The Campaign Workshop Blog

Why You Should Care about Your Campaign Slogan- And How to Make a Good One

What are campaign slogans, and do you really need one? Below you will find everything you need to know about slogans and how to write one that will motivate people to vote for you. Since a campaign slogan is all about whittling down your campaign message to a tiny slice, if you haven’t done so already, check out our blog on using the seven c’s…

 

Online Advertising- Plan to Move Fast 

Fast and instant are different - While it’s true that the world of online advertising is fast paced and it certainly gives us information much more quickly than any other medium, banking on instantaneous traction is a good way to fall short of your goals. This is because online advertising is not a synonym for instant. Planning will give you time to really define your goals and make sure your campaign has the right components, creative, and timeline to achieve them. Understand the limitations of digital…

Local Candidates: Don't Make these Common Campaign Mistakes 

Campaigns for local candidates are different than those for bigger races. While you will still have to work to raise money, local candidates will depend in large part on the community for the resources and volunteers that they need. Local candidates also tend to go without the aid of consultants or those with expensive experience working on a lot of campaigns. Thus, there are often people running local campaigns where it will be their first experience doing this type of work. With…

Campaign Mistakes: Is Your Political Campaign Headed in the Wrong Direction? 

Can you spot a losing political campaign? People plan and launch political campaigns with the best intentions, but sometimes they get off track. Can you spot mistakes in your campaign? As a trainer and consultant for over 20 years - Here are some warning signs to help you spot and course correct a losing political campaign: 24. ”It doesn’t matter how districts have performed in the past – I am a transformational candidate.”- You may be a great candidate, with…

Platforms for Your Video Content 

YouTube is the core platform for many folks when it comes to nonprofit video content. There is a whole culture around YouTube, leading many people to just assume that it is the only platform to use to host your videos. But, as video becomes more and more important for politics, nonprofits, and associations as a way to connect with one another, get conversions, build an audience and grow authority, it is time for us to look at YouTube and say: Is it the only way to go? Enter Wistia. Wistia is a video platform,…

Learn the Secrets to Good Emails: Don’t Write Soul Sucking Emails

A good email is life changing, while a bad email is soul sucking. All of you write emails and let’s face it, most of them are bad. So here are some tips on what to avoid - Because life is too short to write a bad email. The subject line is the most important part of an email. The first sentence (the lead) and the call to action (CTA) are the next key elements. Together these components make the structure of a good email. I confess - I like a good email. I think a good email has…

Best Reads of 2022 

The year of 2022 was filled with many great reads by The Campaign Workshop Staff. Whether you are a fan of the genre of memoirs, history fantasy, or mystery, our staff has read it all, and has some great picks for everyone to indulge in during their free-time. Check out our staff’s selection of their favorite books of 2022! The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Our staff member Alice McLoughlin chose this book. In The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Achilles and Patroclus are two sons of kings who are brought…

Campaign Jobs Board & Job Banks:  Find Nonprofit and Political Jobs

Campaign jobs on the left side of the aisle can be challenging to find, so can any political, advocacy or non profit jobs. Don't just google "political jobs near me ", We have developed our mega job search list to take out the guess work. What started with a few job lists like Tom Manatos, Brad Travers, and the Jobs That Are Left Google group has grown up. We now have over 40 sites on this list, that focus on a wide variety of jobs in the political and nonprofit space.…

Be Prepared to Ace Your Informational Interview

An informational interview is a must if you are trying to get internships, land your first job, find your next job or make a career change. Not everyone is a natural interviewer –  here are our tips for getting it right when it comes to having a good informational interview.    Why do informational interviews? Informational interviews are the best way to learn about an industry or career you are interested in. It’s not about trying to find a job – this is the perfect opportunity to dip your toes…

Program Evaluation- Don't Skip It! 

It is time to look at program evaluation for 2022 and planning for 2023. Whether you are a non-profit, labor union, independent expenditure organization, issue group, or political campaign, taking the time to evaluate the success of your program is a necessary step to future success. Win or lose, understanding what worked and what did not is important, and it can be the beginning of real future improvements.  We get it, after a loss or even a hard-fought win the last thing you want to do is evaluate. You want…

Runoff Elections: Tips for the Win! 

Runoff election season is here. After a hard-fought election, your campaign made it into the runoff election. Depending on election law, these runoff elections could be held weeks or months after the original election. The type of voter who turns out for a runoff is different from other types of voters. They turnout more often and are more partisan.  So how do you effectively communicate your message and make sure you win in the runoff election? Regardless of if you were the top vote getter or came in second…

Lame Duck Sessions: Achieve Your Advocacy Goals 

Lame duck session is about to begin, and it should not come as a surprise that this will be a particularly busy lame duck on the federal level. Government funding, the national defense authorization act, stock training, OPEC, January 6th, judicial confirmations, and same sex marriage just to name a few things on the big list of issues for lame duck. And that is just on the federal level. Some state legislatures have lame duck too! We get it -after election season is over, it’s easy to just want…

Exclusive Interview with David Pepper 

David is a lawyer, writer, political activist, former elected official, and adjunct professor.  He served as the Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party between 2015 and 2021. David was born and raised in Cincinnati and served on the Cincinnati City Council and Hamilton County Commission before being elected chair of the Ohio Democratic Party in 2014. As a lawyer, he engaged in extensive litigation regarding important issues in Ohio including voter suppression and unjust election laws. David has published…

Midterm Elections - How Should a Democratic Campaign Plan?

As you plan for midterm elections, especially if you’re progressive democrat, you may not want to leave your house. With all the things going on in the country it may seem like the midterm elections are a forgone conclusion and not in a good way. Historical trends come to a similar conclusion. In this post we will detail the historical trends of midterms, talk about contributing factors, and what Democrats and progressives can do to make a difference in election outcomes this year. What…

Political Yard Signs- The Pros & Cons of Campaign Signs

Political yards signs are everywhere during elections—and we all like them as much as the next political junkie, but very early on we were taught that POLITICAL YARD SIGNS DON’T VOTE. We have heard all of the excuses of why your city is different and unique, and that if you don’t have more campaign yard signs than your opponent, you will lose. Reality check: it has been our experience that this is absolutely not true.  First off, there is no such thing as a cheap yard sign. This might…