12 Tips for Writing Winning Asks

Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content and has gained 600K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.

Use These Templates to Show Benefits

These 12 tips for writing winning Asks follow a simple fill-in-the-blank format you can use to write an important part of a call to action: the benefits of your product, service, or cause.

They’re helpful because they give you a model to use to explain benefits to your reader.

An Ask (a call to action) is the point in your project where you tell your reader what to do. Any piece of persuasive writing includes an Ask, whether it’s an appeal letter, a web page, an email campaign, a response device, a blog post or a social media post.

A winning Ask gives a clear command to your reader to give, buy, opt-in, or click. (Here’s how to write an Ask)

But first, you need to show her the benefit of responding. To do that, you tap into your reader’s emotions. 

Use this list of templates to tap into those emotions. Each tip appeals to one emotion that can touch your reader and move her to respond to your Ask.

12 Tips for Writing Winning Asks that Reveal Benefits

1. Tell the reader about her feelings.

You will feel good when you give (buy, opt-in, click here, respond) because …

2. Tell the reader about her fears (physical pain, an emotional hurt, guilt, shame, a sense of hopelessness or uncertainty).

You will feel better when you give (buy, opt-in, click here, respond) because …

3. Tell the reader about her significance.

You will know you are valuable and needed when you give (buy, opt in, click here, respond).

4. Tell the reader about her connectedness.

You will be a part of a special community when you give (buy, opt in, click here, respond).

5. Tell the reader about her awareness.

You will be in touch when you give (buy, opt in, click here, respond).

6. Tell her about her achievement.

You will meet a special need when you give (buy, opt in, click here, respond).

7. Tell her about her priorities.

You will do what is important when you give (buy, opt in, click here, respond).

8. Tell her about her character.

You will do what is right when you give (buy, opt in, click here, respond).

9. Tell her about her choices.

You will improve your health and well-being when you give (buy, opt in, click here, respond).

10. Tell her about her generosity.

You will help someone else when you give (buy, opt in, click here, respond).

11. Tell her about her insight.

You will help solve a problem when you give (buy, opt in, click here, respond).

12. Tell her about her needs.

You will participate in a cause that means a lot to you when you give (buy, opt in, click here, respond).

More Persuasive Writing Tips for Making the Ask

Free Download: a Simple (and Powerful) Fundraising Letter Template ...

5 Opening Lines for Fundraising Messages ...

Use These Call To Action Examples to Move Readers to Act ...

Call to Action: Have You Told Your Reader What to Do?

Write a Call to Action in 3 words or less ...

Two writing tips for making the ask ...

Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Direct Mail Fundraising Letter ...

Is It a Feature or a Benefit? How to know ...

How to write a P.S. with punch ...

Get more Persuasive Writing Tips on our Pinterest board ...

Return from 12 Tips for Writing Winning Asks to Nonprofit Copywriter home

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Powered by SBI! Learn more here.