GOPAC Tip of Week

Tip of the Week April 2

A good benchmark survey should provide your campaign with an initial understanding of the political landscape including the key issues in the district and how to talk about them, current name identification for you and your opponent and an initial ballot to assess the current state of the race. -- Ryan Steusloff

Tip of the Week March 13

Think big when coming up with your ad concept. In the world of successful political web videos, being boring is worse than death. Nobody wants to see your stump speech, and your ad could even be more effective without you playing a prominent role. Rather, voters watching political ads online want to be entertained, enlightened, or both. -- Jason Miller

Tip of the Week March 6

The point is that the American public has found its voice—in town hall meetings and on the Internet—and is providing the political landscape with an electronic back yard fence that, if properly connected, will yield access to voters who will attach themselves to the political leaders who really listen to them. - Mark Standriff

Tip of the Week Feb 21

If you're not spending your campaign time raising money or talking to real voters you're wasting it. Real voters are undecided "likely voters." They are best contacted via door knocks and phone calls. -- Stephen Puetz

Tip of the Week Feb 13

To successfully raise money online, the key is sticking to a plan. Follow a schedule and use the news cycle to keep emails timely and relevant. Break through the clutter with creative subject lines and make sure that it is as simple as possible to make a donation. -- Becki Donatelli and Megg Whalen

Tip of the Week Feb 6

Before your campaign engages in any costly targeting efforts, take the time to understand the recent electoral history of your district. An analysis of historical voting patterns, down to the precinct, can generally be done quickly and for free. -- BJ Martino

Jan 11 Tip of the Week

"Use stories to link to common experience and to make your arguments vivid. Yes, facts and statistics are essential to strong communications. But study after study finds that when it is all over, audiences remember the stories most clearly." -- Clark S. Judge

Tip of the Week January 5th

Good poll results should work together to tell a story. Don’t get hung up on any one statistic, but at the end step back and ask yourself, "What are voters trying to tell me?" -- BJ Martino

Tip of the Week December 14th

Broadcast interviews are often short and quotes that make it in print articles are usually not long. In order to fit into these constraints, make your point and stop. Short quotable language is best and has the greatest chances of actually being quoted and used in the larger story. – Allison Kaminsky Putala

Tip of the Week December 5th

A good website establishes a brand and communicates a message. Thousands of people visit campaign websites on a daily basis, so take it seriously. For many voters, it may be the first and only impression they get of your campaign. But don't fall into the trap of thinking that by simply having a website, you're all set online. Technology is only a tool, not a strategy. -- Christian Curto

Tip of the Week November 21st

Many respondents will retain at least a portion of the questions and information you read them earlier in the survey. This retention can impact the responses they give to later questions. The questionnaire should flow from general to more specific topics, and all the key indicators (name awareness and image of candidates, the ballot, etc) should be asked earlier rather than later.
- BJ Martino

Tip of the Week November 14th

It's just as important for a candidate to pass the "neighbor test" as it is the "resume test". Candidates can't meet every voter, but they can build a movement on the ground through volunteers that become their disciples, help deliver the message and make the candidate as real and likeable as possible.

- Jeff Corless

Tip of the Week November 7th

Tactics can, and should, change as situations arise that affect a campaign. The evolution of a campaign will take shape based on the positive and negative responses you get along the way, and your success is tied directly to your ability to read those responses and make mid-course adjustments. Take the time to plan ahead and assure you have the resources available to make those modifications when you need to.

– Brian Noyes

Tip of the Week October 24th

On Dealing with Campaign Debt: "Budget from Election Day backwards. Knowing what you need in October/November prevents overspending when starting a campaign."
- Tricia Pearson Korcheck

Tip of the Week October 10th

On GOTV: "It really is that simple but success requires a written plan and sticking to that plan. Successful campaigns are highly organized and focused on one thing, achieving the vote goal. Delegation, communication and accountability are important to the success of your GOTV plan." - Patrick Davis, Patrick Davis Consulting