[Lnc-business] Fundraising

[Daniel Wiener]

I'm on a bunch of mailing lists for various candidates, mostly Republicans
but also organizations like MoveOn.org and Bernie Sanders.  (Even for me,
the Hillary email list is a bridge too far.)   I've been getting an average
of two Ted Cruz emails a day, sometimes spiking up to half a dozen.  I
think we have much to learn from all their fundraising pitches, especially
from Cruz who has run an extremely effective and organized campaign and
raised huge amounts of money.

Among those lessons are to *greatly increase* the frequency of our
solicitations; to segment and micro-target potential contributors (i.e.,
I'm pretty sure that the Cruz campaign uses different pitches tuned to
different interests and subcategories); to use attention-grabbing subject
lines which at first may appear counter-intuitive; to always give some
excuse for extreme urgency; to use gimmicks such as triple-your-donation
(see example in the email below); and to have large links (often giant red
buttons) for different contribution levels.

Here are some examples of attention grabbing subject lines from Cruz (in
just the past two weeks):

*Re: huge phone call* - Ted has been trying to reach you.
*Can't wait to tell you* - Friend, I can't wait to tell you about the phone
call I received
*Tonight* - BREAKING: WE WON!
*I have to ask* - I need to ask you for a personal favor
*this is incredibly hard*
📎* See Attached, Friend*

*THE ESTABLISHMENT: "Anyone but Cruz"*
*Fantastic news for Ted Cruz*
*My Friend Donald Trump* - This is the email I didn't want to have to write.
*[1] Message Unread*


Also noteworthy is that I'll sometimes get two or three almost-identical
versions of the same fundraising pitch, but with one word different in the
subject line.  Or even something as subtle as using square brackets around
a number in one case and parentheses in another case, or single quotation
marks versus double quotation marks.  Obviously they are doing extensive
A/B testing to optimize their response rate.

To raise more money for the LP, we should pay attention to what others are
succesfully doing.  Frequent repetition obviously works, and it gains far
more than the annoyance it causes.  As another example, MoveOn.org sends
out an average of about one email a day.  As long as each one has a
different, interesting subject line and message, it doesn't become
counterproductive.

Dan Wiener

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ted at tedcruz.org <ted at tedcruz.org>
Date: Thu, Feb 4, 2016 at 11:12 AM
Subject: help
To: Friend <wiener at bidslash.com>


I'm praying this email reaches you immediately because I really do need
your help before the clock runs out...let me explain.
[image: Cruz For President]
<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/33332484:WGX7HQCN8:m:1:847663864:88B419050AE825FBC70E4886A19AF2C4:r>
Friend,

I'm praying this email reaches you immediately because I really do need
your help before the clock runs out...let me explain.

We received great news when a few very generous donors stepped up after we
won Iowa and agreed to match all online donations -- one for one -- for 48
hours, BUT that has expired.

However, today I have even BETTER NEWS!

*For the next 24 hours, several donors have stepped forward to DOUBLE the
match of all donations made through the links in this email. *

*LIMITED 24 HOUR DOUBLE MATCH EXTENSION: click here to donate >>*
<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/33332484:WGX7HQCN8:m:1:847663864:88B419050AE825FBC70E4886A19AF2C4:r>

This means our matching program has been extended for a limited 24 more
hours.

Please let me share how special this is: your contribution of $25 will be
matched two-fold to become $75, $50 will be worth $150, and $500 will
become $1500.

Your donation will be worth triple the original amount you gave.

Here is the best part -- even if you have already given a matched donation
this still applies to you.

You can see how this is the most important message I've sent you.

*24 HOUR DOUBLE MATCH EXTENSION: Stop what you are doing and click here to
donate >>*
<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/33332484:WGX7HQCN8:m:1:847663864:88B419050AE825FBC70E4886A19AF2C4:r>

Please, can I count on you to respond right away?

Any amount helps, and with just days before the New Hampshire primary -- I
need every last bit of support I can get.

If you've already donated, thank you. I wish I didn't have to ask...but *as
one of my most trusted supporters, can I count on you* to make the most of
this opportunity and donate again?

Friend, the next 24 hours are critical. Your action today will give me the
momentum I need leading into New Hampshire, South Carolina, and beyond.

*Donate $10, see it matched to become $30 >>*
<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/33332484:WGX7HQCN8:m:1:847663864:88B419050AE825FBC70E4886A19AF2C4:r>

*Donate $25, have it double-matched to become $75 >>*
<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/33332484:WGX7HQCN8:m:1:847663864:88B419050AE825FBC70E4886A19AF2C4:r>

*Donate $50, see it double-matched to become $150 >>*
<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/33332484:WGX7HQCN8:m:1:847663864:88B419050AE825FBC70E4886A19AF2C4:r>

*Donate $100, it will be matched two-fold to become $300 >>*
<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/33332484:WGX7HQCN8:m:1:847663864:88B419050AE825FBC70E4886A19AF2C4:r>

*Donate $500, it will triple to become $1,500 >>*
<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/33332484:WGX7HQCN8:m:1:847663864:88B419050AE825FBC70E4886A19AF2C4:r>

This is good for only 24 hours.

*Friend, this is our time. *

Our win in Iowa was key -- with your support, it can happen again.

For liberty,

Ted Cruz
























PAID FOR BY CRUZ FOR PRESIDENT
www.tedcruz.org

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-- 
*"In general, we look for a new law by the following process. First, we
guess it (audience laughter), no, don’t laugh, that’s the truth. Then we
compute the consequences of the guess, to see what, if this is right, if
this law we guess is right, to see what it would imply and then we compare
the computation results to nature or we say compare to experiment or
experience, compare it directly with observations to see if it works. If it
disagrees with experiment, it’s WRONG. In that simple statement is the key
to science. It doesn’t make any difference how beautiful your guess is, it
doesn’t matter how smart you are, who made the guess, or what his name is.
If it disagrees with experiment, it’s wrong. That’s all there is to it.”*
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