Teaching Elephants to...Write

Teaching Elephants to Talk Tip
By Matt Lewis
May 23, 2005

One of the most important skills a campaigner can have is the ability to write well. Here are four tips to write by…

1. Realize political writing is different.

Political writing is different from what you learned in school. Instead of trying to sound intellectual and sophisticated, write conversationally. Start sentences with words like “And” and “But.” Use contractions. Write at about a 5th grade reading level. In short, write the way regular people talk.

2. Keep it simple.

The biggest mistake candidates make is trying to tell the voters too much information. Don’t create a flier or a palm card that attempts to spell out your “26-point plan on stopping illegal immigration.” Use three simple bullet points. For example, your palm card might look like this:

John Smith for State Senate

• Education: As a father, and your State Representative, I fought for smaller class sizes and higher teacher pay. As your next State Senator, I’ll continue to fight for our children’s education.
  
• Taxes: As a small business owner, I know what it’s like to be confronted with high taxes. That’s why I will vote against raising your taxes.
  
• Values: My opponent has voted in favor of abortions. As a father, a conservative Republican, and your next State Senator, I will fight to ensure that every single one of us has the most basic guarantee any government can give: the right to life.

3. Remove Unnecessary words.

In addition to simplifying your message, you can also remove words that don’t matter. For example, the word “that” can often be removed from a sentence without changing the meaning of the sentence. (“I will fight to ensure that every single one of us…” is no better than, “I will fight to ensure every single one of us…”)

4. Fonts matter.

Serif fonts are best for printed materials (this is more important for printed materials than for e-mail). When writing fundraising letters, always use courier new. It’s easier to read – and will project the psychological idea that the letter was personally written on a typewriter. Also, never use a font smaller than 12 point. DON’T CAPITALIZE BECAUSE IT’S HARDER FOR PEOPLE TO READ. Underline the most important parts. Make sure your fundraising letter starts off with a powerful opening sentence. And always use a P.S.

The only way to become a really good writer is to practice. So let’s get out there and start writing to win!