There’s no stronger way to engage readers than to pepper your charity writing and marketing with human voices.
At heart, we humans are a social species. If you can offer your readers another human being to interact with, even if it is a one way conversation, you will increase engagement with your copy and interest in your issue.
The standard tool for delivering human voices is the ‘charity case study’ – often a story, presented as a block of text, with an image and picture caption.
Case studies are great, but don’t let them be an excuse not to include human voices elsewhere in your piece.
Use strong quotes in your main copy too. As well as helping readers to relate to, or sympathise with, your issue, quotes help to break up long text and make it easier to read.
If you want to make your charity’s copy readable and engaging, use quotes. Use them soon and use them often.
Here are a few ideas on using quotes to get you started.
Quotes that grab the attention
Simply by opening your piece with a quote, you’re doing something different and that will get the reader’s interest. If you can use one that is striking or controversial you’ll have the reader hooked. Pick the most impactful thing your subject says, and let the story flow from there.
“This time next year I’ll either be in prison, or dead.”
“The homeless usually deserve to be homeless.”
Avoid the ‘this is important’ quote
There’s something grating about a quote from an ‘official’ in a charity telling readers how important or urgent an issue is.
If you have to bang your readers over the head with it, then your other copy isn’t strong enough. Instead, use a quote to show (rather than tell) your reader your main point. Help your reader to reach the conclusion for themselves.
“I loved playing outside with the other girls in my class. I liked skipping with my friends. But after my grandmother came, I don’t want to play. It hurts to jump and I don’t want my friends to know.”
Quotes that move the story on
Particularly in writing news stories, try to avoid quotes that only restate points you have already made. Quotes should add a new dimension, moving the story on. Instead of using them to restate a problem, use them to offer a solution, make a demand or ask your reader to do something. If you can remove quotes from your copy and your piece still does the same job, then your quotes were not working hard enough.
“This research illustrates a worrying trend, but it is one that can be stopped. Ministers need to introduce an immediate ban, with tough penalties for those who flout the rules.”
Quotes that illustrate impact
The human voice offers the ideal opportunity to emphasise the outcomes your organisation achieves. Putting change and impact into the voices of the people you work with emphasises the difference you make and makes it more believable.
“If I hadn’t heard about Street Lives I would probably have been in prison by now. Or worse. Instead I have a job helping a decorator, and am going to college one day a week.”
Quotes that encourage action
Using quotes in marketing is a classic way to get your readers to do what you need them to do. Try to quote someone similar in age and background to the audience you’re writing for, and have them explain why they took the action, why they overcame any hesitancy and the difference they made as a result. Have your reader think: well if that person like me can do it, then I can too.
“I never thought I could run for a bus, let alone a half-marathon. But WiseKids promised to help me with a training plan and support me every step of the way. I hit my fundraising target and helped the charity buy some new sports equipment for a youth centre. I’m so glad I signed up in the end.”
Quotes with rhythm
Quotes are effective at hammering home key points, particularly if they follow the rhythm of threes. Have your quote emphasise two minor points, before finally landing on a key one that you really want readers to remember. The technique is most powerful when only used once in each writing piece.
“Schools need more help to identify the problem, more expert support to tackle it and more funding to implement the changes needed.”
How are you putting quotes to work in your charity writing? What good (and bad) examples have you seen? Share them below.
