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Fastest way to get rid of your subscribers

by lotsofsnow
7 replies
Just going through my inbox.

Subject line: email address - Approved!

My immediate action: click unsubscribe.

In the last few weeks I received many email with similar subject lines.

Looks like some wannabe guru found that the open rate for these kind of subject lines goes through the roof.

That might be true. But that "guru" did not watch the unsubscribe stats.

Subject lines that have a similar effect:

"Payment notification"

"You just made a sale"

The most important asset of any business is its mailing list. With subject lines like that you are going to kill the mailing list fast.

Yes, you should grab people's attention. But you can over-do it. Just stay within the truth. If the email does not send money, don't say so (of actually follow through, like the famous penny letter in direct mail).

HP
#fastest #rid #subscribers
  • Profile picture of the author mike gregory
    I agree with this, when i first started to build my list i was being pulled to the subject lines you state, glad i came to my senses!!

    I have received many emails with such subject lines and immediately gets the alarm bells ringing, i now keep my subject lines simple and to the point not misleading.
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Shook
      One of the first things I learned in copywriting was to make your headline match up with your content. If the headline (email subject) creates a disconnect with the reader, conversion rates plummet.

      Open rate counts a bit, but conversion rate counts even more.
      Signature


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      • Profile picture of the author Tashi Mortier
        I can totally understand what you mean there.

        A marketer who does something like this to me is not worthy of using my inbox, sorry. I need to be able to trust you, dear marketer, because I want to be able to trust my e-mails' subjects.

        When do they ever get this? Trust is far more valuable than money in Web 2.0. Trust can earn you free subscribers because your list gets suggested to friends of your subscribers.

        I guess there are some gurus trying to market this as a trick or technique to insanely fast riches or something. Or probably it's some short-sighted newbie coming up with such an idea.
        Signature

        Want to read my personal blog? Tashi Mortier

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        • Profile picture of the author Sarah S
          Originally Posted by Tashi Mortier View Post

          Trust is far more valuable than money in Web 2.0. Trust can earn you free subscribers because your list gets suggested to friends of your subscribers.
          This is also a really good point. There are two lists I can think of offhand that I subscribed to because other people trusted and recommended the marketers behind them. The trust that a marketer fosters with his or her list isn't just about getting compliments and recommendations from subscribers either- the conversion rates are usually higher when subscribers respect and trust the marketer who's making the offer.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sarah S
    Originally Posted by hpgoodboy View Post

    Subject lines that have a similar effect:

    "Payment notification"

    "You just made a sale"
    Aside from being annoying- and correct me if I'm wrong on this- I think that these kinds of subject lines are actually in violation of the CAN-SPAM act.

    One of the regulations of the act specifies what is not allowed in a subject line:

    "Don’t use deceptive subject lines. The subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message."

    Telling your subscribers that they've "made a sale," or trying to make them open the email to see information about a supposed payment is certainly deceptive, and does not describe what the message is really about.

    Personally, I don't go as far as to actually report them for it, but it certainly is a nuisance, and is an automatic reason for me to unsubscribe from them as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike McAleer
    Originally Posted by hpgoodboy View Post

    Just going through my inbox.

    Subject line: email address - Approved!

    My immediate action: click unsubscribe.

    In the last few weeks I received many email with similar subject lines.

    Looks like some wannabe guru found that the open rate for these kind of subject lines goes through the roof.

    That might be true. But that "guru" did not watch the unsubscribe stats.

    Subject lines that have a similar effect:

    "Payment notification"

    "You just made a sale"

    The most important asset of any business is its mailing list. With subject lines like that you are going to kill the mailing list fast.

    Yes, you should grab people's attention. But you can over-do it. Just stay within the truth. If the email does not send money, don't say so (of actually follow through, like the famous penny letter in direct mail).

    HP
    I agree... You do not want people to leave your list. They will unsubscribe if they see those nonsensical subject lines..
    Signature

    Recent domain flips : $8->$1000 Social recruiting Software dot com $8->$2000 MobileSalesSoftware.com
    Invest in domains without the hard work !
    Email for details...Mike McAleer at me dot com

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  • Profile picture of the author Mike McAleer
    Originally Posted by hpgoodboy View Post

    Just going through my inbox.

    Subject line: email address - Approved!

    My immediate action: click unsubscribe.

    In the last few weeks I received many email with similar subject lines.

    Looks like some wannabe guru found that the open rate for these kind of subject lines goes through the roof.

    That might be true. But that "guru" did not watch the unsubscribe stats.

    Subject lines that have a similar effect:

    "Payment notification"

    "You just made a sale"

    The most important asset of any business is its mailing list. With subject lines like that you are going to kill the mailing list fast.

    Yes, you should grab people's attention. But you can over-do it. Just stay within the truth. If the email does not send money, don't say so (of actually follow through, like the famous penny letter in direct mail).

    HP
    I agree... You do not want people to leave your list. They will unsubscribe if they see those nonsensical subject lines..
    Signature

    Recent domain flips : $8->$1000 Social recruiting Software dot com $8->$2000 MobileSalesSoftware.com
    Invest in domains without the hard work !
    Email for details...Mike McAleer at me dot com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3529873].message }}

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