The Campaignguy Blog

  Beyond the Buzzwords: Why Politicians Should Avoid Overused Clichés Political speeches and debates are supposed to inspire, educate, and persuade. Too often, however, candidates rely on tired, overused clichés that make their messages sound generic, insincere, or even meaningless. It is lazy.  Instead of engaging voters, these phrases can make a candidate seem unoriginal, disconnected, or worse - like they’re dodging important questions.   If you’re a candidate running for office, or someone who helps write speeches, it’s time to retire the corny banalities and start being genuine. Below are some of the worst offenders used by politicians—and why they should be avoided.   If you need a moment to compose yourself, a few seconds of silence is better that platitudes and fluff.  In fact, silence is an effective tool that captures attention.  I use it myself.  Try it! Overused Political Clichés (and What to Say Instead) 1. “At the end of the day…”...

DO NOT SKIP THIS BLOG POST! Not every voter is "your" voter. The key to winning an election is knowing who the voters are in your district, understanding your natural "base" of supporters, who thew "swing" voters are (and what issues they care about), and the cohort of voters who will likely not support you (for reasons of policy, party, etc.).  Why is targeting important? I have consulted on numerous political campaigns over the years.  There are four limited resources on a campaign: time, information, money and people.  The first is time.  Time is a resource that cannot be created.  You know exactly how many seconds there are between this moment and the close of polls on election day.  Throughout all of the campaigns I have managed or consulted, I have met many eager candidates who pledged that they will knock on every door in the district.   Well, unless the district is very tiny, or you have superhuman powers akin to Santa Claus, the likelihoo...

A campaign message isn’t just a slogan—it’s the core of your campaign. It defines why you’re running and why voters should support you. If you want to win, you need a compelling, memorable message that resonates with voters. What Makes a Great Campaign Message? It’s Simple & Clear: Your message should be easy to understand in one sentence. It’s Relevant: It should address the issues that matter most to voters. It’s Memorable: A strong message sticks with people long after they hear it. It Sets You Apart: It should highlight what makes you the best candidate. Let's look at the 2024 race for President of the United States in which the 45th President Donald Trump ran against then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The video below, titled "Together" is an excellent example of President Trump's message.  It is clear, hopeful and has a message that was consistent throughout his entire campaign: As a contrast, the Harris campaign, that had the apparent advantage o...

  In my last post, I discussed what value signs can bring to a campaign, but signs are not a campaign in themselves.   Signs can raise awareness, provide a show of strength, and they can reinforce your brand. But there are other questions that must be answered: Does it matter if I am running for school board or United States Senate whether I get signs? Who needs to see them? What should they say? How many colors should they have? What size should they be? How many political signs should I get? Where should I put them? Does it matter if I am running for school board or U.S. Senate if I get signs? The primary difference between a school board race and a U.S. Senate race is budget.   Senate races presumably have larger budgets than a local race, but they also have more territory to cover, geographically speaking.   So if the purpose is to raise awareness, signs can help in all sizes of race.   You budget will dictate if you can afford m...

How do you know if you need political signs for yards and lawns in your election? Many candidates wonder what the value or purpose is in the signs they see during a political campaign. As I got started in politics, I made sure that my candidates had a lot of signs.  The conventional wisdom was that the more signs you see for a candidate, the better the chance they have to win.  Right? Not really. Before investing in signage for your campaign, there are a number of items to consider. How many political signs should I get? What size should they be? How many colors should they have? What should they say? What is the purpose of the signs? Who needs to see them? Where should I put them? Does it matter if I am running for school board or United States Senate whether I get signs? Let me start with what I believe is the most important question: what is the purpose of political yard signs? When I was waging a "sign war" against other candidates, I wanted to flood the neighborhoods wit...

Winning candidates don’t just talk about policies—they tell a story. A strong campaign narrative connects with voters on an emotional level, making them feel like they’re part of something bigger.   An effective campaign narrative will also humanize the candidate so that voters and supporters can identify with the story. What is a Campaign Narrative? Your narrative defines who you are and what you stand for and will develop a level of relationship between you and the voter.   It is important that you know who and what you are so that you are able to define yourself before an opponent has the opportunity. Your campaign narrative is the “wraparound” story that connects your values, message, and policy positions. It answers three key questions:   1.       Who are you? (Your background and experience – the part that connects you emotionally)   2.       Why are you running? (The value you add to the voter – what ...