What to write on your support page: 3 templates

A useful support page answers three questions early. Who is asking? What will the money help with? How can someone contribute if they want to? A person opening the link after talking to you may know most of the story. A person opening a forwarded link needs enough context to work out whether they are in the right place. Write for both.

This guide gives three starting points you can fill in with your own work. They are page structures, not published campaigns or sample success stories. Decide what you can say accurately before you choose the wording.

Put the answer near the top

Use a recognisable name and write a headline a reader could repeat. Name the work or what you are trying to do. Follow it with a short line about the part a contribution would help with. If your first sentence needs the entire page to make sense, edit it until a reader can understand it on a phone without scrolling.

Give the request a little history only if it makes the current need clearer. You can point to something you have already made or name what stage the work is at. If you have plans you have not confirmed, say that. A reader can make a better decision when they know which part of the story is done and which part is still ahead.

Pick one public image that helps readers recognise the work. Use an image you own or have permission to publish. Check the crop on a phone so the thing it is meant to show is still visible. You can also add an intro video link. Write the essential details on the page even if the video says the same thing. A reader should be able to understand the ask without playing it.

1. A page for a specific piece of work

Help [me or the group name] finish [the piece of work]. Right now, [progress you can show]. Support would help with [the next step you can explain]. [Where people can see the work or read an update].

Fill in the progress line using something you can show or confirm. If you are waiting for a quote, agreement or date, name what you are waiting for. If a reader needs to know who will do the work, include that information with permission. Avoid putting words in the mouth of a person you have not asked.

If you decide to add a target, explain what it represents and whether it is an estimate. Say what you will do if the work goes ahead in a smaller form or the plan has to change. You do not need a target to make the request clear. In some cases, the public page only needs a well-defined purpose and a promise to keep readers informed.

2. A page for ongoing work

I’m [public name], and I make [what you actually make] for [who it’s for]. You can see it at [public link]. If you’d like to chip in, support helps with [part of the work you can stand behind]. Thanks for [what the audience already does].

Use the name that appears on the work you are linking to. If the work happens on an irregular schedule, describe what people can find now and what you are working on next. Avoid promising a regular release or a reward you have not decided to provide. Someone should be able to tell whether they are sending one-time support or signing up for something with terms and deliverables.

Review this kind of page when your work changes. A link in an old video or newsletter can still reach it. If the person who opens it would read a different purpose from the one they heard when you shared it, add a line that explains the change. Keep a record of what each version asked people to support.

3. A page shared on behalf of a group

This page is for [group or project name]. I’m [your role and connection to the group]. We’ve agreed that support will go toward [purpose]. We’ll share progress through [a place the group can maintain].

Before publishing, agree who can speak for the group and who will respond to questions about the page. Let the people involved see the copy first. If the work involves someone else’s story, give them a meaningful chance to decide what details may be shared. Keep identifying documents, home addresses and contact details off the page. Include only the information a supporter needs to understand the request.

Say who will post an update and where readers can look for it. If several organisers handle different parts of the work, decide which person will check the public page after changes. Keep the headline and sharing message consistent so readers can recognise the same request across channels.

Set expectations before you ask people to share

Write down what a person will receive after contributing and what you have promised to share later. If the invitation comes with no product or ongoing commitment, keep the language about voluntary support. If you plan to offer something in return, make sure you understand what it takes to deliver it. Get a second person to check for promises you did not mean to make. A headline, an image and a button can set expectations as much as the main text does.

Read the page the way someone else will

Open the public link in a private browser window on a phone. Check that the first screen names the page, that the image is recognisable and that the words do not require a video to make sense. Continue until you see the contribution controls. Make sure the page you are reading is the one you intended to share. A link from your dashboard to an edit screen will behave differently for you and for someone without access.

Ask a reader to tell you what they believe the money will help do. Let them answer before you explain. If they read an estimate as a promise or assume they will receive a product in return, revise the sentence that gave them that impression. If they cannot tell who is asking, put the name and your connection to the work earlier.

Check what the link looks like after you put it in a chat or post. Open it from there as well. Fix old titles, confusing labels and duplicate links before sharing widely. If you use a QR code, check that it opens the same public page as the written address.

Decide what you can update later

Keep a private note of what you knew when you published, what the support was for and where you shared it. When the work moves, you can write an update with a date and a fact. When it does not, you can explain what is still open. If you pause or close the request, update the page and any post that still sends people there.

Finish by reading your first paragraph aloud. Use a name people will know and one real detail you are comfortable putting on the internet. Keep the action clear. If a reader can explain the request to someone else in their own words, the page has done the work it needs to do.