Good Stories Have an Expiration Date (And 5 Other Myths)

One of the questions clients and colleagues ask me most often is if they should update the story in a strong-performing control—and when to do that.

Here’s what I say: Don’t guess. Test.

Sometimes, refreshed versions of stories in proven controls can have a novelty effect and boost results in the short term. Sometimes they can have no impact at all. So it’s impossible to state emphatically that there is a particular cadence to refreshing fundraising stories that works every time.

If you can, test a new story and see how it performs. It’s the only way to know for sure.