We’re a month away from the U.S. midterm elections, which means that every single day, at least three political candidates email me asking me to pledge my life savings ($46.28) to a statehouse campaign in a state I have never visited. I’d love to say I’m above it, but I am not. Sometimes the subject lines are so egregious that I fall for the clickbait anyway.

Meanwhile, I pour my heart and soul into emails asking my professors to meet, only to be left with no reply or, on a good day, “sure. Sent from my iPhone.” And nothing is worse than getting ghosted and having to send the dreaded double email (“Just bumping this to the top of your inbox!”), only to end up with not one but TWO emails floating in the void.

If you send an email into the void and no one is around to read it, did you ever really send it?

So, it’s time to learn from the professionals. Say what you will about campaign fundraisers, but their emails get opened. And the tactics transfer beautifully to asking for an extension, or even just a reply. Here’s a three-step strategy, inspired by our favorite political figures, for writing emails your professor will surely at least open, even if they never respond.

1. Start with a flashy subject line

Your professor has 4,000 unread emails. “Question about pset 3” is not making the cut. Some favorites:

• “Grant Received!”

• “Fellowship Status Update”

• “FINAL NOTICE FROM THE IRS”

• “Professor, are you giving up on me?”

• “Re: Re: Fwd: Re: your Nobel”

That last one uses a classic campaign move: slap a “Re:” on the front so it looks like they already replied to you once. Even if they didn’t, because they never have. But at least you’ve piqued their curiosity and planted even the thought of responding to your email. One way or another, these will get their attention.

2. Include graphics

A picture is worth a thousand words, which is convenient, because that’s exactly how many words your paper is short. No one has time to read all the sentiments you’re describing. If you’re asking for an extension, skip the paragraph about your three midterms, sudden contracted illness, and the devastation you’ve felt when your roommate’s cousin’s dog passed away, and just send a carefully curated graphic.

Feel free to use this one. There’s no way they’ll be able to say no.

For best results, pair it with a fundraising thermometer (“EXTENSION GOAL: 48 HOURS. We’re only 12% of the way there!”) and a giant red button that says GRANT EXTENSION NOW that’s linked to your course’s Canvas page.

3. Open strong (and close stronger)

If they’ve managed to open your email, congratulations. Now you have to keep them. Every sentence should feel like a mic drop, not a dropped mic.

The salutation. You could start with something basic like “Dear Professor XYZ,” but they receive hundreds of those every single day. Spice things up with “Friend —,” “Dear Comrade,” or “My dearest kindred spirit Professor XYZ.” Bonus points for getting their name slightly wrong, the way campaigns address me as “Hi {FIRST_NAME}.”

4. The opening line

80% of readers don’t make it to this step, so make it count:

• “I’m announcing something big.”

• “I’m imploring you for HELP.”

• “The time to act is NOW.”

• “I wasn’t going to email you again. But then I saw the syllabus.”

5. The ask and the closer

Politicians never ask for a lot. They ask for a little, urgently. Don’t request a week. Ask whether they can chip in just 24 hours before the midnight deadline of your assignment.

And make sure to add a P.S.

Every great campaign email ends with one, because that’s the only part anyone reads. Try: “P.S. I checked our records, and it looks like you haven’t replied yet. Is this still the right email for you, Professor?”

6. And if they still don’t respond

Do what the campaigns do: email them again in four hours. And again at 11:47 p.m. (“We’re SO close.”) And once more the next morning, with the subject line “I’m disappointed.”

Will this get you the extension? Unclear. Will it get you a reply? Almost certainly, though it may come from the Ad Board. Either way, you’ll no longer be shouting into the void, and come November, isn’t being heard what democracy is all about?

To unsubscribe from these emails, your professor will have to give you an A.