Reverbal Communications
  • Home
  • About
    • Portfolio
    • Upcoming Events
    • Press and Media
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
    • Social Media Speaker
    • Social Media Training
    • Political Consultant
    • Social Media For Events
    • Writing and Editing
  • Content
    • Podcast – Step Up Your Social
    • Free Digital Tools – The Newsletter
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Menu Menu
Blog
Email, Politics

How This Congressman Elect Is Using Email To Flip the Script

Google “political email” and you’ll find endless stories about how terrible it’s become. Campaigns — on both sides of the aisle — are buying and swapping lists and then spamming folks relentlessly, endlessly begging for dollars.

Many of these campaigns aren’t even bothering to onboard new emails — warming them up with intros and soft asks before making their pitch — they’re simply buying emails, dropping them into their systems and hitting send.

I’ve heard so many stories of folks getting emails from candidates they’ve never heard of, in states they’ve never lived, asking them for money for races they are not following. Needless to say, people are frustrated.

While this has been a problem for several cycles, we’re starting to see the long-term consequences of this system really emerge.

I’ve spoken with numerous people who still support candidates, but simply refuse to give them money, because they are afraid that doing so will lead to a deluge of spam clogging up their inbox.

And, despite the fact that a big part of my job is writing fundraising emails, fair enough!

I get it. Heck, my inbox is constantly overflowing with unsolicited junk.


Jeff Jackson is a Congressman-elect from North Carolina. He’s a rising star in the democratic party — if you don’t already know his name. You should.

Recently, he rolled out something simple… but revolutionary as far as campaign email goes. He started his own Substack.

If you don’t know Substack, it’s a platform that lets you write emails. That’s pretty much it. Writers can offer a free and/or a paid tier. A whole lot of reporters and big names have left established media institutions to start their own Substacks. I personally subscribe to at least a dozen (if not more) and am even launching my own called Free Digital Tools (where I’ll share – you guessed it – Free Digital Tools!).

In Jackson’s about section he explains why he started this project:

“I’ve done roughly 150 town halls in the last two years of campaigning, and it’s become clear from the experience that connecting directly with people is one of the most important parts of elected service.

Now that we’ve won, I want to keep it going – but I also want to expand it.

Part of that is going to be giving people something we don’t see often: a first-person, weekly account of serving in Congress.

I won’t have an abundance of time to do a lot of writing – so I’ll make it quick – but then again, you don’t have much time to read. So maybe it’ll be a match.

There’s no premium/paid version. Totally free.

Why does connecting directly with people matter? Because transparency is good in and of itself and you should expect more than you get from people in my position.”

You can read more (and subscribe) at jeffjacksonnc.substack.com.

As of this writing, he’s rolled out two issues. The first was just a promo announcing what to expect. The second is titled “Here’s what happen right after you get elected to Congress.”

It’s simple. But honest, personal and interesting.

It’s about him and his family going through something that so few people will ever go through, and helping us experience it through his eyes.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ever heard of her?) was already wildly popular when she won her Congressional seat. But she helped show the world what to expect from her by livestreaming and sharing her onboarding experience via social media in real-time. It was a total flip of the script. She was taking something secretive and restricted and soaking it in sunshine.

AOC tweeting about what it's like to enter congress.

AOC livetweeting about her Congressional onboarding

She showed her followers, and the world, that she would not be silenced or awed by pomp or tradition and forced a real conversation about Congressional onboarding.

Whether Jackson continues on the path AOC laid out, or finds a different way forward, time will tell.

But what’s clear is that Jackson, like AOC, understands that “digital” is about more than simply asking for money. It’s about building a community and gaining the trust of those you hope to lead.

My prediction is that we’ll see many more such Substacks pop up in the coming months.

Just like we’ll see more Slack and Facebook Groups emerge from campaigns who understand that an audience doesn’t exist only to bankroll it, but also to sustain it.

John Fetterman didn’t invent the idea of closed digital spaces for audiences, but he and his team certainly invested heavily in creating, growing and moderating them. His team rolled out a Facebook Group, a Slack Channel and a Twitter Group DM and despite having access to tens of thousands of people, they never once (so far as I saw) asked for money on those platforms.

Because that’s not what those communities were for. Rather they were there to educate their audience on how to be advocates for the campaign while also creating a direct line so that the campaign could learn directly from its audience!

They regularly asked for volunteers for organizing shifts, but they also responded to issues being raised by supporters in real-time.

And while they never asked for money directly, I’m betting they saw a very real return on their investment. Because someone who feels a part of something is far more likely to donate the next time they get an email or text message asking them to, than someone who doesn’t know who you are or even what office you are running for.

The Democratic party needs more people like John Fetterman, AOC and Jeff Jackson, who inherently understand the value of community and are willing to invest what it takes to build and foster it. What it needs less of: spammy emails that no one wants clogging up our collective inboxes.


Looking to take your digital program to the next level?

Let’s talk!

December 26, 2022/0 Comments/by Josh Klemons
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png 0 0 Josh Klemons /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reverbal-logo-1.png Josh Klemons2022-12-26 14:48:512023-01-09 10:22:29How This Congressman Elect Is Using Email To Flip the Script
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

  • Audience Outreach
  • Blogging
  • Brand Management
  • Digital Ads
  • Digital Tools
  • Editing
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Gmail
  • Instagram
  • iPhone Functionality
  • LinkedIn
  • Nonprofits
  • Organization
  • Politics
  • SEO
  • Social Media
  • Step Up Your Social
  • Telling Your Story
  • Training
  • Twitter
  • Wisconsin
  • Writing

Recent Posts

  • How This Congressman Elect Is Using Email To Flip the Script
  • Take Control of your Gmail Account with this Simple Hack
  • Don’t Let Bureaucrats Write Your Most Important Emails
  • Why Aren’t My Political Facebook Ads Running?
  • A Meme Masterclass From the Fetterman campaign

Archives

  • December 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • August 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • December 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • May 2015
  • September 2014
  • October 2013

I’m a digital marketing & social media speaker, trainer & presenter

See Upcoming Events

Ready to take your Facebook Live videos to the next level?

Download This FREE Checklist

Get social media tips, tricks, hacks & strategies delivered to your inbox

Sign Up Today
Contact

josh@reverbalcommunications.com

Privacy Policy

Social Media, Digital Marketing, Digital Strategy, Training, Consulting, ​Facebook Ads, Political Consulting, Keynote Speaker and Presenter, Podcast Host & More
Serving Madison, Wisconsin and beyond.

© 2022 All rights reserved. | 1 Day Website by Bizzy Bizzy
    Take Control of your Gmail Account with this Simple Hack
    Scroll to top

    This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

    OKLearn more×

    Cookie and Privacy Settings



    How we use cookies

    We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

    Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

    Essential Website Cookies

    These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

    Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

    We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

    We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

    Google Analytics Cookies

    These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

    If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

    Other external services

    We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

    Google Webfont Settings:

    Google Map Settings:

    Google reCaptcha Settings:

    Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

    Other cookies

    The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:

    Privacy Policy

    You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

    Terms and Conditions
    Accept settingsHide notification only