My Campaign Coach Minute

Here’s today’s tip: Titles for staff and volunteers are free and make people feel important. Money is tight on the campaign trail…but you need quality staff. When you can’t pay people what you’d like, make sure you consider what else might be of value to them that’s free or cheap to you! One of my […] The post Titles for staff and volunteers are free and make people feel important. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: The campaign schedule should include family time, relaxation and sleep. Life doesn’t stop just because you launch a political campaign. Bills need to be paid, your family needs your physical presence, mental energy and emotional engagement and your body needs rest. Even if you are one of the rare folks who can […] The post The campaign schedule should include family time, relaxation and sleep. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: “Big Jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow the small ones.” – Teddy Roosevelt Teddy was right about many things and this quote nails it. If you want the big job, prove you’re not afraid of the small ones. We see this truth both in religious and […] The post Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow the small ones. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Get-Out-The-Vote may be the last phase of the campaign but should be planned at the beginning. Planning campaigns backwards may be counter-intuitive but it’s critically important. Doing so will allow you to set specific, measured goals, plan accurately for required resources and better anticipate the obstacles or challenges that can frustrate your […] The post Get-Out-The-Vote may be the last phase of the campaign but should be planned at the beginning. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: When scheduling the candidate, anchor on events and fill in with canvassing, fundraising and small groups. Scheduling the candidate’s time efficiently is among the most important recurring jobs on the campaign trail. From within and without the campaign, everybody will seem to be pulling the candidate in different directions, so whoever is […] The post When scheduling the candidate, anchor on events and fill in with canvassing, fundraising and small groups. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Buy URLs you want to use AND ones you don’t want your opponent to use against you. Buy theirs too! I bought RazShafer.com when I was about 18 years old and that started a URL buying binge. As the internet was coming of age and I learned more about search engine optimization, […] The post Buy URLs you want to use AND ones you don’t want your opponent to use against you. Buy theirs too! appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Always make sure your campaign mailing address is listed on your website donation page. In a world dominated by digital content and online fundraising, traditional mail and physical checks often get forgotten. I was recently putting together a list of candidates for a donor who wanted to know whom to support. This […] The post Always make sure your campaign mailing address is listed on your website donation page. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: “The dignity of a prime minister, like a lady’s virtue, is not susceptible to partial diminution.” – Winston Churchill As most of y’all know, I’m a huge fan of Winston Churchill. And as soon as I saw this quote from him, its truth resonated with me strongly. I’d imagine that after hearing […] The post “The dignity of a prime minister, like a lady’s virtue, is not susceptible to partial diminution.” – Winston Churchill appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Hire a professional to execute thorough opposition research and a vulnerability study early in the campaign. There are a lot of areas within campaigns where I routinely encourage campaigns to keep things in-house. In a lot of cases, you’re able to save money and achieve an equal or greater quality level in […] The post Hire a professional to execute thorough opposition research and a vulnerability study early in the campaign. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: “I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them.” Adlai Stevenson This tongue in cheek quote from Adlai Stevenson perfectly captures the feelings of many candidates. But it also brings into perspective a central question of campaign strategy: “How […] The post I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them. – Adlai Stevenson appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Every candidate should have daily and weekly goals for fundraising calls and door knocks. What are yours? Galileo, the famous scientist and astronomer once said, “Measure what is measurable and make measurable what is not so.” When we set goals without a plan for easily tracking progress, failure is all but guaranteed. […] The post Every candidate should have daily and weekly goals for fundraising calls and door knocks. What are yours? appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Be accessible. If voters and supporters can’t reach you on the campaign trail, they’ll doubt they will once you’re elected. One of the perennial complaints about elected officials is their lack of accessibility. We talk about them getting caught in a bubble of their own creation or shunning the hoi polloi. If […] The post Be accessible. If voters and supporters can’t reach you on the campaign trail, they’ll doubt they will once you’re elected. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: It’s virtually impossible to practice a speech too much. Practice. Practice. Practice. Have you ever heard somebody give a speech and said to yourself, “They really spent too much time practicing that!” I’m fairly confident I can’t answer that question in the affirmative. Recently I had the opportunity to give a high […] The post It’s virtually impossible to practice a speech too much. Practice. Practice. Practice. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

I’m a huge fan of the book Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. If you haven’t read it, you should. One of the central points of the book is how important it is that a leader take ownership over their entire sphere of responsibility. As a candidate, you are a leader of your […] The post The Candidate sets the tone for their Campaign’s work ethic and motivation. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

It’s an old saying in the legal profession that any man who chooses to represent himself in court has a fool for a client. The same is true of a candidate who decides to be his or her own campaign manager. I’m not just talking about someone who actually makes a conscious decision to manage […] The post Never be your own campaign manager. You’ll suck at both jobs. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Time, Treasurer and Talent are the three primary resources every campaign relies on. Treasurer and Talent are renewable resources but Time is not. A good campaign can always raise at least a little more money and recruit more volunteers but I don’t care how awesome you are, you can’t turn back the clock. This means […] The post There’s no such thing as starting a campaign too early. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Do you like begging for money? Probably not. I sure don’t. And at the beginning of my work fundraising, that’s exactly how it felt. It wasn’t until I had a change in the way I perceived the work that I started feeling differently about raising money. What happened was that I stopped viewing fundraising as […] The post Nobody is a better fundraiser than the candidate. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

When was the last time you said something you shouldn’t have in frustration or anger? You may not be able to remember a specific instance but I’m betting it wasn’t that long ago. Even if you aren’t particularly prone to outbursts of anger, if you’re anything like me, you slip up every now and then. […] The post Never snap at your staff. If you do, apologize quickly. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Money in your account when the polls closed is wasted. We lost the first election I ever helped in because we didn’t give it everything. I can’t remember what the financial balance was when the polls closed, but I know we metaphorically had “something left in the tank” individually. We could have […] The post Money in your account when the polls closed is wasted. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Don’t call a voter before 9am or after 9pm. Throughout the campaign, you’ll be working non-stop to identify, persuade and turn out voters. Every minute counts but some minutes are off limits for certain types of contact. I recommend keeping you set 9am and 9pm as the outer bounds of your phone […] The post Don’t call a voter before 9am or after 9pm. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: His chest is a cage in which two squirrels are at war – his conscience and his career. This quote comes from Winston Churchill, one of the 20th Century’s greatest statesmen and a personal hero of mine. He made an art of turning phrases and this is among my favorites. In describing […] The post His chest is a cage in which two squirrels are at war – his conscience and his career. – Winston Churchill appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation. I love this quote from James Freeman Clarke. Whether you are Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Alien, I imagine that you are nodding your head in agreement with Mr. Clarke. Too many politicians of all stripes fall into this […] The post A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Don’t forget: Your opponent reads your website too. Don’t post anything you don’t want used against you. This tip applies broadly to your website, social media and anywhere online. In any campaign, you are appealing to various constituencies which overlap to a greater or lesser degree. If you find yourself appealing loudly […] The post Don’t forget: Your opponent reads your website too. Don’t post anything you don’t want used against you. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Effective door-to-door campaigns are meticulously planned and methodically executed. If there’s one area of campaigns where the majority of my experience lies, it’s the ground game. Knocking doors, recruiting volunteers and calling voters. It’s where most campaigns live or die. Their ability to navigate the logistical hurdles and tactical setbacks dog make […] The post Effective door-to-door campaigns are meticulously planned and methodically executed. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Answering hypothetical questions is a great way to lose ACTUAL elections. I hate hypothetical questions in campaigns. I’m not talking about things like, “If elected, would you vote to cut taxes and spending.” The worst offenders are more detailed and harder to square with circumstances you may face in office. They’re also […] The post Answering hypothetical questions is a great way to lose ACTUAL elections. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Rejection on the campaign trail is a fact of life. Dust yourself off and get back on the horse. I don’t remember the first time I got cussed at while canvassing. I know it’s happened a lot but after careful examination by my bride, I can confirm that I don’t have a […] The post Rejection on the campaign trail is a fact of life. Dust yourself off and get back on the horse. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Projecting enthusiasm is critical. I don’t care how tired, stressed or far down you are in the polls. Smile! If you’re running for office or directing a campaign, optimism should simply ooze out of you. It doesn’t matter to me whether polling shows you down 15 or 25 points. If you’re in […] The post Projecting enthusiasm is critical. I don’t care how tired, stressed or far down you are in the polls. Smile! appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Free interns are awesome! Get all you can, train them well and keep them busy. As a former free intern, I endorse this message. The fact is that everybody wants free labor…but it’s the training and deployment where most people fail. The biggest surprise that I found once I started hiring interns […] The post Free interns are awesome! Get all you can, train them well and keep them busy. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: All campaign documents and material should be secure and accessible. Use the cloud. It’s hard to imagine that just a few years ago, you had to make hard-copies of campaign documents in order to share them. Printing, collating and mailing important documents all too significant time. Now that’s not the case. Cloud […] The post All campaign documents and material should be secure and accessible. Use the cloud. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Never break the law. You’re not Frank Underwood and you WILL get caught. I pretty well hope that y’all are virtuous, law-abiding citizens but it would be silly to pretend that temptation isn’t real. On the campaign trail, there are a lot of laws you need to pay attention to. The impact […] The post Never break the law. You’re not Frank Underwood and you WILL get caught. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: If you can’t tell someone why you’re running in 30 seconds or less, don’t run. One of the first things we talk about in our free online course is how to answer three questions: Why Me (why I’m the right person for the job), Why Now (why THIS is the time for […] The post If you can’t tell someone why you’re running in 30 seconds or less, don’t run. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Handwritten notes are one of the most powerful tools you have. And they’re cheap! Growing up, it felt like pulling teeth when my mom made me write thank you cards. For some reason I hated it. I was grateful for the gifts but something about it…laziness probably, just made it a process […] The post Handwritten notes are one of the most powerful tools you have. And they’re cheap! appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: There is no greater enemy to your campaign than your own ego. If you’re running for office, you’ve probably got a pretty healthy ego. Otherwise you wouldn’t be telling everybody that you’re the best possible option for the job. While ego rightfully carries a negative connotation, it’s an important part of each […] The post There is no greater enemy to your campaign than your own ego. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Every facet of your campaign should be infused with a sense of urgency. No lollygagging. A lot of people equate urgency purely with speed. Speed is obviously important in campaigns but just looking at urgency as a tempo measurement comes up short of what I’m talking about here. I mean that you […] The post Every facet of your campaign should be infused with a sense of urgency. No lollygagging. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Don’t just ask winning candidates for advice. Losing teaches lessons winners may never see. I’ve interviewed and talked to more candidates than I can count. Each of them has unique lessons they’ve learned but some of the most valuable advice I’ve received has come from men and women who lost. The biggest […] The post Don’t just ask winning candidates for advice. Losing teaches lessons winners may never see. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: You need to Work harder AND smarter than your opponent if you want to win. A good plan is awesome and burning a combination of sweat and shoe leather is important but there’s a limit to how far you can get if you can’t combine the two. When I talk about working […] The post How to win: Work harder and smarter than your opponent. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: “What orators lack in depth, they make up for in length.” – Charles-Louis de Secondat It’s hard to be concise with our words. It takes work. If you give me an hour to talk and a topic, I’ll have no problem filling the time and I probably won’t need to spend more […] The post “What orators lack in depth, they make up for in length.” – Charles-Louis de Secondat appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Never say or write anything you don’t want on Buzzfeed. It’s incredible how social media and the internet have changed campaigns! While there are plenty of negatives associated with these evolutions, one of the things I like is that it makes it much easier to catch candidates in lies. Even outside of […] The post Never say or write anything you don’t want on Buzzfeed. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: No candidate is an objective participant in their own campaign. Some of the worst candidates I’ve ever seen have a lot of experience running campaigns. That seems counterintuitive, right? The problem usually doesn’t arise from them having bad ideas about what it takes to win a campaign, but rather from refusing to […] The post No candidate is an objective participant in their own campaign. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Prepare to be attacked before you are. Anybody familiar with politics or political campaigns has heard about opposition research. That’s where you find out everything possible about your opponent, both to know where they are strong and weak. The flip side of that coin is far less well-known and tragically so. What […] The post Prepare to be attacked before you are. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: You should never be too busy to listen. Some of the most destructive campaign mistakes I’ve seen originate with a candidate who neglects to follow this tip. You’re in the middle of a campaign. You’re juggling family and job and volunteers and donors and somewhere in the middle, your ears start shutting […] The post You should never be too busy to listen. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Don’t run for a job you can’t excel at. This one seems so simple that some of you are probably saying, “How stupid do you think we are, Raz?!” The simple fact is that far too often, fitness for the actual job of being an elected official is near the bottom of […] The post Don’t run for a job you can’t excel at. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Never use an endorsement that isn’t in writing. Endorsements are awesome and as a candidate, you’ll want to accrue as many good ones as you can! But always get them in writing. First of all, getting an endorsement in writing means that you have total proof of what the endorser wanted to […] The post Never use an endorsement that isn’t in writing. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Unless you’re Donald Trump, candidates shouldn’t wear hats. If you want the perfect visual example of why hats aren’t a good idea for candidates, just google Dukakis in the Tank. I’ve also linked to an article about the seminal event on our blog. As you read about issues with candidates and hats, […] The post Unless you’re Donald Trump, candidates shouldn’t wear hats. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Communication isn’t what I say, it’s what YOU hear. My dad started telling me this when my age was still in the single digits and reminds me of it frequently. It’s as true now as when I first heard it. The jist of this lesson is that I take ownership over what […] The post Communication isn’t what I say, it’s what YOU hear. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Never lie or embellish your campaign bio. You WILL get caught. This seems on the surface like a no-brainer…but you’d be surprised to find out how many candidates get slammed for failing to follow this rule. Look, we all want folks to like us. And if you’re running for office, you’re probably […] The post Never lie or embellish your campaign bio. You WILL get caught. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: A good message without proper repetition is wasted air. A good message without proper repetition is wasted air. A good message without proper repetition is wasted air. Got the message? Ok, so that was a bit literal but I think you’re hearing me. There are two parts to today’s tip. Throughout a […] The post A good message without proper repetition is wasted air. appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: Never pass up an opportunity to say, “Thank you!” There are no two words in the English language more powerful than “Thank you.” But I’ll tell you what, I’d be hard-pressed to find a campaign that uses them enough. As a candidate, you’re the front-man, but the campaign will fail unless you’re […] The post Never pass up an opportunity to say “Thank you!” appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

Here’s today’s tip: You can’t win a campaign by working banker’s hours. Taking on a campaign, depending on the scope, is basically like signing up for another part or full-time job. Just like taking a new job, there’s a lot to learn and an adjustment period where you have to re-learn the art of balancing […] The post You can’t win a campaign by working banker’s hours appeared first on My Campaign Coach.

After more than a year of publishing the How to Run for Office Podcast, we’re launching a new podcast channel! For the last 60 episodes, our listeners have been expanding their knowledge of campaigns by tuning in to our weekly interview podcast. With over 30,000 downloads, our listeners have been overwhelmingly supportive of what we’re […] The post We’re Launching a New Podcast: The My Campaign Coach Minute! appeared first on My Campaign Coach.