My Mailboxes Runneth Over
Teasers and subject lines
Maybe it's just my imagination, but it seems a lot of nonprofits are very creative with their e-mail subject lines, but relying on the same-old, same-old for envelope teasers. Both of these elements have the same purpose - to get the recipient to look "inside" and read your offer. Direct mail is still a powerful source of income, and it deserves better than simply regurgitating teasers (and design) from 10 years ago. I know that some of these are repeated year after year and they have worked over and over, but let's keep testing. Finding a more successful way to say the old message could break through the subconscious of numb supporters and mean some seriously increased net income.
Pamela Barden is an independent fundraising consultant focused on direct response. You can read more of her fundraising columns here.