A new study adds to what we’ve been saying and likely rings intuitively true: Tailored messages work better.

In four large-scale experiments with nearly 1,800 people, researchers tested tailoring messages in three different ways to match a person’s:

• Personality
• Moral values
• Political ideology

They tested matched vs. mismatched and matched vs. generic.  In all cases,

• Matched messages were more persuasive than mismatched or generic ones
• People paid more for the same product when the messgae matched
• And in cause-based messages, persuasion and donating went up

Example 1: The Sneakers

Participants saw a sneakers ad.

• Extravert-matched version: “You’re the life of the party. These bold, stylish sneakers help you stand out.”
• Introvert-matched version: “You prefer staying low-key. These understated sneakers let you blend in comfortably.”

Matched to personality, people were paid up to $30 more for the exact same shoes.

Example 2: Climate Change

People saw an appeal matched to different moral frames.

• Fairness version: “Climate change is unjust. The most vulnerable suffer while the powerful pollute.”
• Loyalty version: “Protect our country’s natural heritage for future generations of Americans.”

Again, matched = more persuasive with higher donation rates.

Did We Mention Every Word Was Written by GPT?

No fine-tuning, no extensive prompts or samples, no psychology PhDs behind the scene.  Just simple prompts like:

“Write an ad for someone who is high in Extraversion.”
“Write a climate appeal for someone who values Fairness.”

That’s it. And it worked.   It even worked when the ad indicated it was AI-generated.

So What Does This Mean for Fundraisers?

Generic messaging is obsolete and and trait-tailored, value-matched, AI-accelerated copy is here — not in theory, but in practice.  At DonorVoice, we’ve been doing this for years:

• Every message built using our typology framework
• Every piece tailored by trait and moral frame
• Every decision made with donor identity in mind

And you can see exactly how you can replicate our process by joining our webinar to see it in action. 

We’ll show you exactly how to:

• Get trait scores for your donor file (even if you’ve never surveyed them)
• See real examples of how tailoring changes response
• Build your own custom GPT that is tailored to your cause, your voice while also matching the traits and values of your donors.

We’re not here to sell you on magic bullets or black boxes.  We’ll just show you the art of the possible and how to start, if it makes sense for your organization.  You keep control. You decide how to use it.

The first step is registering.

Kevin