledge or use acronyms or
jargon
• Avoid sarcasm, memes, internet jokes he won’t
understand

13. Take care:
Write, as if you write a
letter to the prime
minister.
Deine Email ist nichts wert, wenn die
Menschen nicht mitmachen.
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14. 04. How to write it

15. Main #failures:
 „The policy paper“ email.
 Often, emails are an in depth explanation of the
sender‘s policy.
 „The email with no asks. Or too many asks.“
One ask per email!
15

16. Anatomy of an Email

17. Non body elements (don‘t rush).
• Subjects
• Call-out text
• Call-out images
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18. Subjects
• Short
• Rätselhaft
• Relevant
• Urgency / Timeline
• Country specific
• Alliteration

19. *Subject Line Derby*
• Time: 2 minutes
• Activity: Individual brainstorm of as many creative,
compelling subjects as possible for a given campaign.
• Goal: Practice thinking through different kinds of
subject lines.

20. Campaign:
Tell Angela Merkel to speak
out for Saudi Women

21. Call-out Text
• Needs to stand on its own
• Tell the complete story
• Identify the target and the ask
• Avoid confusing acronyms or jargon

22. Call-out Image
• Look for images that:
• Humanize the issue
• Call attention to a
well-known brand or
figure

23. Body elements.
 Optional: (Hook)
 Crisitunity
 Theory of change
 Ask
 Delivery (Tying it to the real world)
 Movement story
 Sources
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24. Hook
• Objective: Catch the reader’s attention
• You have 2-7 seconds to make the reader want
more

25. Explain the Crisitunity
• Objective: Explain the crisis to the reader, highlight our
opportunity, and emphasize the urgency of his or her
action.

26. Theory of Change
• Objective: convince the reader his or her
action is necessary and will matter.
• A cause-and-effect sequence that begins with
something the reader can do and ends with
the resolution of the crisis.

27. Theory of Change
• “Girls like Mina Johnson
won’t be able to play
football unless school
administrators change
their minds. Sign our
petition to demand they
let girls play.”
• Theory of change:
MISSING

28. Theory of Change
• “Rick Santorum uses
racist language when
talking about immigration
on the campaign trail and
during Republican
debates. Sign this
petition to tell him to
stop attacking
migrants.”
• Theory of change:
IMPLAUSIBLE

29. Make an Ask
• Objective: Get the reader to click the petition
link
• Ask statements should be direct, simple, and
come as early in the email as possible.
• Hint: Ask yourself if each piece of information is
worth delaying the first link.
• 2 times don‘t matter

30. 05. Testing

32. For more info, contact:
@ChangeGER
@p_v_c