Use Weird Words in Headlines! ARHHHH!

20 replies
Get your message read!

This applies to email subject lines,

blog post

and article headlines and

even sales letters.

Weird words get attention,

and can help get your message read.

Some of our favorite words to use are:
  • Arhhhh!
  • unadulterated,
  • shenanigans,
  • bam-boozled,
  • balderdash,
  • dumbbell,
  • dilly-dally
  • willy nilly.

DEPLOY and let me know your results
#arhhhh #headlines #weird #words
  • Profile picture of the author Trankuility
    Funny that you mention this. I have a girlfriend now so it no longer applies. But for years I was doing online dating and had tons of success. It's very similar to ecommerce really.

    Anyway, I found that getting my email read was easiest when I included a headline/subject that was slightly related to the girls profile but also somewhat nonsensical. Of course, the email itself had to be good as well as my own profile. But a headline that was a little related a little non-nonsensical worked awesome.

    I put that same idea to work in my ecommerce Email outreach and get great results.

    For example, if the girl said she was from San Francisco my headline might be something like "The Golden Gate Bridge - A Tale of Two Sasquatches!"

    And I do the same with email outreach. Just need to tailor it to the site, the comments, or wherever I first found their contact info.

    Sounds retarded, I know, haha. But it works great for me. Others here should give it a try.
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  • Profile picture of the author Trollfarie
    I'll add a few:
    Shazam!
    Bwahaha!
    Pachow!
    Lilliputian
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Trollfarie View Post

      I'll add a few:
      Shazam!
      Bwahaha!
      Pachow!
      Lilliputian
      You don't think that three of those four are a way of screaming "I'm a marketer (but not a very mature one)!" at your subscribers?

      I'd pretty confidently expect three of those four to reduce open-rates and increase unsubscriptions.

      I'd unsubscribe, myself, if I received that kind of thing.

      What happened to expectation-setting and continuity, so that your subscribers are awaiting and expecting your next email and open it because it comes from you, and they trust you, and want to read what you sent, rather than because you're using any trickery or unorthodox tactics in the subject-line?



      If anyone wants to see some less "noisy" but rather more "professional" approaches to communicating with your subscribers, there are some suggestions here: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post6123982
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  • Profile picture of the author Brendon Zahrndt
    Weird words work to get email opens, yes they do.

    They work very well in the eCommerce niche with well established brands.

    It says nothing of your click through rates or your conversion statistics, but yes, it will get your email opened.

    For the average Joe that is trying to break in to the internet marketing niche as a solo person/brand, it's not a strategy I suggest right from the start.

    If you use high energy catch words in emails to people that are still trying to get to know you and also decide whether you are someone worth listening to long term, it might be a better idea to run with email subject lines that are attention grabbing and do a more deliberate job of 'selling' the email copy.

    Just my two cents.

    I do see very well established internet marketers using subject lines like;

    "OMG"

    Even though it's an email I will likely never open, despite coming from an established name, the open rates do increase.

    I attribute it to the reputation of the marketer - a rep that's been established already.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    One of my higher open rate emails was "Sawa Dee Kap"

    It means "hello" in Thai (I live there).

    People were intrigued to find out what it meant.
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  • Profile picture of the author mbacak
    Originally Posted by Gavin Stephenson View Post

    • Arhhhh!
    • unadulterated,
    • shenanigans,
    • bam-boozled,
    • balderdash,
    • dumbbell,
    • dilly-dally
    • willy nilly.
    Looks like subjects Kern would use or has used.
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    The Listbuilding Club (join by clicking below)
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    • Profile picture of the author nmchant
      Originally Posted by mbacak View Post

      Looks like subjects Kern would use or has used.
      Or Tracy Biller..
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      • Profile picture of the author Chriswrighto
        Another good way to use "weird" in headlines is to make a play on a popular movie or TV series.

        Examples:

        "Captain Chris: Your Winter Soldier"

        "The Pursuit Of Cash"

        "Law And Order: Special Profits Unit"

        Get ma drift?
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        Wealthcopywriter.com :)

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        • Profile picture of the author Gavin Stephenson
          Originally Posted by Stuart Walker View Post

          One of my higher open rate emails was "Sawa Dee Kap"

          It means "hello" in Thai (I live there).

          People were intrigued to find out what it meant.
          Nice, I have an email about Thailand. I use to live there myself.

          I think I am going to test this one.

          Originally Posted by mbacak View Post

          Looks like subjects Kern would use or has used.
          Yeah. Shazam is most defiantly swiped from Frank

          Originally Posted by nmchant View Post

          Well Frank Kern sent me an email the other day that started out "I Love You, Nicole" and I really liked that one!
          That's awesome,

          Defiantly one to test out

          Originally Posted by Chriswrighto View Post

          Another good way to use "weird" in headlines is to make a play on a popular movie or TV series.

          Examples:

          "Captain Chris: Your Winter Soldier"

          "The Pursuit Of Cash"

          "Law And Order: Special Profits Unit"

          Get ma drift?

          Great idea. Thanks for sharing. I will also test this
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  • Profile picture of the author bobby_shahzad
    I totally agree with Gavin adding wired words to you email subject line can give some extra boost to your email open rates...But I cannot guarantee you that it will be beneficent practice but off-course it will definitely help in terms of getting your email opened.
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  • Profile picture of the author nmchant
    Well Frank Kern sent me an email the other day that started out "I Love You, Nicole" and I really liked that one!
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  • Profile picture of the author Stephanie Huang
    If you are chasing MERELY Open Rates, this strategy MIGHT apply,
    but if I'm a subscriber/potential consumer, and you are trying to sell me things, I might be attempted to open it, but once I get a hint of being "spammed", I would totally feel annoyed and ignore the rest of the email entirely and immediately flag it as spam.
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  • Profile picture of the author nmchant
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nmchant View Post
    Well Frank Kern sent me an email the other day that started out "I Love You, Nicole" and I really liked that one!
    That's awesome,

    Defiantly one to test out




    Now careful with that one, I would save it for your loyal buyers list (ya know, the ones you really DO love, lol).
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    • Profile picture of the author Gavin Stephenson
      Originally Posted by nmchant View Post

      Quote:
      Originally Posted by nmchant View Post
      Well Frank Kern sent me an email the other day that started out "I Love You, Nicole" and I really liked that one!
      That's awesome,

      Defiantly one to test out




      Now careful with that one, I would save it for your loyal buyers list (ya know, the ones you really DO love, lol).

      I will defiantly not use this "willy nilly" lol!
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      • Profile picture of the author nmchant
        Originally Posted by Gavin Stephenson View Post

        I will defiantly not use this "willy nilly" lol!
        Lol, yes this one is a little more serious.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ghoster
    This is true, but like everything else related to IM its effectiveness has a "use-by" date.
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    On the whole, you get what you pay for.

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    • Profile picture of the author nmchant
      Originally Posted by Ghoster View Post

      This is true, but like everything else related to IM its effectiveness has a "use-by" date.

      Yes but you see, I love Frank Kern, so when he tells me (and everyone else) he loves me back, it makes me feel special for a split second, long enough to click 'open'.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    What happened to expectation-setting and continuity, so that your subscribers are awaiting and expecting your next email and open it because it comes from you, and they trust you, and want to read what you sent, rather than because you're using any trickery or unorthodox tactics in the subject-line?
    I agree with you. When people LIKE or LOVE to read your emails they will open them almost whatever but the truth is solid headlines DO make a difference to open rate for those people on your list who think you are OK but aren't madly in love with you.

    If you've got an unresponsive list full of people who don't know you nor care what you have to say then headlines won't make much difference because they still won't care but on a responsive list writing attention catching headlines can help a lot to catch people who are just on the fence / too busy to read "normal" emails.

    but if I'm a subscriber/potential consumer, and you are trying to sell me things, I might be attempted to open it, but once I get a hint of being "spammed", I would totally feel annoyed and ignore the rest of the email entirely and immediately flag it as spam
    You shouldn't be flagging messages as spam if you opted into the list. That's NOT spam and it's unfair of you.

    Spam is when you're sent something unsolicited.

    Marking something as spam harms the person who's sending it's business and basically you are accusing them of doing something they are NOT doing.

    Just because you didn't like the headline or message doesn't make it spam.
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    • Profile picture of the author Gavin Stephenson
      Originally Posted by Stuart Walker View Post


      You shouldn't be flagging messages as spam if you opted into the list. That's NOT spam and it's unfair of you.

      Spam is when you're sent something unsolicited.

      Marking something as spam harms the person who's sending it's business and basically you are accusing them of doing something they are NOT doing.

      Just because you didn't like the headline or message doesn't make it spam.

      This is so true.

      People really need to learn what SPAM is.

      It get's thrown around far too much these days.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Stuart Walker View Post

      Spam is when you're sent something unsolicited.

      Marking something as spam harms the person who's sending it's business and basically you are accusing them of doing something they are NOT doing.
      Absolutely right, of course.

      Nevertheless, the reality is that marketers who send out emails (even to subscribers) with nonsense like ""ARHHH!" in the title-line are going to get some spam reports, and their autoresponder services are not going to be sympathetic and supportive about it.

      I wouldn't be, either, in their position.

      In the recipient's position, I'd just unsubscribe without actually "reporting spam". (And so - rightly - would plenty of my own subscribers, I shouldn't wonder!).

      Marketers who imagine that the fact that someone opted in necessarily renders anything and everything they ever send to the recipient "legitimate" are living in a dream-world.

      .
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