Do you have a specific type of reader in mind when you write your fundraising appeal, newsletter, brochure, blog, Facebook post…? You should. This is where personas come in.
Creating a full-blown persona can feel arduous. Thank goodness for Tom Ahern! He gives us four handy personalities to consider when embarking on mission-motivated writing.
- Amiable: They crave a good story and engaging images.
- Expressive: They want something new. Program, website, trends, reports. New=good.
- Skeptical: They’re into facts and supporting evidence. FAQs, testimonials and proof points will make them happy.
- Bottom-liner: They’re looking for a very specific, actionable call to action (CTA). Make it easy for them to know what to do.
Each of us has a bit of each of these personalities in us and so do the people you’re trying to engage. Write accordingly. You might mix a bit of amiable with a dose of skeptical for your fall newsletter and then for your year-end appeal, get expressive with some bottom-line.
The point: For best results, write with a specific personality in mind.