DIY Copywriting & Messaging Resources
Want to improve your nonprofit marketing communications on your own? Then you've come to the right place!
From my marketing background and experience as a copywriter, I've compiled various books, guides, and templates that can help you DIY your mission-driven messaging strategy.
Downloadable Guides
These guides will help you along your mission-driven messaging journey. Feel free to access, download, and use them however is most helpful for you. If you post, publish, or link these somewhere in your communications, I just ask that you give me a little shoutout. 🥰
Simple Keyword Placement Guide
➡️ Download
So, you have a giant list of keywords. Now what? This guide shows you where to use these organic keywords so more people can find your website in their search results. You don't have to be an SEO expert or web developer to implement these steps. It's not rocket science, but some would call it busy work.
This guide includes:
- Keyword & SEO Basics
- Golden Rules of Using Keywords
- Optimized Keyword Placement
Social Media Communication Strategy Workbook
➡️ *Coming Soon*
This guide includes:
- Quickly Create Posts with a Pillar Strategy
- Write Captions that Boost Engagement
- Hashtag Basics: How & Where to Use Them
- When to Schedule Posts
Recommended Reading
These books have transformed the way I write and strategize marketing communications for mission-driven organizations.
Although these books are not written for nonprofits, you can still apply their lessons and significantly impact the way you write copy and communicate with your key stakeholders.
Each book listed has been an anchor in how I write copy for my clients, so I hope you can learn from them, too. ➡️ See the Book List on Bookshop.org
Building A Storybrand by Donald Miller
This book is my #1 recommendation when organizations ask me how they can improve their communications. I love Miller's lesson on the Hero vs. the Guide because it's a subtle shift that can impact your entire messaging strategy.
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
Most mission-driven organizations are good at knowing their "why"; it's often the reason they started in the first place! However, articulating that "why" can become a challenge. This book points back to your "why" so you can keep it at the forefront of all your communications and inspire your community.
Made to Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Perhaps "too marketing" for some, this book gives potent guidelines for writing memorable messages. You can write copy that resonates with the hearts of your readers and sticks in their memory by following their SUCCESs acronym in all your communications.
When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikker
How you serve and talk about your beneficiaries makes a difference because it can impact the perception of those you serve. This book addresses the (often unintentional) ways we can cause harm in our attempts to help others. By learning from these lessons, we can write more empowering messages that honor and respect those we want to help.
Free Online Learning
As a lover of learning, I wanted to include options for online learning that can introduce new topics in marketing or take your skills to the next level. Some of these learning options even include a certification, which you can show off on your LinkedIn profile.
HubSpot Academy
Why learn with HubSpot Academy? Well, most of their courses are free, many come with certifications, and you can finish most of them in a matter of hours. Their courses are updated for the current trends while staying accessible for beginners. Browsing their course library, you'll find anything you might want to learn in marketing for your organization. Whether you want to take a course yourself or train an intern, HubSpot Academy is a great learning option.