You may have noticed that we’re not afraid to get a little creative here on the ShareProgress blog. We’ve written about Gilmore Girls, kidnapping schemes, and what you can learn from rappers. But what happens when you apply that same outside-the-box thinking to emails that ask supporters to take a specific action?

We recently tested that out in a project with the AFL-CIO. The AFL-CIO had a number of people on their email list who hadn’t responded to their campaign appeals in six months or more. As part of our digital analytics consulting work with them, the ShareProgress team set out to try and reactivate these supporters. We decided to test out three different potential messages to the inactive audience. Two of those were more creative approaches–a Buzzfeed-style Harry Potter quiz, and a message from the recipient’s future self, in which a robotic version of Scott Walker is the president–and one was a more traditional reactivation email, where we asked recipients if they supported working people.

We wanted to see whether creative messages would inspire more people to action. And now we have the results! First, you can read through the messages that were sent out (or, if you’re eager to get to the results, you can just scroll down).

The Harry Potter email
Subject: Which Harry Potter character are you?

[First_Name],

We noticed it’s been a while since you got involved in our campaigns. We were doing a little brainstorming trying to figure out why and figured the best way to remind you why you got involved in the first place was with a Harry Potter quiz—which of the characters below best describe you?

Harry—You can’t help but fight for those who need a champion the most. We know how busy you’ve been practicing Quidditch and avoiding doing homework with Ron, but now we need you to be a leader in our fight.
Hermione—You’re fiercely passionate about fighting for those who don’t have a voice. We know you’ve probably been really busy taking every class available and doing homework in the library, but now we need you to stand with us.
Ron—You’re the best friend anyone could ask for, and you’re always helping out someone in need. We know you’ve probably been distracted searching for your pet rat Scabbers and trying to get your wand to work, but now we need your voice in our fight.
Whatever the reason, we need you to stand with us and fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (*cough,* Scott Walker, *cough*). Together, we are stronger.

I don’t support working people. Please remove me from this list.

Your involvement means everything to us. Thank you for standing with us.

In solidarity,

AFL-CIO

The robot Scott Walker email:
Subject: Greetings from the year 2050
[First_Name],

I am you in 2050. I’m emailing you from the future using trans-temporal messaging technology because things are looking bleak. Scott Walker isn’t president anymore. Instead, a robotic version of Scott Walker is president. McDonald’s bought out every small restaurant in the country after it was allowed to continue paying its workers an unlivable wage. And we no longer have members of Congress, we have “corporations of Congress”—and Walmart is the Senate majority leader.

Former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was forced to publicly shave his mustache years ago. As you stand by while robotic Scott Walker and his CEO friends conspire to destroy the country, you have to wonder:

Would this have happened if you had engaged on AFL-CIO campaigns and taken a stand for working people?

It doesn’t have to be that way. Take an action, and show us you’re still committed to a future without robot President Scott Walker.

Will you stand with working people?

Yes, I stand with working people.

No, I don’t support working people. Please remove me from this list.

Thank you for ensuring a future without robot Scott Walker.

In solidarity,
Future [First_Name]

And, finally, the more traditional reactivation email:
Subject: [First_Name], are you someone who supports working families?

[First_Name],

We’ve noticed that you haven’t taken action with us for a while, and we’re concerned. We know you care about fighting for workers’ rights as much as we do—it’s why you joined our campaign in the first place.

Are you still someone who supports working people?

Yes, I stand with working people.

No, I don’t support working people. Please remove me from this list.

Your involvement means everything to us. Thank you for standing with us.

In solidarity,

AFL-CIO

So which email won out? A future with a de-moustached Richard Trumka? Quiz results telling you that you’re Hermionie Granger? Nope, as it turned out, the traditional reactivation email pretty much destroyed the other two options. For the statistically-minded amongst you, here are the full results:

You can see that even though the “Greetings from 2050” email had a slightly higher open rate, it wasn’t at all competitive in terms of click or action rates–the traditional email drove over twice as many actions.

Does this mean that you should stick to direct, to-the-point messages for all of your reactivation emails from now on? Well, we think it depends. In this case, it clearly worked best for the AFL-CIO to use a straightforward premise and ask. But it’s completely possible that your audience would respond differently–maybe they’re bigger Harry Potter fans or more terrified by the prospect of a robotic president. So, as always, your email mileage may vary. It’s worth running your own test to see how your specific audience responds, and to figure out what you can learn from the results.

If you do try out a similar test, let us know–we’d love to hear the outcome! And if you’re also worried about a future robotic Scott Walker presidency, rest assured that the ShareProgress team is working hard to make sure we all avoid that possibility.