Types of emails
Action
Action emails position the ACLU supporter as a key changemaker, or in other words, the hero of the story. The email paints a picture for our supporters: This is what’s happening, this is what you have the power to do, and this is how it will make a difference. We aim to inform and engage our audience, while making them feel like part of a powerful team.
Action emails include CTAs to online actions like petitions, message actions, comment actions, call actions, or social shares. The tone of copy is fiery and urgent, yet informational and educational. These emails often incorporate the threat and enemy lenses to motivate the audience to act.
The action email is meant to empower people with tools to take action in new ways and call out the impact they make. These emails include a theory of change (if you do [x], then [y] will happen). The reader must be inspired to act and feel like they can make a difference.
Example: 9/3/19 email promoting Department of Labor call action using threat lens.
Affiliate
Affiliate emails target the respective lists of each of our 50 affiliates. The template is branded as an affiliate email specifically so users will be able to know right away that the email comes from the affiliate, therefore tailored to a local audience in a seamless and on-brand manner. Content and signers are often specific to the affiliate, to give it more local flavor. For example, an affiliate email might use its own executive director rather than Anthony.
Appeal
The main ask of an appeal email is fundraising. The tone is urgent, yet hopeful: Your donation can make a difference, chip in to fight back. Appeal emails try to make the reader feel like they are a part of something bigger – a movement with the power to enact change if they pitch in and help. Common lenses used are threat and enemy lenses (particularly in response to Trump news) or stirring and visionary.
For appeals, the framing is often highly specific to the audience. For example, mid-major gift donors, annual fund donors, renewals, and Guardians of Liberty. Non-donors get content tailored to them, encouraging them to become subscribers.
Example: 11/27/18 Giving Tuesday appeal.
Content and cultivation
In order to build a strong, healthy, active, and sustainable email audience, we occasionally send content (or cultivation) emails. These emails don’t link to online actions. Instead, they highlight website content like blogs, videos, or feature pages. The goal is to keep readers connected to an issue, share important updates, educate, and drive traffic to our website.
Content emails can sometimes raise significant amounts of money, typically by including a passive ask. For example, the donate button in the footer, or a click-through link that lands on a donation form.
Example: The Smart Justice video on Lavette, sent on Mother’s Day, 5/13/18.
Event recruit
The goal of an event email is to drive RSVPs and attendance, and they often position our supporters’ involvement as a direct part of our fight for civil rights and liberties. In other words: you’re doing your part by showing up.
Tone is subject to the kind of event and the kind of audience we have in mind.
Example: Membership conference emails from Spring 2018.
dSurvey
Survey emails aim to collect information about our audience or solicit audience input. The tone is often personal – we want to know about you, we value your opinion, etc. ACLU surveys have asked about political affiliation, personal experiences related to our campaigns, supporter priorities for a new legislative session, and more. Sometimes the aim of a survey is simply to engage our audience, and the results themselves aren’t as important.
Surveys must be positioned as optional, and privacy concerns must be clearly addressed upfront. We must explain why we’re collecting the information and how we plan to use it. We also use surveys sparingly so they don’t appear meaningless, or as a mere tool for engagement alone. When sending out a survey, coordinate with other units since we sometimes have several running at the same time.
EVERGREEN CULTIVATION SERIES
These emails promote various types of ACLU content, such as blogs, op-eds, and actions. They go out on a regular schedule (for example, weekly or monthly), and aim to build list engagement longterm with a steady stream of informative content.
The ACLU National weekly editorial newsletter goes out each Saturday morning and includes a round-up of top performing editorial content from the week. Editorial content descriptions make up most if not all of the email copy, which the editorial team writes. Content is informative but often fun and lighthearted, especially in the titles and headers. The goal of the newsletter is to update our email audience on (and engage them in) a wide range of the ACLU’s work that they may not see in the regular email stream – through longer-form content that readers are more likely to digest on the weekend.
Example: Newsletter for subscriber audience.
The Debrief goes out each month to donors. Unlike the newsletter, which focuses on editorial content, the Debrief features many different kinds of content, like actions, news from outside sources, etc.
PEOPLE POWER
People Power emails aim to mobilize ACLU supporters on the ground in their respective communities. They often point to rallies, phone bank events, and other direct-action initiatives and stress the importance of teamwork and the wider movement. These emails don’t delve deep into the issues but keep the moment and movement front and center. The People Power audience includes some of the most engaged ACLU supporters.
Example: People Power phone bank email from 10/29/18.