Do you think we're all stupid? Do Not Read This.

by Andyhenry

Posted: 13 years ago 26 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

Hi Warriors,

I'm seeing more and more headlines, email subjects, thread titles etc. that say DO NOT ...... (open this, read this, join this, buy this etc.)

It's common psychology that if you tell someone not to think of something - they need to process 'it' in order to know what NOT it means. The common example of this is saying to someone "Don't think of a blue banana" - most people will think of a blue banana.

Because I've seen/heard this so many times I actually have a mental filter in place that stops me blindly doing it now and that also means when someone says "do not read this email" - I just delete it. If they say "do not read this thread" - I don't.

So when I see people using this stuff for marketing to IMers I just feel insulted and disrespected - like they're think we're all idiots who don't understand what they're doing.

I've seen similar things at seminars where some speaker has obviously recently learned about NLP and thinks he's being clever and using it subtly when he's blatently a newbie.

I love to see people who understand what they're doing incorporating these things, but that's not what happens in most IM instances, they're just very obvious and simple blatent attempts at manipulating people.

So - for anyone who's just started doing this stuff - please don't assume we're all sheeple that don't see it. I find some of it offensive and you'll lose me as a customer if you're slap some cheap phrase in my email inbox.

I don't mind seeing "by now" in your sales page - just don't tell me what NOT to do because I won't read your message.

Andy

#read #stupid

mikemcmillan

13 years ago

I agree completely, Andy. There's only one problem: There are a thousand "sheeple" out there for every discerning, intelligent individual like you. That's who they are marketing to. --Mike

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Rockhamm

13 years ago

Originally Posted by mikemcmillan

I agree completely, Andy. There's only one problem: There are a thousand "sheeple" out there for every discerning, intelligent individual like you. That's who they are marketing to. --Mike

That's exactly what I was going to say, Mike! As a matter of fact, about 4 years ago I would have clicked on a subject title like that in a heartbeat.

But as you learn the IM ropes, you kind of learn how to determine which experience group an IMer is marketing to based on subtle clues like that. They know we're not stupid, but they're also not marketing to us.

With that being said, I would definitely use a strategy like that if my target audience falls within a category that calls for it.

-- Tyler

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Jack Clark

13 years ago

Originally Posted by mikemcmillan

I agree completely, Andy. There's only one problem: There are a thousand "sheeple" out there for every discerning, intelligent individual like you. That's who they are marketing to. --Mike

I completely agree with you Mike. There are so many people who haven't a clue about how marketing works and unfortunately it is often these people who then fall victims to the ever so familiar "$37 product - Even a 12 year old could make a million with my system" type marketing. When will these people realise, these are legal scams. Nobody has ever made that kind of money with these systems.
To be honest though, you can't blame the people that fall for these scams, they trust the affiliates and product owners and keep buying their stuff because they think that it "must be me" making the mistake. When will people realise that they can have every $37 product out there and they will still fail to make money because they don't have a business or a strategy, but rather are chasing the latest tactic that will suddenly skyrocke their sales.
An example...
I was talking to one of my readers the other day and he was asking me why he wasn't successful online. I asked what he had done so far and he told me that he had bought a number of cheap products to help him improve his "business". I asked what he was selling and to my horror he said that he wasn't selling anything and didn't have his own product. I assumed that he was an affiliate, but it turned out that he had just bought loads of courses and he just expected them to teach him loads of cool ninja tricks that would blow his mind and reveal in never seen before clarity the true secrets of the marketing world. He was shocked when I told him to go back to his day job! Ok, I wasn't that harsh, but I talked to him via Skype (for free obviously) and we discussed a plan for his business. He thanked me and so far he is making good progress.
Perhaps all the sheeple need is a good kick up the backside and maybe they'll wake up and actually do something worthwhile.

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Jon Patrick 13 years ago

You told me not to read the thread... and yet I did.

It's hard being the sheeple.
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JohnMcCabe

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Andyhenry

Hi Warriors,

I'm seeing more and more headlines, email subjects, thread titles etc. that say DO NOT ...... (open this, read this, join this, buy this etc.)

Andy

Yup, I'm generally an agreeable sort, so when someone politely asks me not to open, read, join or buy something, I'm happy to cooperate.

Although sometimes it's fun to torment telemarketers who don't realize that I know what they're doing, and I'm better at it than they are...

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johninmn 13 years ago

Thanks for the post Andy. I view the "don't do this" pitch working on 2 angles.

1. Nobody likes being told what to do or that they can't do something, so they do it.

2. It's the "fear of loss" syndrome. Don't buy this unless you are ready to make gazillion dollars. Oh my God, I better buy that!!!!!!!!

It is idiotic, but it works. It is insulting, but to me it is no more insulting than most of the sales copy.

Thanks for mentioning it. Over hyped and insulting sales copy gets talked about a lot on here. But I like that, I hope it keeps getting talked about until we see less of it, at least on WF.
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- Michael Shook 13 years ago
  
  I actually tend to pay attention to things like this because I am such a literal minded person.
  
  So if it says, Don't Read This, I don't (usually - obviously I read this thread before I could comment).
  
  Maybe I am being a bad sheeple, but it sure makes it easy to run through my inbox in the morning.
  
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Matt Bard 13 years ago

Hey Andy I pretty much do what John (The Happy Hooker) does, I don't open them.

I only opened this because it was written by you. Which is strange because I normally try and follow your advice, which means that I should not have opened this thread and started reading.

This must be one of those Jedi mind trick thingies I keep hearing about
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kimberly Aita 13 years ago

I had to open this because we're here and I was thinking it might be about the spammers here on the forum.... however, I don't open hardly any emails anymore unless I know and have a relationship (bought something that actually worked etc.)

So, after several years, I too am immune to the do not open because I wasn't going to in the first place.
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Ralph Moore 13 years ago

This is not a reply, cause I didn't open this message... Doh!
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George Wright 13 years ago

Reminds of the time in middle school when a teacher told the class. Do not think about breathing, Do not even try to count the number of times you breathe in and out in and out during one minute.

Then he sat back and watched us hyperventilate.

Sorry to anyone who thinks about this.

George Wright
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PLR Basket 13 years ago

Are you saying we're stupid?
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- James Clark 13 years ago
  
  Hey Andy,
  
  When I was getting my Ass kicked on the golf course I would ask the guy that I playing with did he breath in or did he breath out when he was putting. They would get pissed and start hitting the ball all over the place. (LOL)
  
  Use this method when I over bet my pocket.:rolleyes:
  
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Gary King 13 years ago

Most of the ones I see like this are just swipe emails from a promotion...

Marketer A is launching the latest push-button riches product (wait, with our upsell, we'll push it FOR you) and has a set of pre-written emails...

The emails USUALLY say "My friend Marketer A is releasing..." and have crap like "Do NOT Read This" and "You've Got a Sale!" in the subject.

I would love to see some split testing stats on those things - I just can't believe they work.
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Alfred Shelver 13 years ago

Okay Mr Henry, no more acronyms from you today please ... I am feeling stupid .

What is NLP? I wanna be the next newbie lecturing about it.
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- JohnMcCabe 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Cathy Shelver
  
  Okay Mr Henry, no more acronyms from you today please ... I am feeling stupid .
  
  What is NLP? I wanna be the next newbie lecturing about it.
  
  Don't feel stupid...
  
  Neuro-Linguistic Programming
  
  More than you probably want to know...
  
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  Alfred Shelver 13 years ago
  
  Thanks John
  
  I feel quite smart, because when I saw it I thought I bet the P is for programming.
  
  Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe
  
  Don't feel stupid...
  
  Neuro-Linguistic Programming
  
  More than you probably want to know...
  
  Thanks
  
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- Richard Van 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Cathy Shelver
  
  Okay Mr Henry, no more acronyms from you today please ... I am feeling stupid .
  
  What is NLP? I wanna be the next newbie lecturing about it.
  
  Ah Cathy! How are you my friend?
  
  NLP is...well, Johns given you the link, think Tony Robbins.
  
  How's your business going? Not seen you around so much, are you working hard?
  
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  Steven Wagenheim 13 years ago
  
  Andy...2 things, quickly.
  
  1. Since day one, I've never resorted to this nonsense and it hasn't hurt my
  business.
  
  2. It works because there are people out there who are easy to manipulate
  in this way.
  
  IOW...it's not going to stop...ever.
  
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  Rhiannon Beckham 13 years ago
  
  Thank you, this made me laugh. Blue bananas. yeesh!
  
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  **I don't always make it back to check on threads, so if you'd like me to elaborate feel free to PM me, I try to make sure to check my inbox regularly and am happy to help..
  
  I wouldn't have pulled a $9k week w/Teespring etc without the help of others, so it's time to pay it forward.
  I can make a little room in my life for that. ;)
  
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Dennis Gaskill 13 years ago

Andy, I'm like you, I delete emails with subject lines like that from people I don't know. Because of the title of this thread, I would have skipped it too, if not for seeing your name. I usually read anything you start, so that got me to open the thread despite title including "Do not read this."

There was a thread in the Off Topic forum with the title of "Do Not Click This If You're Stupid" or something to that effect. Recognizing the reverse psychology ploy, I ignored it. I didn't "not" click it because I'm stupid and obeyed, it just didn't make me curious enough to look. My feeling is, if you're trying to trick me into opening an email or a thread, you probably don't have anything worthwhile to say to me.
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- Andyhenry 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill
  
  My feeling is, if you're trying to trick me into opening an email or a thread, you probably don't have anything worthwhile to say to me.
  
  Amen to that.
  
  I feel the same about WSOs - if you don't feel you can tell me what you're trying to sell me without thinking I won't need/want it if I know and you need to be vague and mysterious - that's enough to tell me not to buy.
  
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  nothing to see here.
  
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Robert Puddy 13 years ago

new headline for Andy

Andy dont open this email its not for you...But you shouldnt listen to me what do i know
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- sanssecret 13 years ago
  
  Well, I started reading the headline on the front page, and before I knew it, I'd read the last few words as well. Sorry, but I didn't know not to read them until I'd read them.
  
  But I haven't read the thread. Honest. Cross my heart. :p
  
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mojojuju 13 years ago

NLP newbies are creepy.
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