Message Optimization: Crafting Political Texts That Drive Action

You have seconds to capture a voter's attention. Your text message appears alongside notifications from friends, family, and dozens of apps competing for attention. How do you break through?

Message optimization isn't about tricks or manipulation - it's about respecting voters' time with clear, compelling, valuable communication that drives action.

Here's how to craft political texts that actually get results.

The Anatomy of an Effective Message

Every effective political text has four components:

1. Personalized Opening

Purpose: Capture attention and establish connection

Examples:

• ✅ Good: "Hi Sarah!" (uses name)

• ✅ Better: "Hi Sarah! Thanks for volunteering last month." (uses name + reference)

❌ Bad: "Attention voter!" (generic, impersonal)

2. Clear Value or Hook

Purpose: Immediately answer "why should I care?"

Examples:

• ✅ Good: "Election Day is Tuesday - your vote matters."

• ✅ Better: "Your polling place changed! New location: Lincoln Elementary."

❌ Bad: "We have an update." (vague, no value)

3. Specific Call-to-Action

Purpose: Tell them exactly what to do next

Examples:

• ✅ Good: "Reply YES to confirm you'll vote."

• ✅ Better: "Vote at Lincoln Elementary, 7 AM-8 PM Tuesday. Reply YES if you need a ride."

❌ Bad: "Let us know your thoughts." (vague)

4. Opt-Out (Initially)

Purpose: Compliance and respect

Example: "Reply STOP to opt out."

Note: Required in first message, not necessarily every follow-up.

Message Length: Finding the Sweet Spot

The Data

Response rates by message length:

• Under 100 characters: 25-30% response rate
• 100-160 characters: 20-25% response rate
• 160-300 characters: 15-20% response rate
• Over 300 characters: 10-15% response rate

Key insight: Shorter usually performs better, but context matters.

When to Use Short Messages (Under 160 Characters)

Best for:

• Quick reminders
• Simple asks
• High-urgency situations
• Mobile-first audiences

Example:

Hi Tom! Polls close at 8 PM. Have you voted yet?

When to Use Longer Messages (160-320 Characters)

Best for:

• Providing necessary information
• Complex requests
• First contact with new voters
• Persuasion messages

Example:

Hi Maria! This is Alex with Johnson for Congress. Election Day is Nov 5, and every vote matters in our district. Your polling place is Lincoln Elementary, 425 Oak St, open 7 AM-8 PM. Can we count on you? Reply STOP to opt out.

The rule: Be as concise as possible while including necessary information. Every word should earn its place.

Tone and Voice

Conversational vs. Formal

Campaign: Political, but human

Test results show conversational outperforms formal:

Formal (15% response rate):

Good afternoon, Ms. Johnson. This is the Smith for Senate campaign reminding you that Election Day is approaching.

Conversational (23% response rate):

Hi Sarah! This is Mike with the Smith campaign. Election Day is Tuesday - can we count on your vote?

Key Principles

Write like a human:

• Use contractions (you're, we're, don't)
• Avoid jargon and political insider language
• Use active voice
• Keep it friendly but professional

Match your audience:

• Older voters: Slightly more formal, respectful
• Younger voters: Very conversational, casual
• Professional networks: Professional but warm

Be authentic: Don't try to sound cool if you're not. Don't use slang if it's not natural. Be genuinely yourself.

Personalization That Works

Name Personalization

Impact: 35% higher response rates

Usage:

Hi [FirstName]! (always include)

Advanced:

Hi [FirstName]! As a [City] resident... (name + location)

Location Personalization

Examples:

• City/district reference
• Specific polling location
• Local issue mention
• Geographic proximity

Hi Tom! Your polling place at [PollingLocation] opens at 7 AM tomorrow.

Behavioral Personalization

Based on past actions:

To repeat voters:

Hi Margaret! Thanks for voting in every election since 2018. We're counting on you again Nov 5!

To donors:

Hi Kevin! Your $50 donation last month helped us reach 2,500 voters. Would you give again?

To volunteers:

Hi Amanda! Thanks for phone banking last week. Can you help us text voters this Saturday?

Issue-Based Personalization

Segment by interests:

To education advocates:

Hi Lisa! As a teacher, you know our schools need better funding. Emily Johnson's plan invests $50M in classrooms...

To climate voters:

Hi Jordan! This election determines climate policy for the next decade. Will you vote for action on Nov 5?

Call-to-Action Optimization

Make It Specific

Weak CTAs:

• "Let me know"
• "Reach out if interested"
• "Think about it"

Strong CTAs:

• "Reply YES to confirm"
• "Donate $50 at [link]"
• "Vote at Lincoln Elementary by 8 PM Tuesday"

Make It Easy

Reduce friction:

❌ "Visit our website, click Donate, fill out the form..."

✅ "Donate $50: [direct link]"

❌ "Find your polling place on the Secretary of State website..."

✅ "Your polling place: Lincoln Elementary, 425 Oak St. [Google Maps link]"

Make It Urgent (When Appropriate)

Time-sensitive messages:

Polls close in 3 hours! Vote at Lincoln Elementary before 8 PM.

Deadline-driven:

Match expires at midnight! Double your $50 donation: [link]

Event-based:

Rally starts in 30 minutes at City Park. See you there?

Warning: Don't manufacture false urgency. Use only when genuinely time-sensitive.

Timing and Frequency

Best Sending Times

Weekday performance:

• 9-11 AM: Good (morning routine, commute)
• 12-1 PM: Best (lunch break)
• 5-7 PM: Good (after work)
• 8-9 PM: Moderate (evening relaxation)

Weekend performance:

• Saturday 11 AM-3 PM: Good
• Sunday 12-4 PM: Best
• Weekend evenings: Moderate

Avoid:

• Before 9 AM (too early)
• After 9 PM (too late)
• Weekday afternoons 2-4 PM (low engagement)

Message Frequency

General campaigns:

• High-engagement supporters: 2-3 messages/week max
• Moderate supporters: 1-2 messages/week
• Persuadables: 1 message/week or less

GOTV period (final 72 hours):

• 3-5 messages total
• Spaced throughout the day
• Final push: election day

Warning signs you're over-messaging:

• Increasing opt-out rates
• Declining response rates
• Negative replies

A/B Testing Framework

What to Test

Message elements:

1. Opening line
2. Message length
3. CTA wording
4. Tone (formal vs. casual)
5. Personalization level
6. Timing

How to structure tests:

Single variable testing: Change one element at a time to isolate impact.

Example test: Opening line

Version A:

Hi Sarah! Election Day is Nov 5...

Version B:

Hi Sarah! Your vote matters on Nov 5...

Send A to 50% of segment, B to 50%. Measure response rates.

Sample Size Guidelines

Minimum for valid results:

• 1,000+ messages per variation
• At least 50 responses per variation

Better:

• 5,000+ messages per variation
• 100+ responses per variation

What to Measure

Primary metrics:

• Response rate
• Conversion rate (donations, RSVPs, etc.)
• Opt-out rate

Secondary metrics:

• Time to response
• Response quality
• Cost per conversion

Implementing Winners

Once you have a clear winner (10%+ improvement):

1. Roll out to remaining audience
2. Document the insight
3. Apply learning to future messages
4. Test new variables against the winner

Common Message Mistakes

1. Too Much Information

❌ Mistake:

Hi! Election Day is November 5th. We need your vote because our opponent wants to cut education funding and raise taxes and reduce environmental protections and...

• ✅ Fix:

  Hi Sarah! Election Day is Nov 5. Your vote protects education funding. Will you vote?

Principle: One message, one main point.

2. Weak or Missing CTA

❌ Mistake:

Thanks for your support! We appreciate you.

• ✅ Fix:

  Thanks for your support! Will you donate $50 to help us reach 5,000 more voters? [link]

3. No Personalization

❌ Mistake:

Voters: Remember to vote on Tuesday!

• ✅ Fix:

  Hi Tom! Your polling place is Lincoln Elementary. See you Tuesday?

4. Spam-Like Content

❌ Mistake:

URGENT!!! DONATE NOW!!! WE NEED YOU!!! [link]

• ✅ Fix:

  Hi Sarah! We're $2,500 short of our goal. Would you chip in $50 to help? [link]

5. Ignoring Mobile Context

❌ Mistake: Long URLs, complex formatting, tiny links

• ✅ Fix: Shortened URLs, simple text, clear spacing

Message Templates by Use Case

GOTV Reminder

Hi [Name]! Election Day is [Date]. Your polling place: [Location], open [Hours]. Can we count on your vote?

Fundraising Ask

Hi [Name]! Your $[PrevAmount] donation [TimeAgo] helped us reach [Number] voters. Would you give $[Amount] again to help us reach [Number] more? [Link]

Event Invitation

Hi [Name]! Join us for [Event] on [Date] at [Time] at [Location]. Reply YES for details!

Volunteer Recruitment

Hi [Name]! Would you help us text voters this [Day]? It's flexible, remote, and makes a real impact. Interested?

Issue Update

Hi [Name]! Great news: We just passed [Bill] to [Benefit]. Your support made this happen. Thank you!

Continuous Optimization

Message optimization never stops. Build a culture of testing and improvement:

Monthly reviews:

• Analyze top-performing messages
• Identify patterns
• Document insights

Quarterly strategy updates:

• Adjust tone based on campaign phase
• Refine segmentation
• Update templates

Post-election analysis:

• What worked best?
• What would you change?
• Document for next cycle

The Bottom Line

Effective political texting requires:

• ✅ Personalization - Use names, location, past behavior
• ✅ Clarity - Get to the point quickly
• ✅ Specific CTAs - Tell them exactly what to do
• ✅ Appropriate length - As short as possible, as long as necessary
• ✅ Conversational tone - Human, not robotic
• ✅ Strategic timing - When voters are receptive
• ✅ Continuous testing - Always be optimizing

At Political Comms, we help campaigns craft messages that drive results - with segmentation tools, A/B testing capabilities, and expert guidance.

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