If you’ve been watching my recent videos, you’ve heard me say that a good campaign message has the same elements as a good story… A threat. An evil. A villain. Fear. A victim. Hope. Opportunity. A resolution. A hero.
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This video is the third in a series on this subject. Today a few words about the hero in your campaign narrative, and how the hero will resolve the threats and evils you identified.
It is only natural that you will be the hero. After all, you are the one running for office. You are the one who is raising the alarm about the threats and evils your constituents face. And in any good story, the hero is usually the one that rescues the victims.
How is the hero in your narrative going to resolve the problems and threats you identified? In other words, what are your solutions?
If you have identified lack of health insurance as the threat, how will you make sure it is available to all?
If you have identified high property taxes as the evil, and homeowners the victims, what is your plan to reduce the tax burden?
If you have identified those who rig the tax code as the villains, how will you reform it, and make it better for the middle class?
If you said that failing schools are an evil that must be vanquished, how will you make schools better?
It is worth noting that many candidates fall short on this part of their narrative. They are good at identifying threats, evils, villains, fears and victims. But their solutions are vague or non-existent.
The trouble with some candidates who rail about President Trump is that they can’t tell anyone how they would fix health care, reform the tax code or secure the order.
This is a fact. Voters will not buy into your campaign narrative if you cannot offer specific and plausible solutions. There is a graveyard full of defeated candidates who thought they could win simply by bitching about the way things are.
The construction of a campaign narrative, your message and rationale for running is the most important task you will ever perform in a political campaign.
A good message will attract volunteers, supporters, campaign contributors and voters. No amount of money will save a candidate who lacks a coherent message.
I’ve developed a workbook that will help you develop your campaign message — a simple step by step guide that will help you easily identify all the elements of your campaign narrative. Included in the workbook is an excellent campaign narrative developed for a candidate running for the state legislature.
If you’d like a copy, send me an email, Jay@JayTownsend.com. Write Campaign Message Workbook in the subject line and I’ll send it to you.
Political consultant Jay Townsend works with smart, passionate candidates who want to run for office, win elections and make a difference. He has successfully helped candidates learn how to run for the U.S. Senate, how to run for Congress, how to run for Mayor and develop a winning campaign marketing strategy.
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