‘Common Logic’ Is Not Always Logical

Simplify the means of responding
The easier it is for a potential donor to respond, the more likely that donor will respond … right? It seems this should be obvious, but it’s not.

Some of the most successful appeals I helped develop for a political party involved a survey that included a dozen pages of questions, and a whole page of instructions. Not only did the respondent have to answer the many questions, but they also had to fill out a lot of personal information and then fold the form to fit it into the relatively small response envelope. Attempts to simplify the form failed in tests. Against common reasoning, the audience liked the more complex survey and response better.