Last Chance Email

The Gist of It

• Create a sense of urgency with the subject line and the email copy. Use words and phrases such as, “Hurry,” or “It’s not too late.”

• This email does not need much copy. Keep it short.

• Use a dynamic countdown clock as a visual cue. They improve conversions.
  

Transcript

“Don’t wait until the last minute.” How many times have you heard this?

Maybe when you needed to write a 500-word essay or study for the SATs. You may even procrastinate nowadays. Hoping you won’t need to give that presentation on “The Principles of Motivation.”

Sure, we know not to wait, but we still do. 

Good marketers know this and use it to their advantage. People get more decisive the closer a deadline looms. 

This is why one of the most effective emails to send is the last chance email.  

This simple email brings in the big bucks. Want to see how it is done.? Don’t wait a minute longer to go Behind the Campaign.

Introduction

Welcome to Behind the Campaign. 

A showcase of the best nonprofit campaigns. Here you will get ideas, tips, and strategies to create successful campaigns for your organization.  

Campaigns, like matches and year-end, outperform most other campaigns and the ‘last chance’ email is a big reason why. Let’s look at one, now.

The magic begins in the inbox.

Email Inbox

“Last chance to give in 2021.” The subject line says it all and it provides the motivation supporters need to open the email. 

This isn’t the time or email to use cute subject lines. Instead, this is the time to create urgency. 

To do this, use words and phrases such as: “Last chance,” “Hurry,” “Final call,” or “It’s not too late.”

Subject lines with a sense of urgency have a 22% increase in open rates.

Don’t stop the urgency at the subject line. Make sure the rest of the email delivers, as well. 

Here is how the Cystic Fibrous Foundation does it. 

Last Chance Email

The first thing you may notice about this email is the length. It is 3 short paragraphs. 

You might feel tempted to write a long email explaining the problem, the need, or want to add a story. But you don't need much when it comes to the ‘last chance’ email. 

I have sent ‘last chance’ emails with only two sentences. Even with 2 sentences, it outperforms most other year-end emails.  

In this email, the first sentence continues the urgency, “Hurry-time is running out.” They add the value proposition, explaining how a gift will help. Then they make the ask. 

They include two other great touches to this email. The first is they personalize it. The second is the countdown clock. This is a great email to have a countdown clock. It is a visual cue that turns up the urgency even more. 

Including a countdown clock encourages those procrastinators to click. One study showed an increase in clicks and conversions. 

A word of warning: Don’t use a fake countdown clock by creating a .gif. A .gif is a looped animation. It will repeat so that when a supporter opens the email or stays on it long enough, they will see the clock reset. Yes, I have seen this done before and it is not a good experience. So use a dynamic clock that really counts down to the end of the day, like this one. 

Conclusion

Boom! There you have it, a short, simple, highly-effective ‘last chance’ email.

The main component is urgency. Use it in the subject line and email copy. Don’t get long-winded. All you need to do is remind them to donate. 

Send this email in the afternoon or towards the deadline.    

Time to get out from Behind the Campaign and create a “Last Chance email for your organization. Success starts with you.