There’s been significant discussion around political advertising and the billions of dollars it brings to local media. Much of that conversation typically focuses on traditional candidate advertising, political parties, and political action committees (PACs). Issue-based advertising has also become an increasingly important revenue driver, particularly as ballot initiatives and hot-button topics continue to motivate voters.

What often receives less attention, however, is fundraising-focused political advertising.

For local media sellers operating in very blue or very red markets, fundraising campaigns can represent a meaningful opportunity. Even in markets without competitive, neck-and-neck races, candidates, parties, and PACs still need to raise money to support outreach, staffing, and voter engagement efforts.

Fundraising remains one of the most effective use cases for political advertising in the current election cycle.

Even when a candidate appears likely to win a local, state, or national race, fundraising remains constant and ongoing. Campaigns rely on a steady stream of donations, and digital tactics make it easier than ever to reach supporters and prompt action.

A high click-through rate (CTR) is often viewed as a sign of campaign success. Advertisers are encouraged when impressions turn into clicks, but clicks alone don’t tell the full story.

In many fundraising campaigns, CTR may be strong while conversions remain low. This disconnect highlights a common challenge in political advertising: engagement does not always equal action.

Understanding why this happens — and helping advertisers close that gap — is where local media sellers can add real value.

Local Political Advertising Spend: The Big Picture 

According to recent estimates from BIA Advisory Services, local political advertising continues to grow, with spending significantly higher than previous cycles. Final totals will always depend on ballot composition, voter turnout, and the competitiveness of individual races, but one thing remains consistent: campaigns need funding at every stage.

Fundraising calls should be treated as cross-media efforts, combining traditional channels with digital tactics to drive both reach and response. Radio can provide a strong foundation, while digital channels allow campaigns to target specific audiences by geography, demographics, and interests.

Which Tactics Work Best for Political Advertising Fundraising Campaigns?

What should you recommend for fundraising campaigns?

Email Marketing

Email remains one of the most effective fundraising channels. Most campaigns already have a database of supporters, and email allows them to activate those audiences quickly and efficiently.

You can help strengthen these efforts by offering email solutions that include: 

  • Reliable open and click-through rate benchmarks
  • CRM match back and attribution capabilities
  • Mobile optimization, as most email opens now occur on mobile devices
  • Advanced targeting by demographics, location, income, and interests

Bot-filtering and fraud protection to ensure clean metrics

Programmatic Digital Advertising

Programmatic advertising can also perform well for fundraising, provided compliance requirements are met. Political advertising is a restricted category, and demand-side platforms (DSPs) may have varying rules depending on geography and advertiser type.

Effective fundraising tactics often include:

  • Geofencing: Reaching supporters in specific locations where they are likely to engage and donate
  • OTT/CTV: As viewing continues to shift toward streaming, OTT/CTV allows campaigns to reach targeted households with persuasive messaging
  • Streaming audio: Podcast and digital radio listeners can be highly engaged, making streaming audio a strong complement to other digital efforts

Radio

Despite the growth of digital, AM/FM radio should remain a core component of fundraising campaigns. Radio continues to deliver broad reach and strong recall, particularly in political advertising.

Radio’s auditory nature creates a different connection with listeners, often reinforcing messages delivered through digital channels and prompting action. As always, political advertising on radio must comply with Federal Communications Commission regulations, which apply to candidates and parties but not PACs.

How Media Sellers Can Add Value to Fundraising Campaigns

Candidates, parties, and PACs bring their own messaging strategies, but local media sellers have valuable insights to share. Ways you can support fundraising success include:

Some things you could provide include:

  • Show them comparable campaigns for fundraising you’ve booked, including the results.
  • Discuss general sentiment about political donations with context around the market’s economics.
  • Explain how to target segments in programmatic and email campaigns to group cohorts into messaging groups. People will be more likely to act when the message is personalized based on their attributes and attitudes.
  • Ensure they are consistent with messaging and transparent across all media types.
  • Advise them on creative best practices and if any rules exist about using AI content. (Some platforms have requested that ads using AI must disclose this.)
  • Encourage them to do A/B testing on messaging. The ad could be more positive in one set, while another could be more of an attack on the opponent. FYI, 52% of people say that attack-based ads make them like the attacking candidate or party less.
  • Build trust with facts about where the donation goes. This is difficult to achieve, as 83% of people said they find it difficult to trust anything in a political ad.
  • Remind them to give people options for donations. This could be the amount, the frequency and how people pay.

Fundraising Political Campaigns Give Noncompetitive Markets Revenue Opportunities

If your market isn’t seeing a bounty of political dollars, you may think this opportunity will pass you by. However, you just need to readjust your pitch to media buyers to focus on fundraising campaigns. For markets flush with cash because races are competitive, don’t forget to discuss these ads to raise the budget.

For more information on political advertising tips and strategies, visit our toolbox for local media sellers!