Darren Rowse of Problogger is heading to Tanzania to write about the work of international disability rehabilitation organization CBM. He’s set up a blog for the trip so we can follow along.
Jonathan Blundell saw Darren’s tweets about the upcoming trip and suggested he check out CompassionBloggers.com for some good examples of bloggers writing for a cause. (Thanks, Jonathan!) And then Darren tweeted asking me if I had any advice for good cause bloggers.
I sure do. Hope this helps, Darren.
Stop The Stats
Don’t use stats. OK, I know you can’t resist, so if you must use a stat, make it as tangible as you can. Instead of saying 24,000 children under the age of five die from poverty related causes everyday, say that the number would fill about 120 airplanes like the one you rode to Africa on. Or relate it to a statistic we’re familiar with: Perhaps the count is nearly ten times the number of Americans who died on 9/11. Or compare it to an opposite: The number of people starving today is roughly equivalent to the number of obese people on the planet.
Names & Faces
A person beats a number and a program any day. Don’t just tell me how many people have this problem, or benefit from that solution – show me one person and tell me their name. Human beings are wired to care about each other – not impersonal big problems and cold complex solutions. So while educating about the problem and convincing me that your solution works, don’t forget to tell me about the people. Introduce me to one.
Show Me A Story
Our ancestors sat around fires telling stories. Then we sat around radios. Then televisions. Now, websites. Stories stitch information into our minds in ways that bulleted pointed lists never will. So, make your list if you must…on scratch paper somewhere…but don’t post it. Then tell me a true story that shows me what’s on that list.
Your organization feeds and educates 10,000 children in rural poverty? Tell me a story that shows the poverty of one child – What’s he wearing, how’s he smell, how’s he speak, what’s his face doing, where’s he going? Show me how he’s being cared for – What’s he reading, where is he reading, who’s reading beside him, what’s his favorite book, does he like to read, is his mother proud, can she read, what’s on the stove, how did they eat before your organization came to help, what’s his favorite food now, how does it taste to you?
1000 Words
Pictures! Lots of pictures! And video.
What Changed Your Mind?
Tell me what you thought about this problem and solution before you saw it. How is it different than you pictured? What specific experiences – conversations, people, information, sights – changed your way of thinking? Start writing there because at least you know it worked once – it might work again and change me too.
Feelings. Wo-o-o Feelings.
We have minds and hearts. Engage them both without being manipulative. You know you’re being manipulative when you’re exaggerating or changing the truth to get what you want. Just tell me your stories the way they happened without leaving out how they made you feel. I have feelings too and I want to meet the feeling thinking people in your stories with my head and my heart.
Human. Not A Marketer.
Do not write like the organization website. Ditch the insider lingo and acronyms (like “CBM”?). Which reminds me, forget about writing in that plastic way that is search engine friendly too – just write! I’m reading to see what a real human being has to say about this organization and the people it serves. Don’t be a marketer! Be human. If you have to use a term or acronym outsiders don’t know, pause to tell me what it means.
Listen Up
Allow people to disagree or question you and your organization publicly. And talk back only when you can do so respectfully, gently, giving them any information they ask for. A dialogue builds trust and a monologue erodes it.
Just Ask
If you want me to do something, just ask. Don’t apologize for it. Don’t try to convince me. Just tell me your story about the problem, the solution, and the people affected. Then ask me to do something very specific: give, link, write, go, build…
Make It Easy
Make it very easy for me to do what you ask. If you link to a donation page, for instance, be sure there’s a big button there and not a lot of text. Pretend I’m very busy and I skim everything – because I do. So, while I realize that page with the button on it and only two sentences may not score you a lot of points with search engines, it’ll score you a lot of points with me. I need clear, concise and quick.
OK, hope that helps, Darren. Every secret isn’t here but you’ll have to take a trip with me sometime to get the rest. Want to learn how to format a jpeg to hypnotize all readers to do whatever you ask? I thought so.
Praying for you as you set off for Tanzania to have your heart and mind changed…and to change ours in the process. We’ll be reading!
Some of this post was adapted from an earlier post for public speakers titled 11 Tips For Persuaders.
JessicaB says:
I don’t know if I’m …edifying (?) enough to be a Compassion Blogger. Or even a good blogger.
Working on it.
Paul Steinbrueck says:
Thanks for sharing your suggestions, Shaun. I agree completely with every one of them. Only things I would add are:
1) Be consistent. I would really love to see a post each day posted more or less at the same time if possible.
2) Show me pictures. A picture is worth more than 1,000 words. Try to make them as authentic (not posed) as possible. Use them to tell stories.
Just my $0.02
Shaun Groves says:
Ahhh! How could I forget pictures?? I added that. Thanks, Paul.
Joy @ Joy In This Journey says:
I’m heading to Bolivia with World Vision this weekend, so this post was really really helpful.
Paul, I appreciate your suggestions too. I will keep the timing in mind as I think about our schedule and when to post things. I’ve been told that the time we’re given to write may vary each day, so I’m not yet sure how that will work, but knowing it’s important will help a lot. ๐
Sharen says:
Great tips. I’d like for my blog to be more then just my own random musings!
Katie says:
I love your thoughts. I always connect better to stories than anything else. After all, Jesus taught in narrative form, too.
As for the 24,000 kids, I put that into perspective myself: that’s about how many teens were at the National Youth Gathering. As soon as I picture the packed Superdome, you’ve got my attention!
Katie
Amy says:
Great advice. I’m with you on statistics and telling me a story. ๐
Christine says:
Not sure where this falls exaclty. Maybe it’s putiing a finer point on something already mentioned. I guess sort of falls under the pictures tip…but for me, some of Shaun’s most effective Compassion blog posts are the “definitions”, the pages where he titles it something like “Ugandan for nighborhood:” and it’s a single picture of the most devaststing slum you can imagine (or not imagine, since these posts defy the imagination). It’s a very creative way to let a picture be worth a thousand words. Peppered in amongst the heart tugging stories and people and photos are these very stark posts that allow the images to speak for themselves. So what is that …be creative with the pictures? Mix up the way you post so people are getting the core message repeated but in very different ways? Whatever it is, Shaun does it very well, for whatever that’s worth!
Zoรซ says:
This is very timely. I have a tendency to assume everyone is as ravenous for facts and details as I am and can absorb the information. I’m learning that simple is best, and will reach the most people – and pictures, yes, pictures speak without words. Thanks for this! ๐
Michelle ~ Blogging from the Boonies says:
I read an article with similar advice that you wrote for the Advocate’s newsletter perhaps a year or so ago. I try really hard to follow your advice, not only when speaking for Compassion, but also in my blogging as well. Just from my experience over the course of the last year, it works. I am thrilled at the number of children who have been able to receive that blessed news of being sponsored and thankful that I can have some small part in it all.
Thank you for giving me the tools that help me to serve God, bring glory to Him and help children.
(As a side note, I received a letter from Precious in Ghana yesterday. In January, I blogged to try to find sponsors for children in her project. ( http://meeshimama.blogspot.com/2011/01/precious-connection.html) She wrote to me asking if I was able to find sponsors for her friends through prayer or other means. I got to tell her that there was a lot of prayer and that I also used the computer to reach out to my friends. Prayers, pictures and words were able to bring about amazing results!)
Kristen says:
Oooh, this is great! I am speaking on a panel at the idea camp this weekend – our topic is “social media: orphan care and the weary reader”. I love these ideas – might be stealing (I mean quoting) them. ๐
@bibledude says:
I totally agree with Kristen!
Kristen, maybe we can split up the list between the two of us… ๐
Seriously Shaun… this is great! You’ve put into words very well what has been on the hearts of Kristen, me, and the others on the panel talking about this at The Idea Camp this weekend. You rock dude!
Jenna B. says:
Going on my first Mission trip this summer. I was thinking of blogging about it. Thanks for this. A lot of food for thought.
[email protected] says:
Great advice!! I totally agree that STORY/PICS/VIDEO are huge factors in relating needs. People need to be captured by what you are sharing, and that definitely doesn’t happen when you are going on and on and on about stats they could read in a college sociology class.
Thanks, Shaun.