Dear WY Candidates, We Can’t Vote For You If You Don’t Do These 5 Things

As a radio talk host, I am constantly encouraging people to get involved in their community and their state.

Complaining to your friends and family or smashing those emojis and leaving comments on social media really does nothing to solve anything.

I'm always excited to see new people running for office, be it local or higher up.

Yet running for office needs to be planned. There is a lot to learn and a lot to do if you actually hope to win that seat.

Here are some of the most common mistakes I see from newbies running for political office.

1). Not having a website or social media. 

These two things need to be done FIRST, before the announcement of the campaign. If you are someone who does not know much about how websites and social media work, then you'll need to either learn it or hire someone who can do it for you.

You can't just load these things on the internet and leave them. The website and social media campaign have to be active, with daily posts and outreach to potential voters.

The internet is NOT the wave of the future. It is NOW! If you are not going to use it then don't waste your own time signing up to run.

There is no getting around it. Without an internet presence in today's modern world, your campaign is going nowhere.

2). Make News.

It's important to make local and state-wide news whenever you can.

This means getting involved in local events and issues that are important to the community. Get to know local reporters and talk with them often.

You need to keep your name and face in the news if you want people to remember you.

3). Raise some money.

The candidate with the most money does not always win.

But you will need enough money to buy signs, rent billboards, and buy advertising in and on local media, including the internet and social media.

Before you sign up to run you should calculate the costs of all of these things plus gas and lodging if you are running for a state-wide office.

The bigger the office the more you will need to travel. If you can't raise the money in advance then you are not ready to run.

4). DO NOT Try to say it all.

Run your campaign on 3 simple things you want to get done.

Keep the message easy to understand.

This is not because people are stupid. People are busy. You want them to remember what you said. So keep it simple.

5). Do not get discouraged if you don't win the first time.

Most candidates for any office lose the first 2 or 3 times they run.

The biggest mistake I see is when they get discouraged and never run again.

There is a learning curve here.

Take stock of what went right and what went wrong and you'll do better next time.

Now let's take a moment to watch one of the best political ads I have ever seen.