Hello, Changemaker!

Karen Nilsen

Hi I’m Karen. I want to share with you the tactics I’ve used to build digital power and engage a supporter base of millions. Are you ready? Let’s get started!

Should You Send Emails from Your ‘Organization’ or an Actual Person?

Here’s how the internal dialog usually goes: “We’re torn. We see other organizations sending from individual people but how do we know if that would work for us?” ... “What about our organizational ‘voice’?” .....

5 minute read

Here’s how the internal dialog usually goes: “We’re torn. We see other organizations sending from individual people but how do we know if...

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6 Things That Stop People Opening Emails

I know what you’re thinking. “Subject lines”. And you’d be right. Subject lines are hailed as the ‘be all and end all’ of email open rates—understandably. But they don’t act alone. To maximize the...

3 minute read

I know what you’re thinking. “Subject lines”. And you’d be right. Subject lines are hailed as the ‘be all and...

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Say Thanks (and Mean It)

Great action pages will attract people via social media, search, traditional media, and even word of mouth. This means they’re ideal for list-building. It also means that action pages are often the first meaningful touchpoint for new...

2 minute read

Great action pages will attract people via social media, search, traditional media, and even word of mouth. This means they’re ideal for list-building...

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Formatting for Skim Readers: Essential Tips

Here’s an important piece of digital communication that you’ve probably never read: Few of us pay attention to stuff like this. And not because it doesn’t contain important information. It does. You’ve probably never...

5 minute read

Here’s an important piece of digital communication that you’ve probably never read: Few of us pay attention to stuff like...

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How to Hook Your Reader

To steal a mantra from our friends in journalism: don’t bury the lede. The idea might have started in newspaper offices but it applies anywhere we’re competing for our audience’s attention (so, the entire Internet)...

3 minute read

To steal a mantra from our friends in journalism: don’t bury the lede. The idea might have started in newspaper offices...

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Please, Abandon Your Action Lists

As changemakers, it’s our job to dream up all the ways our supporters can get involved to help our cause or win our campaign. However, we can do better than simply listing these actions. Action lists...

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As changemakers, it’s our job to dream up all the ways our supporters can get involved to help our cause or win...

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