Problem Addressed
This test examined how different peer-to-peer (P2P) SMS message framings affect member engagement during a time-sensitive Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) effort for an internal organisational vote. The core challenge was to identify whether more informational or narrative-driven messages could outperform a simple reminder in prompting members to respond and confirm participation before the voting deadline.
Approach & Implementation
In May 2025, Campaign Lab partnered with a membership organisation to run an A/B test using its P2P canvassing platform. Three SMS message flows were tested, each sent to 1,000 members (3,000 total recipients):
Original: A brief, friendly reminder introducing the organisation and asking whether the member had voted.
Informational: A fact-led message stating how many votes were needed to win and the voting deadline, followed by a prompt asking whether the member had voted.
Narrative: A relational, story-led message beginning with a short quote from a named member describing the impact of the vote, followed by the same voting prompt.
All messages were limited to 160 characters and sent as two-way SMS, allowing members to reply directly to organisers. The Informational and Narrative flows included a follow-up message for non-responders. Key outcomes measured were reply rates, link clicks, and unsubscribes.
Evidence & Evaluation
The original reminder message substantially outperformed both alternative framings. It achieved a 16.3% reply rate, compared with 3.1% for the Informational message and 1.2% for the Narrative message. Across all versions, there were no link clicks or unsubscribes, indicating that differences in performance were driven primarily by message content rather than delivery issues.
These results suggest that, in a high-stakes and time-sensitive mobilisation context, clarity, simplicity, and directness are more effective than informational or story-based framing. Character limits likely constrained the effectiveness of the narrative and informational messages, potentially making them feel compressed or unnatural.
Overall, the evidence indicates that straightforward reminder messages are the most effective option for P2P SMS GOTV efforts in similar internal campaigns. Future testing may explore alternative variables, such as timing or audience segmentation, but for this phase of mobilisation, prioritising simple prompts appears to be the most efficient and impactful strategy.
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