Month: June 2014

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1. Reason and Emotion in Grant Preparation & 2. Exporting The U.S. Style of Fundraising

A megaminx - another model of a Rubik's cube

1. Using Both Reason and Emotion in Grant Proposals – Part I: Reason
by Lynn deLearie

Successful grant proposals are often carefully crafted using both reason and emotion. This week I’ll address…The Use Of Reason.

Grants are NOT no-strings-attached gifts. Grants are contracts between grantors, who provide the funds, and grantees, who perform the tasks and deliver the outcomes described in the proposals. Proposals must, therefore, logically show how non-profits will use grant funds to effectively deliver the outcomes that grantors are hoping, and expect to see achieved.

In Using Reason:
• Follow the guidelines, follow the guidelines, follow the guidelines – ‘nuff said!

• Use credible research in your needs section, to help make the case for support. This demonstrates that you clearly understand the needs of your target population within the broader context of your community. Citing credible research also adds to the credibility of your organization. Check with your program staff – they are the experts on what your organization does and will have the most relevant and up-to-date research related to their programs. Ask them for data and statistics to use to make a strong case for supporting what they do.

• Use demographic data to describe your target audience. Include all relevant statistics: race, age, gender, income, etc.

• Indicate that your program model is rooted in research-based best practices. Reference the studies from leading institutions that your organization used to develop your program model.

• Include quantitative metrics in your evaluation section. Quantitative metrics are measurable, and grant reviewers are increasingly asking for more meaningful data. Programs are intended to change behaviors and/or attitudes. Measuring how many people showed up is no longer good enough. Measuring knowledge before and after a particular program activity (pre- and post-testing) would be a viable quantitative metric.

• Indicate that you use your evaluation findings to modify program design. This will demonstrate that your organization takes program evaluation seriously. You are evaluating your programs to improve their effectiveness, not just because grant applications require that you do so.

• Financials – definitely need to be reasonable here… and follow the guidelines! Many foundations define reasonable as spending at least 75% of your annual operating expense on programs and services.

Next Wednesday I’ll take a look at the Emotion side of proposal preparation.

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Lynn deLearie Consulting, LLC, helps nonprofit organizations develop,
enhance and expand grants programs, and helps them
secure funding from foundations and corporations.
Contact Lynn deLearie
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Look for Lynn’s ebook on Grants & Grantsmanship.
It’s part of
The Fundraising Series of ebooks
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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2. The U.S.-Style of Fundraising Can Work in Other Countries
by Tony Poderis

Understanding the Concept and Asking The Hard Questions
The United States, Canada and the United Kingdom share a long tradition of people helping others through their support of nonprofit/nongovernmental organizations.

Fundraising for charitable organizations that promote human welfare—as well as for arts and cultural entities, and for NGOs that do good works—is not just accepted, but is encouraged in our societies.

While the U.S. and some other countries enjoy a long heritage of private support for charitable organizations, individuals in other countries are just as caring and supportive as Americans, Canadians and Britons.

The philanthropic process of raising money, however, has been entirely unknown to folks in countries other than those three or, at best, only introduced in recent decades.

The fundraising process should be the same no matter where it is practiced. What’s missing in countries with young or newly emerging nonprofit and NGO charities is the philanthropic system itself, and the habit of fundraising/giving. These are, of course, formidable challenges. But I know from experience that they can be overcome.

Where Do You Stand?
First, let’s determine exactly what challenges you may face by reviewing the following questions:

— Is there little or no tradition or habit of fundraising in your country?

— Are there few, if any, favorable tax provisions or other incentives in place to encourage charitable giving by individuals and businesses?

— Is there a long-standing tradition of parents bequeathing all, or most, of their assets to their children?

— When government funding of nonprofit organizations and NGOs is cut, do nonprofit organizations in your country turn first to the international community for support, rather than developing fundraising capabilities at home?

— Regarding the seeking of funds from the international community, on the other hand, does your government inhibit foreign funding from coming into your country?

— Do some in your government discourage the work of charities for selfish gain? Do they themselves secure funding that they directly apply to the public’s needs so they can make their constituents beholden to them, thus helping those officials retain their positions in the government?

— Are your government’s laws, regulations, and its general oversight of charities operated through a maze of bureaucracy whose red tape makes it harder for charitable organizations to be established in the first place and to freely function later?

This posting continues on July 9, addressing the Steps Needed to Make It Work.

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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply.”

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Benefits of Mapping (Part 2)

A business woman presenting while showing mapped areas

In continuing with the subject of using the mapping technique (where bubbles/boxes/shapes are used) to organize and visualize your ideas, the following are some more ways that mapping helps; especially with documentation.

  • Aids in organizing documents – Use mapping to group or categorize various documents or their parts to remain organized.
  • Aids in creating technical documents – Use mapping as a road map showing you where one detail or feature leads to another, and therefore helps to make the writing of the document easier and more concise. It is similar to a workflow diagram which can visually display the functionality of an application
  • Aids in structuring documents – Use mapping to shape extensive documents, e.g., for a regulatory compliance document, it can help you arrange different sections of the material according to required specifications. You can associate (/connect/branch) to its different elements and stay focused and on path.
  • Aids in creating test plans – Use mapping to plan, prepare, organize, and manage test scenarios.
  • Aids in creating presentations – Use mapping to focus on the main theme and to organize the session, i.e., type of training session or lecture given to a specific type of audience and through which vehicle and the different kinds of material that need to be created to conduct the training.
  • Aids in monitoring customer feedback – Use mapping to pinpoint where problems exist within documents or applications so that you can see what is good or needs rebuilding.
  • Aids in recreating documents from pre-existing ones –Use existing mappings to create new documents, e.g., if you have a functional document and you previously created a mapping for it, you can reuse the mapping to help develop a new user or training manual by rearranging the bubbles/shapes to see what new chapters are needed and to eliminate what is not needed.
  • Aids in documenting a taxonomy or hierarchy of events or occurrences – Use mapping to assist in visualizing what activities are happening and where. You can keep branching off more events as more ideas or facts need to be added.
  • Aids in showing related groups – By mapping, you can display the relationship(s) from one grouping to another. When used in smaller groups, you can easily see which items are more important and/or related and which items present a detailed breakdown of facts

Use the methodology of mapping as if it’s a game. Through mapping, you see all the players in a group, as well as how you progress from one area (/feature/process) to another. Unlike a process flow, mapping will not show what if scenarios, but it will show how one process leads to another. In summarizing, mapping is not as detailed as a process flow, but you can make it more detailed if you wish to. It is up to you. What I like about mapping is that you can move the bubbles/boxes/shapes as needed so that you can see different views of said items. You can sort and resort as needed depending on the situation.

If you have used this mapping technique, or something similar, please comment as to its benefits and how you have used it.

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Big Ideas – A Parable

Think big sticky note illustration

By Guest Blogger: Geoff Rotunno www.linkedin.com/in/geoffrotunno

People are always asking me where I get all my big ideas. Answer: They just come to me.

Drop by my local coffee shop sometime. That’s me right there, front and center, within easy earshot of all the rants from every table in the place. People do love to rant.

Learning to listen well – especially if you are in the customer service business – is, of course, one of the most important skill you can acquire. But these days, great customer service is not built on listening alone: you also have to give.

I remember the day I learned how to give – in the specific context I’m talking about – and it came when I was well outside of the office, and at a moment I had least expected it.

Years ago, bothered by the monotony of yet another business trip traveled by air, I decided to try the bygone alternative: I took the train. From a journal entry recorded during that trip:

This is the Southwest Chief, eastbound from Los Angeles to Chicago. It is the cusp of autumn.

As we finally speed past the last junk pile in a string that seemed to go on forever, the overweight gentleman from Melbourne in the car seat across from mine does not seem to notice the sudden metamorphosis of Tuesday morning landscape. He is held prisoner by his own formidable snore, which seals in a previous moment spent awake. The endless piles of junk sure color his slumber.

Train number four rumbles along, just east of Topeka at dawn. Acre upon acre of golden-green farmland frames every creek, and watching the poplar and maple and cottonwood and birch blur by, I discover a connection: I am in meditation with a larger landscape. It is a beautiful trance.

I should have nudged the Australian awake. He had been chatting me up endlessly before his impromptu catnap. His lonely heart would have gladdened at the gesture.

Instead, I let my last call summons to the dining car be a convenient excuse, and began the amble toward the source of the inviting aromas.

Concurrent with my arrival at that portal, a horrifying revelation: There are only big tables here – nothing for one. There is nowhere to hide.

Marshaled convincingly by the car’s hostess, I have no choice but to immediately slide into the fourth a final chair at my assigned table. The visual is absolutely ingrained; it is yesterday once more.

“Mornin’,” I say, in an instantly invented mid-Plains drawl.

Henry, a farmer type with strong gray eyes and two-inch wide pomegranate red suspenders, looks me square in the eye, and I know at once that there will be few words between us.

Jonette, our server, pours me some coffee. ‘Bacon and eggs or oatmeal and fruit?’ Her offering is less a question than a statement – and completely mechanical.

“The latter,” I decode quickly, silently panicking over the social crisis at hand.

My eyes land just to Henry’s left, where a joyous African American woman in her 60s, Miss Rosalinda from New Orleans, is receiving her bacon and eggs and biscuit.

“Mmm-mmm,” she almost sings, “and here’s hopin’ that the coffee keeps on comin’!”

Across from the enthusiastic Miss Rosalinda and next to me is Myrtle, a woman with an ornate walking cane. The lovely specimen has, in fact, just slipped off the edge of the table and tumbled – with an extended clatter – to the floor.

But the ruckus is impotent against Myrt’s ceaseless rambling. She’s from Sola, Kansas, destined for Harrisburg by way of Chicago, and oh yes, her grandson has just totaled his Jeep Cherokee –

“… and Lordy, the glass they took out of his face,” she chortles, “is probably enough to replace that big glass wall at that church in California.”

“Crystal Cathedral,” mumbles Henry.

“Mmm-mmm, I love that preacher,” offers Miss Rosalinda, ejecting bits of scrambled egg from her mouth as she speaks.

In the middle of this declaration, I see Miss Rosalinda’s wheels turn as her gaze finds me and her internal barometer starts to size me up. Her eyes are on auto-focus; they neither betray nor stray very far from the truth.

Myrt continues her rant – something about the sleepless night she’s spent aboard the Southwest Chief’s economy sleeping car, and then it’s suddenly just me and Rosalinda, one-on-one.

“First timer,” she volleys.

“Yes.” My eyes begin to dart.

“No,” she clarifies. “I mean at the big table.”

She sees the state brimming within me and then chuckles softly as she aces another blazing serve: “Thought so.”

Henry has the patience to watch beans grow, and Myrt is in complete rapture now, providing a pointed observation about the ramifications of her neighbor Helen’s lingerie left out on the clothesline overnight – but then Miss Rosalinda is back, this time for match point.

“It would probably be right Christian of you to offer us your name, gentle traveler. I think it might be good to get to know you.”

In our whimsical age of twerks and jerks, endless sound bites, even more endless streams of video clips – and of all of our individual fifteen minutes of fame (do we really get to expect that much of it anymore?), it’s funny how quickly we forget not so much about the importance of taking time to listen – but of the critical need to connect – and to share the journey of which we are all a part.

Do you take the time to really listen to your customers? If the answer is yes, congratulations. But you are really only halfway there.

Riddle me this: Do you also take the time to respond in a meaningful way – to give it back?

To do that – to respond in a way which truly resonates, forget about tables for one – invite yourself to a spot at the biggest one.

I am always ready for the big table now, feasting at it even when I’m not, thanks to Miss Rosalinda and her own big idea – the one which forced me to let everyone see who I was.

So, here’s a big idea for you: When it comes to serving your customers, find them and serve them by being with them. Converse. Listen to what they have to say, and then let them listen to who you are. Dig right in – and like Miss Rosalinda, remember to eat with gusto.

It won’t be a waste of your time. Far from it, because this I can guarantee: you will see needle-moving results like never before.

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10 Free Stock Photo Sites Every Blogger Absolutely Needs

A lady smiling out of joy and excitement

Free Clip Art from openclipart.orgPublic Domain Images for Marketing – No Strings Attached

Today I’m going to save you money – by giving you the solution to the rising cost of finding images for your content marketing. Using relevant stock images in every piece of content marketing is fast becoming the indisputable standard. On Facebook, posting without an image is like not posting at all. And Bloggers especially need images for each and every post. All these stock images can become quite expensive.

You are about to benefit from many hours of my time and tedious research. As a Blogger myself, I want to keep my costs down. Way down. I want free stock images. And I’m tired of hunting for the hidden “gotchas” such as the fine print which prohibits commercial use, or requires that I include an attribution link back to the source of the “Royalty-free” photo in the public domain. It’s not that I mind giving credit, it’s just that it takes so much more of my precious time.

List of Public Domain, Commercial Use, Quality, No Attribution, Free Stock Photo Sites

So I’ve drilled down to a list of TEN stock photo sites with images that are:

  1. free,
  2. public domain,
  3. ok’d for commercial use,
  4. high quality, and
  5. don’t require attribution!

Drum roll, please!

Keep this list of links in your ‘Blog ideas’ or ‘articles to write’ file:

Bonus #1:

Attention Marketing – there’s a similar site for free stock clip art, too:

Bonus #2:

If you can’t find what you’re looking for in any of those links, try this search engine for free photos:

www.everystockphoto.com is a search engine for free photos that come from many sources and are license-specific. You can view a photo’s license by clicking on the license icon, below and left of photos. Membership is free and allows you to rate, tag, collect and comment on photos.

Bonus #3:

Not free, but in my opinion this is the most cost-effective paid stock photo site – at this time: http://www.123RF.com. When purchased in bulk, they come down to a mere $.89 per image. Can’t beat that!

PS – The image I used in this post came from openclipart.org

Do you have other sites to add to this list? Please share and help us all save more money!

For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

WebPowered Entrepreneur icon framed resizedLisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. She helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com.

Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

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What’s Coming – The Next Seven Weeks of the Fundraising Blog

June 18:

Reason and Emotion in Grant Proposals –
Part I: Reason
by Lynn deLearie

Successful grant proposals are often carefully crafted using both reason and emotion. On one hand, proposals must, logically, show how non-profits will use grant funds to effectively….

 

June 18:

The U.S.-Style of Fundraising Can Work in Other Countries – Part I
by Tony Poderis

The United States, Canada and the United Kingdom share a long tradition of people helping others through their support of nonprofit/nongovernmental organizations.

 

June 25:

Donor-Centered Planned Giving – Part I
by John Elbare

Planned gifts almost always result from strong donor relationships; so, when donors feel neglected or ignored, planned giving is very difficult.

 

June 25:

Reason and Emotion in Grant Proposals – Part II: Emotion
by Lynn deLearie

The use of emotion is important because decisions about grants are made by people, and people are swayed by emotions.

 

July 2:

April 27th was National Tell a Story Day
by Jayme Sokolow

What, you may ask, is the connection between National Tell a Story Day and grant proposals? Stories are universal because we use stories to create meaning. When you tell a good story in a proposal, you engage, entertain, and make a point.

 

July 2:

Donor-Centered Planned Giving – Part II
by John Elbare

Look at your donor stewardship process and imagine how it feels to be a donor to your organization. Are you doing everything you can to help them feel that they’re part of the organization and its mission?

 

July 9:

Understanding Donor Retention
by Jonathan Howard

Good donor retention makes the difference between winners and losers in direct mail fundraising (and most other types of fundraising, too).

 

July 9:

The U.S.-Style of Fundraising Can Work in Other Countries – Part II
by Tony Poderis

…with the understanding/acceptance that the charitable impulse lives in (almost) everyone, everywhere … you may have to encourage/create a new “philanthropic habit,” where none exists.

 

July 16:

Millennials in Fundraising: An Introduction – Part I
by K. Michael Johnson

Millennials are an growing percentage of the labor force, including the nonprofit sector. And, when it comes to development, Millennials will be responsible for more and more of the “asks” our sector makes over the years ahead.

 

July 16:

Donor Retention – Where The Money Is
by Jonathan Howard>

Nonprofits spend $1 to $1.25 for every dollar raised in new donor acquisition mailings, but the cost per dollar raised for renewal mailings to past donors is just 20 cents.

 

July 23:

Is There A Role for Direct Mail in a Capital Campaign?
by Hank Lewis

A Capital Campaign should be able to reach its goal relying only on major gifts. That doesn’t mean there’s no place for Direct Mail in a Capital Campaign, quite the contrary.

 

July 23

Millennials in Fundraising: An Introduction – Part II
by K. Michael Johnson

Millennials grew up in a world very different from previous generations and, as a result, we have a unique perspective about work. Also, given our desire to make an impact, it makes sense that many in my generation seek work in the nonprofit sector

 

July 30:

A Different Kind of Scheduling May Help Improve Your Grant Proposals
by Jayme Sokolow

As grant proposal professionals, we are very focused on schedules. In fact, it is one of the first things we must do when making a decision to bid. In that context, we might learn something about how creative people structure their days by studying the lives of artists.

 

July 30:

A For-Profit Salesperson’s Guide to Getting a Job in Non-Profit Development
by Tony Poderis

… there have been a considerable number of sales and marketing professionals losing their jobs due to “downsizing” of their companies … and many have asked me how they might be able to make the transition from sales to development.

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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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If you would just like to offer your thoughts on this posting, and/or you would like to suggest topics you’d like us to address in future postings we encourage you to “Leave a Reply.”

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Rap Genius – When Your Co-Founder Creates a Crisis

A-business-man-reacting-to-a-crisis-in-his-company

Crisis plans should include the possibility of even the highest-ranking employees causing reputation damage

Unfortunately, after every tragedy there are some who are going to make wildly inappropriate comments or even joke, and if one of those people is your organization’s co-founder, you have a major reputation management issue on your hands.

That’s precisely the situation the folks behind online lyric annotation website Rap Genius found themselves in after co-founder Mahbod Moghadam left a number of tasteless comments on the manifesto of the California college student who killed six of his peers in a senseless act of violence, which had been posted on the Rap Genius site. Among his comments was speculation that the shooter’s sister is “smokin’ hot”, as well as glowing admiration for the writing skills displayed in the twisted rant.

The backlash, especially on social media, was immediate, and Moghadam’s fellow co-founder and Rap Genius CEO Tom Lehman made the correct, and we’re certain difficult, call to distance his organization from his friend and colleague, announcing the news in a post on the Rap Genius page itself:

Mahbod Moghadam, one of my co-founders, annotated the piece with annotations that not only didn’t attempt to enhance anyone’s understanding of the text, but went beyond that into gleeful insensitivity and misogyny. All of which is contrary to everything we’re trying to accomplish at Rap Genius.

Were Mahbod’s annotations posted by a new Rap Genius user, it would be up to our community leaders, who set the tone of the site and our approach to annotation, to delete them and explain to the new user why they were unacceptable.

Were Mahbod’s annotations posted by a Rap Genius moderator, that person would cease to be an effective community leader and would have to step down.

And Mahbod, our original community leader, is no exception. In light of this, Mahbod has resigned – both in his capacity as an employee of the company, and as a member of our board of directors, effective immediately.

Mahbod is my friend. He’s a brilliant, creative, complicated person with a ton of love in his heart. Without Mahbod Rap Genius would not exist, and I am grateful for all he has done to help Rap Genius succeed. But I cannot let him compromise the Rap Genius mission – a mission that remains almost as delicate and inchoate as it was when we three founders decided to devote our lives to it almost 5 years ago.

It’s not uncommon for high-level employees or even company heads to be caught in the midst of extremely bad behavior, and when they are that behavior can and does reflect on your organization as a whole. For that reason, crisis management planning cannot afford to overlook the possibility that issues could be created by anyone in your organization, from the very bottom to the members of the team doing the planning themselves.

You can’t afford to have blind spots when it comes to crises.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

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Pairing Legal and PR for Crisis Management

A-company-director-addressing-the-media-for-good-PR-during-crisis

Working together, these two can make a crisis management dream team. Apart, well, watchout!

Getting pairing legal and PR for crisis management teams to work together is a frequent topic on our blogs for a reason. Together, these two can help craft the ideal response to just about any situation, but if they wind up at odds your entire organization could be hurt as a result

That’s why, when we saw Gil Rudawsky’s PR Daily article on qualities attornies and PR pros value in each other, we knew it was a must-share. Here’s just part of Gil’s list:

Qualities an in-house lawyer values in an external PR firm:

Experience: Having a member of the PR team who has worked as a reporter was invaluable in translating the process. What was the reporter looking for? What would he accept from us?

Responsiveness: A media crisis is a 24/7 grind. Members of the media appreciate getting immediate responses to questions and issues. (It is also a two-way street.)

Qualities a PR firm values in corporate legal counsel:

No legalese: Save legal language for pleadings, not the media or communication to non-lawyers. In a crisis, a good lawyer will know less is more for messaging.

Values PR: Understanding the proactive and reactive role of public relations, particularly during a crisis, is valuable, and counsel knows it can preserve or help rebuild a company’s reputation. The court of public opinion is just as valuable as the actual courtroom.

Gil names several more values you’d like each side to have in the article, so give it a look!

The best attorneys and PR pros will work as a team, ensuring moves from PR don’t put your organization on shaky legal ground while also being careful to take measures like double checking wording and tone of legal filings to ensure they don’t stir up negative sentiment among your stakeholders.

If your legal and PR teams can’t work as a cohesive unit, you’re in trouble, especially when it you get shoved into the high-pressure, major consequences environment that accompanies any situation requiring crisis management. If you can’t get the two to cooperate you need to figure a way work out the kinks before you hit a rough patch, or start looking to replace one or the other before it’s too late.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

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Facebook’s New Privacy Policy Smart Crisis Management

couple-showing-facebook-icon

Privacy changes a healthy move for social network’s reputation

Widely blasted by regulators and users alive for a lack of effective privacy settings or respect for the sanctity of users’ information, Facebook is far from the cutting edge of the confidentiality movement. However, a recent change is a surprising step in the right direction and a smart crisis management strategy to boot, especially considering the close looks the social network has been getting from groups like the Federal Trade Commission or privacy officials overseas.

According to a company blog post, new Facebook users will now start out sharing to friends only, and both new and current users will receive messages explaining exactly who can see what they post according to their current privacy settings.

Facebook is going even further, though, adding a “privacy checkup tool”, automatic reminders when posts are set to public, and, something we’re especially excited about, a way to log into apps requiring Facebook authentication anonymously!

Moving from what many have justifiably called confusing and even deceptive privacy settings to this is a huge leap in the right direction, and puts Facebook more in line with platforms like Snapchat, Whisper, and its own newly acquired Whatsapp. Making users happy while satisfying critics is a crisis management win, and leaves us wondering what other tricks the old dog on the social media block may have up its sleeves.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

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Powerhouse Headlines Every Blogger Needs to Use – Now

A captivating headline on a magazine

Powerhouse headline examples38 Exciting Examples from Bob Bly, “America’s Top Copywriter”

We recently talked about Bob Bly’s ultra successful direct marketing approach to writing headlines – they have four specific tasks. We talked about how to write your headlines to accomplish those tasks.

In this post, I simply want to give you Bob’s list of 38 powerhouse headline examples that you can adapt to grab your readers’ attention and draw them in to your copy. Here’s the amazing list:

1. Ask a question in the headline.

“What Do Japanese Managers Have That American Managers Sometimes Lack?”

2. Tie-in to current events.

“Stay One Step Ahead of the Stock Market Just Like Martha Stewart – But Without Her Legal Liability!”

3. Create a new terminology in the headline.

“New ‘Polarized Oil’ Magnetically Adheres to Wear Parts in Machine Tools, Making Them Last Up to 6 Times Longer.”

4. Give news using the words “new,” “introduction,” or “announcing.”

“Announcing a Painless Cut in Defense Spending.”

5. Give the reader a command – tell him to do something.

“Try Burning This Coupon.”

6. Use numbers and statistics in the headline.

“Who Ever Heard of 17,000 Blooms from a Single Plant?”

7. Promise the reader useful information.

“How to Avoid the Biggest Mistake You Can Make in Building or Buying a Home.”

8. Highlight your offer.

“You Can Now Subscribe to the Best New Books – Just as You Do to a Magazine.”

9. Tell a story in the headline.

“They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano … But When I Started to Play.”

10. Make a recommendation.

“The 5 Tech Stocks You Must Own NOW.”

11. State a benefit.

“Managing UNIX Data Centers – Once Difficult, Now Easy.”

12. Make a comparison.

“How to Solve Your Emissions Problems – at Half the Energy Cost of Conventional Venturi Scrubbers.”

13. Use words that help the reader visualize.

“Why Some Foods ‘Explode’ In Your Stomach.”

14. Use a testimonial in the headline.

“After Over Half a Million Miles in the Air Using AVBLEND, We’ve Had No Premature Camshaft Failures.”

15. Offer a free special report, catalog, or booklet.

“New FREE Special Report Reveals Little-Known Strategy Millionaires Use to Keep Wealth in Their Hands – and Out of Uncle Sam’s.”

16. State the selling proposition directly and plainly.

“Surgical Tables Rebuilt – Free Loaners Available.”

17. Arouse reader curiosity.

“The One Internet Stock You MUST Own Now. Hint: It’s NOT What You Think!”

18. Promise to reveal a secret.

“Unlock Wall Street’s Secret Logic.”

19. Be specific.

“At 60 Miles an Hour, the Loudest Noise in This New Rolls Royce Comes from the Electric Clock.”

20. Target a particular type of reader.

“We’re Looking for People to Write Children’s Books.”

21. Add a time element in the headline.

“Instant Incorporation While U-Wait.”

22. Stress cost savings, discounts, or value.

“Now You Can Get $2,177 Worth of Expensive Stock Market Newsletters for the Incredibly Low Price of Just $69!”

23. Give the reader good news.

“You’re Never Too Old to Hear Better.”

24. Offer an alternative to other products and services.

“No Time for Yale – Took College At Home.”

25. Issue a challenge.

“Will Your Scalp Stand the Fingernail Test?”

26. Stress your guarantee in the headline.

“Develop Software Applications Up to 6 Times Faster or Your Money Back.”

27. State the price.

“Link 8 PCs to Your Mainframe – Only $2,395.”

28. Set up a seeming contradiction.

“Profit from ‘Insider Trading’ – 100% Legal!”

29. Offer an exclusive the reader can’t get elsewhere.

“Earn 500+% Gains With Little-Known ‘Trader’s Secret Weapon.’”

30. Address the reader’s concern in the headline.

“Why Most Small Businesses Fail — and What You Can Do About It.’

31. “As Crazy as It Sounds…”

“Crazy as it Sounds, Shares of This Tiny R&D Company, Selling for $2 Today, Could be Worth as Much as $100 in the Not-Too-Distant Future.”

32. Make a big promise.

“Slice 20 Years Off Your Age!”

33. Show ROI (return on investment) for purchase of your product.

“Hiring the Wrong Person Costs You Three Times Their Annual Salary.”

34. Use a “reasons-why” headline.

“7 Reasons Why Production Houses Nationwide Prefer Unilux Strobe Lighting When Shooting Important TV Commercials.”

35. Answer important questions about your product or service.

“7 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Collection Agency … And One Good Answer to Each.”

36. Stress the value of your premiums.

“Yours Free – Order Now and Receive $280 in Free Gifts with Your Paid Subscription.”

37. Help the reader achieve a goal.

“Now You Can Create a Breakthrough Marketing Plan Within the Next 30 Days … for FREE!”

38. Make a seemingly contradictory statement or promise in the headline.

“Cool Any Room in Your House Fast – Without Air Conditioning!”

 

Which one did I use in this post?

 

About Bob Bly: Robert W. Bly is a freelance copywriter and the author of more than 70 books including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Direct Marketing (Alpha). His Website is www.bly.com.

For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Social Media Marketing for businessLisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. She helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com.

Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

Posted on

American Girl’s Defensive Crisis Management

a-woman-stressed-and-frustrated-after-an-internet-crisis

Stakeholders upset by retiring dolls bombard social media

Dollmaker American Girl was slammed with a major social media backlash after announcing it would be retiring four dolls from its historical character collection, including one of Asian descent and one of African descent. Thousands of Facebook comments and tweets accused the company of everything from ignoring customers of various ethnic groups to brazen racism, and the mainstream media quickly picked up on the story, giving it some serious legs.

It seems American Girl was really caught off-guard by the crisis. While whoever manages its social media presence did make an attempt at getting calming info out there after the group outrage took off, the facts would have been far more effective as a crisis management tool had they been included in the original announcement.

American Girl Facebook response

After days of stakeholder complaints, misunderstandings, and repeated news stories featuring the angry comments popping up all over social media, American Girl bit back, releasing a statement to ABC News that puts facts first:

At nearly one million strong, we’re proud of the relationships we’ve built with our dedicated Facebook community. Our fans are very passionate and many of our posts generate a high level of engagement, including comments, likes and shares. Certainly we know that whenever we announce that a character is archiving, it will cause some level of disappointment, especially among our most ardent fans… While demand for characters certainly plays a part in our overall decision making, the main reason for this year’s approach is based on the decision to move away from our friend-character strategy within the historical line. This decision affected Marie-Grace, Ruthie, as well as Ivy and Cecile—the first two racially diverse characters to be archived by American Girl. In comparison, American Girl will be archiving a total of nine Caucasian characters since 2008.

Deciding to lay out the reality of the decision is smart, as well as pointing out that there’s no way they can legitimately be accused of shelving ethnically diverse dolls over others. However, as with so many crisis communications, we would have been certain to include more compassion up front.

Regardless of what type of organization you run, decisions you make hold the potential to create a need for crisis management. While nobody wants to have meetings full of doom and gloom, a little brainstorming session focused on what could go awry, and how to best react if it does, is an absolute must.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]