A Persuasive Email

I recently received the following email from the Obama campaign. Although my email box is filled with these political emails, the title grabbed my attention and caused me to open it. The title was: Dinner with Barack and it read as follows.

You've heard about all of these political fundraising dinners, hosted by Washington lobbyists and filled with representatives of special interests.

Contributions like these are at the root of what's wrong with politics. And John McCain and Hillary Clinton have built campaigns fueled by them.

But our campaign is different.

In February alone, more than 94% of our donors gave in amounts of $200 or less. Meanwhile, campaign finance reports show that donations of $200 or less make up just 13% of Senator McCain's total campaign funds, and only 26% of Senator Clinton's.

Our funding comes from a movement of more than one million people giving whatever they can afford.

And in the next week, four supporters will be selected for a new kind of fundraising dinner.

Make a donation in any amount between now and 11:59 pm EDT on Monday, March 31st, and you could join Barack and three other supporters for an intimate dinner for five.

We're reserving two of those seats for new donors like you. If you've ever thought about making a donation to join our campaign, now is the time:

https://donate.barackobama.com/dinner

This movement is changing the way campaigns are funded.

Although it will be difficult to know for sure how persuasive this email is, I bet it will be incredibly effective at getting individuals on the fence to donate. Moreover, the statistics in this email are absolutely incredible (e.g., the percent of small donations to the Obama campaign).

Why This Email is Persuasive

• It appeals to the everyday person by maligning big money and corporate power
  
• It offers a personal connection (e.g., dinner with Barack)
• It makes you feel like you are a part of a movement (not a standard political campaign)