nicole schlinger

Vibe check: How'd we do this week, gang? Drop a gif in the comments that represents how your week went. I'll start.

This is why I talk about live ringless voicemail so much. ➡️ It shows up front and center. ➡️ On their phone. ➡️ With an actual human voice. You can’t scroll past it and it's hard to ignore. We’re seeing more campaigns lean into this already this cycle. Here’s one we ran recently: campaign-headquarters.com/live-ringless-….

Quick reality check for down-ballot races: If voters don’t know you…they don’t vote for you. This campaign used a telephone townhall to change that fast. Reached 45,000+ voters in one night and actually had them engaged, asking questions, and paying attention. That’s how you reduce undervoting.

Love the advice that Sen. Scott is offering on the best message to talk to low propensity voters this cycle. I would argue that none of it matters if those voters never actually hear it. These types of voters are going to scroll right by a digital ad, and they’ve probably already pitched the mail. If campaigns really want to move low prop voters with their message, the best way to reach them is on that thing they carry around with them everywhere they go, and actually have a conversation with them.

Waffles gets it. If you want attention, you don’t wait around and hope for it. You make noise until someone listens. A lot of advocacy efforts miss that part.

Early voting might not be here yet in your race, but the window is closing. If you're still relying on broad, "hope they see my social media ad," you're not gonna like what you see on Election Day. Phones are how you actually reach voters and now is a great time to activate them. youtube.com/shorts/o1yN-6v…

Last week I talked to a client about their blind ID results. Party and issue splits looked exactly like you’d expect… except for one that stood out. We dug in, cross-tabbed party against the issues and found something you would have missed just by looking at the top lines. I won’t get into all the details, but I’ll say this: it matters who you work with.

We’re hiring a Campaign Director. Not a “sit in meetings and talk about strategy” role. Someone who knows how to juggle multiple projects, keep the details straight, and meet deadlines. If you’ve worked with someone sharp, reliable, and not allergic to results, send them our way. And if you’ve got 10 seconds, a like or share goes a long way. 👉 linkedin.com/jobs/view/4398…

Reach isn't the same thing as results. Voters want authenticity and to be heard.

After the iOS 26 update, campaigns were told phone programs would take a hit. That’s not what we’re seeing. 📞 ~70% file penetration on live calls ☎️ Strong participation on townhalls 📊 Consistent engagement across programs We pulled six months of real data to check. 👉 See what actually happened: loom.ly/0tQDFQo

Ken Tracy is in Jacksonville for in-person meetings this week and he's happy to connect anywhere. He's sharing how campaigns reach 70% of their target voters in ways that cost less and are actually measurable. We also rolled out a couple things that are separating campaigns in real time. With one long time true and tested tool changing the game.

A conversation that includes a Coca-Cola bottling plant and church ladies… what else could you ask for? You’ll have to listen to my conversation with @matthewhurtt to sort it out. @LeadershipInst open.spotify.com/episode/6bfchh…

IYKYK

Campaigns keep asking what’s working right now and I tell them the stuff that feels the most old-school is working the best. At a time when voters aren't turning to traditional media outlets and are skeptical of what they see online, live calls with real conversations are landing in a big way. We're seeing a 75% contact rate. Voters are craving authenticity from candidates. Does it surprise you that phones still play that big of a role in campaigns? What else are you seeing out there?

Well – our trip to the Pollies started out with a jam packed flight with some of the nation's best operatives. We were invited to an awesome dinner to start the conference hosted by @RyeStrategies where I even had the honor of sitting next to Walter Haynie and THE @mattklink. (In my 30 years of politics, Matt holds the distinction of being the only person who brought us a client saying it’s a “gold mine” … and it was literally a gold mine. Enjoyed spending time with so many of you but by far the highlight of the event was @matt_knee calling me “boss-in-law.” Thanks to the @TheAAPC for putting on an amazing event, and for letting @FlakeSpenc10012, Walter, and I spend an entire day in their leadership lounge for our meetings.

Early May primaries are coming fast and we’ve already got some experience working in 2026. Here's what we're seeing: Live ringless voicemails→ reaching the voters everyone else is missing Telephone townhalls → driving record turnout (yes, still) Live calls → still the best way to actually talk to a voter Also worth noting… we’re still seeing ~75% connect rates on cell phones with voicemail. What's the biggest thing that surprises you about this cycle already? I'd love to hear your insights ⤵️

Who have I missed catching up with at the @TheAAPC Pollie Awards? If you want to talk about what’s actually working in 2026 primaries, I’m around. If you want to tell me phones are dead because of iOS 26… I’m also around. We can talk that through too. #Pollies26

When iOS26 rolled out the political world panicked and shouted from the rooftops that, "phones are dead." Newsflash - none of that happened. Six months later and the data is in and one of the most reliable ways to move voters and influence lawmakers continues to be picking up the phone and talking to people directly. campaign-headquarters.com/ios-26-politic…

Are you spending more time analyzing your March Madness bracket than your voter contact plan? I can’t help you much with sportsball. But if you want to cut down the nets in your primary, you should probably have a call plan.

The first round of 2026 primaries is already in the books and early voting for the next wave starts soon. We've already got experience working in the field this cycle and we're seeing some interesting patterns: 📞 Live ringless voicemails are moving voters ☎️ Telephone townhalls are driving record participation for both IE programs and candidates 🗣️ Live calls are hitting a 70% contact rate, voters are crazing authenticity and connection If you’ve got a May primary coming up and want a quick read on what we’re seeing so far in 2026, happy to share what's working.