Keep it concise (the less explaining the better) and lead with the most important bit — the URL and call to action. You will always get better results by contacting people individually rather than en masse — we humans like to feel special now and then!

Here are some tips we’ve found helpful when reaching out to people and encouraging them to contribute.

• Be concise, friendly and instructive when reaching out to people (the less explaining the better). Lead with the most important bit — the URL and call to action.
• Whenever possible try to contact people individually, though it may take a bit more time we’ve found that contacting someone directly (as opposed to mass-messaging many people at once) always results in more responses. We humans like to feel special now and then!
• Don’t give up if you don’t hear back from everyone you’ve reached out to right away. Give it a few days before you message them again, nobody wants to be bombarded with emails. It’s not uncommon to have to reach out to the same person 2-3 times before they contribute.

Read more tips on how to figure out who to send the questionnaire link to.

Sample Messages

Replace the [bracketed] text with your Fondfolio’s unique information.

Initial Contact

The first time you contact a potential contributor.

Hi [their name],

I need your help in creating a special gift for [recipient name]’s upcoming [occasion]. Please visit this url [your fondfolio url] to answer 5 short questions that will contribute to a collaborative book of personal anecdotes.

You will have until [end date] to submit.

I’d be so grateful for your thoughtful words and I know it would mean the world to [recipient name] 🙂

Those who contribute will have their responses printed and bound in a custom-made book that will be treasured forever.

Also, this is a secret, and will hopefully stay that way until the reveal! Thanks for taking the time. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Cheers, [your name]

Reminder

2-3 days before the contribution closing date, you should reach out again to round up any last stragglers. People will forget and it’s frustrating, but try not to give them a hard time about it – we all forget things.

Hi [their name],

The deadline to contribute to [recipient name]’s [event] Fondfolio is midnight on [end date].

Visit this link to answer the 5 short questions: [your fondfolio url]

We’ve had [X] contributions so far, but it would be a shame for this gift to be produced without your unique voice and insight.

It doesn’t need to be novel-worthy material, just be yourself, share your thoughts, and then enjoy all the good feels that come from writing something nice about someone you care about.

Warmly, [your name]

Final Reminder

One last shot for any remaining stragglers.

Hi [their name],

I promise this is the last time I will bug you about this, but we’ve had [X] contributions and I’m still hoping for a few more. It should only take a couple of minutes to complete the questions at this link: [your fondfolio url] 😁

The deadline to contribute is [end date]

Here’s an example of what each person’s page in the book will look like: https://www.instagram.com/p/BLEy2yEDxTY/

Thanks, [your name]