Campaign Message

Staying on message in 2026 and beyond can be challenging and feels like a big game of whack-a-mole. One minute you are being proactive, and the next you are completely reactive. A good campaign message helps a campaign achieve its goals and prevents being on the back foot. Whether you are running for office or running any kind of campaign (candidate, ballot measure, membership, advocacy, etc.), having a clear message makes a big difference. 

In our line of work here at The Campaign Workshop, there are a lot of common mistakes we see in political messaging. Getting political messaging right is more art than science. You need to take a lot of things into account, including timing, authenticity, emotion, contrast, your call to action, and more. Learn the common mistakes folks make in their political messaging and how to prevent them. 

When you’re a part of an advocacy campaign, spotting issues and fixing them are not always easy. In the realm of advocacy, there will always be bumps in the road, that is the nature of making change. Identifying common advocacy hurdles and proactively planning for solutions is a good strategy that can improve your campaign. 

Advocacy message development can be challenging. Join us as we go through the basics of developing an advocacy message, as well as more advanced steps to build an advocacy message that goes the distance.

Kate Childs Graham is currently a principal at West Wing Writers but has long worked in the field of political speechwriting. She is the former communications director for US Senator Amy Klobuchar. She also wrote speeches for principals and surrogates during the Clinton-Kaine campaign and the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Eric Schnure is a former speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore who has been a freelance writer and communications consultant for over 20 years. Eric has spent his career helping elected officials, business and nonprofit executives, and entertainers hone their public speaking. He is known for incorporating humor into his speechwriting which led him to cofound the Humor Cabinet, a communications consulting firm.

Everyone has a story to tell. For politicians, advocates, and change makers, how you tell your story is essential. A great way to do this is through writing a book about your life. Every major politician of the last few decades has penned an autobiography, telling their story of how they achieved the American Dream. Political advocacy books include how the writer grew to overcome obstacles and persevere to make the world a better place.

Name recognition or Name ID, is usually judged by political polling to determine how many people know Candidate A vs. Candidate B. We start with a simple question that asks whether people have heard of either candidate. Then we compare the candidate’s name ID.

We started inbound marketing 3 years ago and now we advise other organizations and companies on how to do it in a fun and impactful way. My best tips for keeping nonprofit content marketing fresh is to get your team and customers involved. Blogging and other forms of content can get old fast if it is just one-person blogging (trust me!)