The article seems well written, thumbs up, nothing to add from here.
Speaking more generally, it seems wise for the EA community to present a wide variety of introductions so as to appeal to as many different types of visitors as possible.
First impression, this site seems to do an excellent job of connecting with visitors who are intellectually inclined. But that’s not most people. On the net especially, most readers are power scrolling through tons of data, and patience is not an asset rewarded by the click happy nature of the Internet.
If this is not already happening, some writers might focus on putting together what is sometimes called “an elevator speech”. Imagine you’re riding up to the 23rd floor with someone you’d like to connect with, and you have 30 seconds to make your case.
Can you summarize EA philosophy on a single screen, and then present a specific call to action on the 2nd screen?
Is there an EA fund which visitors can contribute to? If yes, the call to action could be to ask for an automated $1 per month contribution to that fund, managed by Paypal. Such a request would help EA identify those willing to take some modest action. Once these folks are identified ongoing communications can develop the relationship further over time, explain the EA philosophy in more detail in a series of emails etc.
The key concept to this approach is to present as few obstacles to action as possible at the beginning. Don’t require the new visitor to think too much (that can come later). Don’t present them with a lot of options (that can come later). Don’t ask for much (that can come later). Make the case on a single screen, ask for a dollar, and then follow up over time with those who respond to build the relationship.
If someone wants to take this approach further, the next step can be to relentlessly tweak and test the presentation to find out what works best. Advertising pros have learned that even small tweaks to headlines etc can sometimes have a big effect on the conversion rate. This is a big subject which I’m not expert on, and even if I were, it’s way too involved a subject to dive in to here.
I’m not suggesting the above as a “one true way”, only as one approach which may be effective with large numbers of net users who are somewhat interested, but not very patient, and not yet ready for a full immersion in to EA philosophy. It seems relevant to reflect on the fact that most of the money in the world is controlled by people who aren’t intellectual or philosophical.
I’m also curious to know if anyone is or has worked on an elevator pitch for EA and agree that capturing someon’s attention/ interest enough to convince them to read through a full article is tricky. The idea of increasing someone’s engagement with EA in a step-by-step manner is definitely worth consideration. Any info on efforts like this would be greatly appreciated!
The article seems well written, thumbs up, nothing to add from here.
Speaking more generally, it seems wise for the EA community to present a wide variety of introductions so as to appeal to as many different types of visitors as possible.
First impression, this site seems to do an excellent job of connecting with visitors who are intellectually inclined. But that’s not most people. On the net especially, most readers are power scrolling through tons of data, and patience is not an asset rewarded by the click happy nature of the Internet.
If this is not already happening, some writers might focus on putting together what is sometimes called “an elevator speech”. Imagine you’re riding up to the 23rd floor with someone you’d like to connect with, and you have 30 seconds to make your case.
Can you summarize EA philosophy on a single screen, and then present a specific call to action on the 2nd screen?
Is there an EA fund which visitors can contribute to? If yes, the call to action could be to ask for an automated $1 per month contribution to that fund, managed by Paypal. Such a request would help EA identify those willing to take some modest action. Once these folks are identified ongoing communications can develop the relationship further over time, explain the EA philosophy in more detail in a series of emails etc.
The key concept to this approach is to present as few obstacles to action as possible at the beginning. Don’t require the new visitor to think too much (that can come later). Don’t present them with a lot of options (that can come later). Don’t ask for much (that can come later). Make the case on a single screen, ask for a dollar, and then follow up over time with those who respond to build the relationship.
If someone wants to take this approach further, the next step can be to relentlessly tweak and test the presentation to find out what works best. Advertising pros have learned that even small tweaks to headlines etc can sometimes have a big effect on the conversion rate. This is a big subject which I’m not expert on, and even if I were, it’s way too involved a subject to dive in to here.
I’m not suggesting the above as a “one true way”, only as one approach which may be effective with large numbers of net users who are somewhat interested, but not very patient, and not yet ready for a full immersion in to EA philosophy. It seems relevant to reflect on the fact that most of the money in the world is controlled by people who aren’t intellectual or philosophical.
I’m also curious to know if anyone is or has worked on an elevator pitch for EA and agree that capturing someon’s attention/ interest enough to convince them to read through a full article is tricky. The idea of increasing someone’s engagement with EA in a step-by-step manner is definitely worth consideration. Any info on efforts like this would be greatly appreciated!