By Alan Sharpe, CFRE
You can lose a direct mail donation quicker than you think. So your primary goal at the start of your fundraising letter is to demonstrate relevance. You must prove, and quickly, that what you have to say is relevant to your reader. That’s why I recommend you write your copy as though it’s appearing on page one of a Google search results page.
Your donors think in terms of problems, not products. That’s why a teenager doesn’t boot up Google and type “Accutane.” She types “acne” or “acne medication” or “acne treatment.” So think of the keywords that a donor types into Google when looking for information about the problem that your charity solves.
Your fundraising letter needs to have those keyword phrases, not the name of your organization or program, at the top of your letter. You don’t demonstrate relevance by promoting yourself or your brand. You demonstrate relevance by showing donors that you understand their problem. And you do that by talking about their problem in the same language that they use.
How do you know which keywords to us in your fundraising letter to hook your readers? Visit Google. Type in the top keywords associated with your cause or service. Click the Search button. Now pay attention to the hits that appear on page one. These websites are ranked in order of relevance. The most relevant sites appear on page one, starting from the top.
Let me give you an example. My Dad had Alzheimer’s Disease. When I wanted to find information about the disease, its symptoms, its causes and (especially) its prognosis, I typed “Alzheimer’s disease” into Google. The first link on the first page of results was for the Alzheimer’s Association. Highly relevant, you’ll agree, and just what I was searching for. Then followed the pages on Wikipedia that discuss the disease in detail, and the page for the US Government site that does the same.
Here are some of the keywords that appear in the page titles and descriptions for the first two pages of Google hits:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- treatment
- symptoms
- tests/diagnosis
- causes/risk factors
- support and advocacy
- dementia
If you want to earn a donation from me to fight Alzheimer’s, put these keywords throughout your direct mail fundraising package, particularly in your outer envelope teaser copy, letter overline and opening line of your letter. I might not donate, but you can be sure I’ll read every word of your letter, just so long as you prove that you’re relevant in my life, and do so quickly.
Learn More
Breakthrough Fundraising Letters.
How to write direct mail donation request appeals that attract more donors, raise more money, and build stronger relationships. Available in paperback and as an e-book.
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