Know thy audience

If you want to grow an email list or really any community that works for your goals then you have to start by knowing your audience. Organizations know this and say this all the time but saying it is not the same as really knowing, listening, learning and testing. Let's talk about doing that work.

Hi there. Welcome to Friday. And Future Community. A big welcome to new folks from Massachusetts, California, New York, D.C. and everywhere else! I reckon some of you are prioritizing a job search. The most recent roles from the Future Community Jobs list are down below.

I'm putting together materials for a comprehensive course on running an email program. As part of that I'm going to drop some notes and previews into the newsletter.

One of the first things any organization running an email or online fundraising program wants to talk about is growth. And there's a lot to talk about there.

For starters, most acquisition is built around "lookalike audiences" that are built on assumptions about the current audience: "Our subscribers take action on issue X so let's acquire people somewhere people take action on issue X."

This doesn't say much about why people take action, what they're looking for from that action, or their interest in belonging to and supporting an organization.

Most would be better off starting with quality time digging into their current and potential audiences.

Chances are good that past growth hasn't been targeting the right audiences and has fallen short or resulted in superficial growth (a bigger list that doesn't do much).

You want to spend acquisition resources wisely. Spending time learning from and listening to your audience informs that. And, no, this isn't about running surveys.

Who is your audience?

If you google around for audience identification tips you'll find a lot on segmentation, personas and looking at behavioral data. Basically, look at data on your current audience and do more of that.

In other words, what are your current people's ages, where do they live, what do they say they're interested in, what links do they click, what pages on the website do they look at, what do the people who engage most have in common?

Then create some personas. For instance: Marge, a typical supporter, is a female mother of two with blue hair. Marge is very busy trying to run a household that's constantly being broken and dirtied by her husband. She has strong opinions, will take action, but doesn't have much time to read anything but the Springfield Shopper.

Listening for more

That's useful insofar as it goes. But what does Marge really need? Does she need more information (and on what)? Does she need connection to others in the community who share interests? Does she have questions about electric cars that she can't get answered in the Shopper or from friends and other sources?

I know you don't have time for it but try to really listen to people.

Interview engaged subscribers. Interview non-engaged people who you think you want to target. Test images, messages, video, audio. What resonates? What confuses? What makes people smile?

Dig in to understand the subcultures they hang out in. Do you like forests? Great. But which ones? Why? What do you do in forests? What info do you need to spend good time in them? Or is the like mostly aspirational or driven by a commitment public good? That presents a different set of user needs and way of talking about forests if you want to resonate.

Find out what people's pain points are. What isn’t working for them and how do you use that to differentiate your message and make your work special?

Any opportunity to gather interest and "why" data is a good one, especially if you can put it to use. Why did you read this page? What were you looking for? Why did you make this donation? Why did you subscribe? Does the email we sent tell you what you need to know?

Normalize feedback on web pages, in emails, and on forms. Automate it where possible. Most of all, take time to review, learn and test what you see.

Growing a list isn't that hard. But growing a list works? That takes an intense focus on finding audiences who engage with you and understanding their needs so that they'll want to engage and keep on engaging.

Bright Ideas: Reading and Resources

After the November election I wrote about how information deserts become host environments for disinformation and fear-driven news. Sarah Stonbely goes deeper and offers examples and insights for the power of local news in From news deserts to information oceans. [Columbia Journalism Review]

It's a time that demands organizing that creates power. Micah Sifry's Organizing How-Tos (and How Not-Tos) in this Whirlwind Moment and Danya Ruttenberg's On Organizing are two essential reads I've seen this week.

For the messaging types out there, read or listen to Anat Shenker-Osorio's *actual* plan to beat fascism, a conversation between Anat and Anand Giridharadas.

One of my goals for this year is to build spaces for people to have meaningful conversations that not just advance the value and impact of their work but also builds joy and trust. Mili Semlani works at the intersection of journalism and community and dropped this must-read a couple days ago: Human connection is the antidote algorithm-driven media desperately needs.

The ultimate guide to audience research methods for digital publishers is pretty much what it says. [John Mills in The Audiencers]

Beating back alienation (and hopelessness) by building a sense of membership in cities in “City Membership,” a toolkit from the Democracy Policy Network and Connective Tissue. [via Gabe Lerner]

The Harvard Public Health newsletter was a fantastically written and designed example of delivering science news and insights to a broader audience. I'm so bummed it's shutting down.

I didn't expect the New York Times columnist John McWhorter to be the one offering the strongest defense of NYC's congestion pricing but here we go. The real lesson here is that people thrive in human scale outdoor spaces where they don't fear for their safety, their ears, and their lungs every second.

On the digital security needs of Trump administration whistleblowers. [The Intercept]

Future Community Jobs

A handful of the most recent roles you'll find on Future Community Jobs. Going forward we'll be sending a jobs focused newsletter early every week so be sure to subscribe if this was forwarded to you.

• Executive Producer : City Cast D.C. [Washington, DC]
• Communications Director : World Press Photo [Amsterdam]
• Head of Communications : Builders Network [Remote / Austin / New York City]
• Associate Director of Communications and Engagement : WITNESS [Remote]
• Director of Communications : J Street [Washington, DC]
• Associate Director, Policy Initiatives : Good Food Institute [Washington, DC]
• Program Director, Immigrant Inclusion : One America [Seattle]
• Campaign Director : Fight for the Future [Remote]
• Senior Director, Philanthropic Partnerships : Center for Justice Innovation [New York City]
• Strategic Partnerships Officer : The Water Foundation [Sacramento / San Francisco / Los Angeles / Remote]
• Vice President of Advancement : The Forward [Unspecified]
• Development Communications Manager : Religion News Service [Remote]
• Director of Security and Chief Operating Officer : Freedom Together Foundation [New York City]
• Communications Officer, Speech Writer (12 months) : Gates Foundation [Seattle]
• Investment Principal and Project Manager : Mulago Foundation [San Francisco]
• Officer, Digital Strategy : Open Society Foundations [Mexico City]
• Senior Product Manager, Public Spaces Incubator : New Public [Remote in the US or Canada]

Future Community is a product of Ted Fickes and Bright+3. Reply to this message or visit Bright+3 for more about our work.

P.S. One more that might bring a little to some of you. Last night was the first time all four members of R.E.M. appeared together on stage since a show in Mexico City in late-2008. Here's their messy but fun version of Pretty Persuasion.