Another reminder that Christmas is on the way in my mailbox today…
…in the form of the Christmas Appeal letter from the Salvation Army.
And I found a couple of useful little reminders of copywriting techniques in there.
I’m a regular supporter, so normally it’s a question of fill in the boxes and return.
However, the letter caught my eye because…
…it had a story to tell.
Here’s the core of the story…
“Many young people who arrive on our doorstep have had horrific childhoods. Sophie, who’s now 18 was ignored by her stepmother and her father used violence to solve problems.
Sophie had never experienced the kind of Christmas Day that most of us take for granted. A special family day with no violence, no shouting and lots of laughter, love and joy.
In fact, Sophie was so unhappy that at just 15, she decided that fending for herself on the streets was better than living at home.”
The story has a happy ending, of course, when a Salvo Officer invited “Sophie” (the story is real but the names are changed) to spend Christmas with her and her family.
There was a little more to the story than that, but not too much.
And it’s a simple story in 3 basic acts (Setup – Complications – Resolution).
So, nothing fancy.
But it…
1. Grabbed my attention
2. Illustrated the good work of the Salvos (following the “show don’t tell” guideline)
3. And tugged at the heartstrings a little.
Couple of other things…
1. On the donation form, very helpfully are suggested donation amounts.
2. For the Christmas Appeal, the Salvos include a little “involvement device”. It’s a little Christmas card they give to a homeless person on Christmas Day.
Did all this “work”? Well, let’s just say I gave a slightly larger donation than I originally intended.
And if you’d like to help the Salvos help out at Christmas…
…here’s their site in Australia…