A new low is reached in email subject lines

[Anna Johnson]

Just got an email from a fairly well-known Internet marketer. The subject line read:

[Name] is in the hospital

("Name" is the name of another Internet marketer)

Concerned about the Internet marketer being in hospital, I opened up the email. It said:

Ok. Don't panic.

[Name] is *not* in the hospital.

But, I know how crammed your inbox is with emails and
I *desperately* needed to grab your attention.

Here's what this email is *really* about...

As you might already know, perhaps the BIGGEST
contest ever is about to happen here at [Name of website]

Disgusting abuse of subscribers' trust, and truly surprising to see from a so-called accomplished Internet marketer.

Although I subscribe to a lot of lists to keep track of what various Internet marketers are up to, I immediately unsubscribed. Both in protest and because, frankly, this person seems to know surprisingly little about effective subject lines.

[Troy McDonald]

Ouch, I agree too.

Flat out.. lame!

[DavidO]

Thanks for reminding me to do something I've been wanting to do for a long time: unsubscribe from each and every one of these mind-numbing, mailbox-filling marketing lists!

They got old long ago and now they're an increasingly obnoxious nuisance. I know, I know! I chose to subscribe. And I choose to unsubscribe.

[milan]

I can't believe an experienced marketer doesn't know that people hate to be cheated. This automatically translates to: does he cheat me in other ways as well?

[SaSeoPete]

I got that too!

I sent them a message back too telling them how rubbish it is and unsubscribed.

[jasdon]

That's low!

If I got that, I'd take my name off their list.

[Andyhenry]

I got that too - and unsub'd immediately.

[stephenh]

2 choices,

1 creating long term relationships and caring for your list

2 churn and burn

I would from a purely marketing point of view be interested in seeing the open stats on that email.

Stephen

He could have at least said something like, I made a spelling mistake I meant to say so and so was inhospitable and then put in a bit about classic spelling mistake headlines to get a laugh and draw the reader in... any suggestions?

[visit_faraz]

I really hate these kind of subject lines.

A while ago , i received mails with subject lines , such as

"you've got a sale!" and when I opened it , the message said that we could start getting lots of sales and get notifications like this.

I was really pissed of with this because I am already getting lots of (supposed to be) notifications like this from similar marketers who follow the same crappy technique.

[Sonny Saini]

Not cool....

[Lynette Crase]

I also received this and unsubscribed. It would be
interesting to know how many subscribers he loses
from this.

I agree with others, very lame.

[Charann Miller]

I've done a big list clean out myself. I unsubscribed from about 10 in one day due to the heavy sell tactics and yep, pretty lame subject lines too.

I got one about a guy choking in the subject line, I clicked it and read the entire email and there was no mention of it anywhere, this person didn't at least try to weave the subject line into their story, that was pathetic. Mind you, that's what I get for clicking I guess.

[Pat Jackson]

Same deal for me. Immediately unsubscribed.

[James Schramko]

I did not get it.

I guess my crap filter is working just like it should.

[Thamisgith]

That really is low.

I read a report, some time ago, that the most important thing when deciding to open an e-mail or not is the senders name. If it's someone you know and trust then you are much more likely to open it. Makes sense I suppose - and it does raise the question as to how effective these shock tactics are when composing the subject line.

[nicholasb]

I got the same thing, and unsubscribed right away, I hate shenanigans, I focus hard to build my business on honesty and trust and I will not support anyone who does the opposite

[Konja]

Once I received this email:

subject: Bad News Konja

"Hey Konja,

I have some bad news.

My poor dog has a spider bite the size of a nickel on the topside
of her paw and had to go to the vet today at 8am. =(

Good news for you is I just launched the..."

that's what I replied:

"Hi ...

I guess that's bad news for your dog but not for me.
Please don't treat me like stupid.

cheers,
Konja"

he replied:

"No insult intended Konja.

"Bad News" in the subject line is simply just another marketing device."

me:

"yes I know.
just wanted to let you know that it does not
work well with me."

he:

"Ticking some people off seems to go hand in hand with making sales (for me).
The more I tick off, the more sales I make. Don't ask me why. =)
I'm sorry it had to be you this time! =)"

I think that's the point. As long as those subject lines and messages create sales they will be used. But I will not stop telling those marketers when I'm pissed.

[Anna Johnson]

For those of us with loved ones who have recently died in hospital... who watch in horror as we learn that the death toll from the Victorian bushfires is getting higher and higher... this email couldn't have come at a worse time. I am so glad to see people unsubscribing and sending a message to this marketer that an email subject line like this is not just lame... it's also despicable.

[Aj Wilson]

Originally Posted by James Schramko

I did not get it.

I guess my crap filter is working just like it should.

LOL.

thank god, we only have to "Click, To Clean" our crap filters...
otherwise things could get messy

oh, in regards to the email...

This is a good reminder of the technique of using what's currently
happening in the media to your advantage and to use in your email marketing,

however,..

this is the poor example to use... (what NOT to do) lol. You just have to switch yours
to a more positive mind frame etc.

[Talltom1]

The interesting dynamic here is that the guy felt compelled to do this in the first place. Apparently so few people were opening his mail or converting to previous offers, that he/she is now becoming 'desperate' enough to resort to scum tactics.

So he's losing credibility not just by putting that in the subject, but also because he felt the need to put it in the subject line.

Talltom

[RickyLM]

James Schramko, that gave me chuckle.

[raydp]

I got it and unsubbed straight away.

The other one that is not so distasteful but leads me to unsubscribe is "Ray, I got you in"

Ray

[eddiebarkie]

Back in November I got an email from a semi-name marketer with the subject line "XXX XXXXXXX Is DEAD‏", the XXs being HIS name. Turned out his "mentoring programme" was "dead" because it was sold out(one space left). I unsubscribed and bet others did also...ed....

[globalpro]

Anna,

Count me in as another unsubscriber. I can go a long way with the headlines, but I know the person in question (in the hospital), so that was very annoying.

Thanks,

John

[Andrei Rotariu]

Yes. Oprah should woop that dudes ass.

[alankay]

NAME AND SHAME.

Who was the marketer who sent that crap?

[Scot Standke]

Got it here too, instant unsub for me.

Scot

[TMG Enterprises]

NAME AND SHAME.

It's against the rules of the forum to name names. Starts too many wars.

I had to go check my email box and sure enough, I got it too. I'm not sure yet on unsubscribing, though. This is one that I do want to keep receiving yet I am not impressed with the tactic at all.

Tina G

[Yogini]

Yes, I also received that and unsubscribed. I also dislike getting the ones such as Notification of Payment, URGENT, 24 Hours Left etc etc.

Debbie

[Traffic-Bug]

I would check the content of the email and the track record of taht mailing list in delivering useful information to me. I would forgive any of the one-off subject mistakes if the other content is worthwhile. Sometimes gems do come through unknown internet marketing newsletters. I found Kikabink newsletter useful - but when I signed up I was told I would get a free classified ad, I put in my ad text and it has been a month and I still didnt see my ad in the Kikabink newsletter.

[Kelly Verge]

I unsubscribed.

However, I'm ticked off more because he's sending that type of thing to the same list where he would (should) send update notices for his software.

In this specific case, his software is good - most of the time I see praise for it. Unfortunately, he's losing what could easily be loyal subscribers by trying too hard to sell to them.

I don't mind being pitched. Sometimes it's even good to find products based on a recommendation. This, however, was in bad taste.

There's definitely a lesson in this.

[globalpro]

I always enjoyed the content of the newsletters, but that was over the top. I am very tolerant of some headlines in emails that come from the ones that I enjoy getting emails form, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

At least I do (and did).

Thanks,

John

[NewbiesDiary]

OMG! And I thought I was on every list known to man - I'm not on that one thankfully.

I must admit I dont look at the subject I look a t who its from and delete all the ones that have started sending nothing but crap.

Honestly the biggest IM'ers are now only sending BUY BUY BUY emails now - I'm soooooo sick of being pushed into 5 day coaching etc etc.

I've been wondering how to outsource unsubscribing LOL

[Stephen Saha]

Thats such a sick way to make people check your email.
Good to know people are unsubscribing.
At least everyone would learn from his mistake.

Let me check my email if its there.

Stephen

[Michael Oksa]

Originally Posted by Traffic-Bug

I would check the content of the email and the track record of taht mailing list in delivering useful information to me. I would forgive any of the one-off subject mistakes if the other content is worthwhile. Sometimes gems do come through unknown internet marketing newsletters. I found Kikabink newsletter useful - but when I signed up I was told I would get a free classified ad, I put in my ad text and it has been a month and I still didnt see my ad in the Kikabink newsletter.

How the heck do you accidentally type "NAME is in the hospital"?

And then, how do you accidentally say in the email body "NAME isn't really in the hospital"?

You don't.

This wasn't a mistake, or an accident. It was a flat out, bold faced, cheap, crappy, dumb@$$ed lie - I hope the marketer loses every ounce of business they have.

My wife just got out of the hospital, after being there for a full month (yes, month!).

You can bet that marketer is on my list of people to NEVER do business with, NEVER recommend, etc.

I don't care if the rest of the message told me how to crap gold 24 hours a day (and in fact, it DIDN'T, it was just a cheap promotion for a cheap contest from a cheap marketer), it's still a lie.

All the best,
Michael

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by NewbiesDiary

OMG! And I thought I was on every list known to man - I'm not on that one thankfully.

I must admit I dont look at the subject I look a t who its from and delete all the ones that have started sending nothing but crap.

Honestly the biggest IM'ers are now only sending BUY BUY BUY emails now - I'm soooooo sick of being pushed into 5 day coaching etc etc.

I've been wondering how to outsource unsubscribing LOL

Here are some techiques:

If you don't want to join a list but they 'force' you to (say to get a download for a product you purchased etc) then:

a) try view source
b) use 10 Minute Mail
c) use a separate Gmail account

If you want to join the list then use a gmail account that you can check every few days.


Check them every once in a while and get rid of anything that you can live without.

If you are just trying to 'learn' from them or 'keep in the loop' then you may consider using Internet Marketing News Watch as your home page, RSS feeds from blogs or twitter instead.

I think subscribing to 'learn' is a bad excuse. It costs you so much in the long run. Just be yourself and do what you feel is right and that is better than copying others. Most of them suck.


If people send junk nuke it. They want to steal your time and they will milk you until you have nothing left.

[R Hagel]

Wow.

I'm not on that list either, but if I was, that would have been an immediate unsubscribe.

He(?) sounds very desperate.

cheers,
Becky

[naruq]

Sharon thanks for sharing! I received the same e-mail the other day.

[mrmatiesto]

That is just so wrong!

I must not be on the list as I didn't get that one. However, if I had I would have been off the list in a NY minute. I have friends that tell me my subject lines are so boring but my list members know me well and the info I provide.

I have noticed that headlines and subject lines are getting more and more outrageous and the claims made in sales letters sound more like a pitch from a snakeoil salesman.

My 2 Cents
Jim

[Paul Myers]

Becky,

Yeah. It's a 'he.' One of the nicest guys in the business, too.

Nice guy or not, that subject line as a teaser is disgusting. Fortunately, it's so extreme that it's unlikely to be copied as much as "bad news" or "Personal from [Marketer]."

This is just stunningly bad.

Before anyone starts with the "If they unsubscribe, they weren't going to buy anything anyway" crap, rethink that. I count 9 people in this thread (so far) who've bought stuff from me and who find this cause for an immediate unsubscribe.

If you absolutely MUST piss off your customers, do it with an uncomfortable truth. Those, at least, offer some value. Lying to them and then saying, "Yeah, I lied to you. I had to, to get your attention," is so wrong in so many ways...

What message do your customers get from that? That you're willing to lie to them? That you're desperate? What do they infer from those things?

Gawd, what a nasty way to get attention.


Paul

[Michael Oksa]

Yeah. It's a 'he.' One of the nicest guys in the business, too.

Yeah. It's a 'he.' Was one of the nicest guys in the business, too.

Even the best reputation can be ruined by one bad move - this is a classic example of a bad move.

In my post above I said it was promoting a contest, I was wrong. It was promoting a contest announcement.

Just my take on it, and I'm far from from perfect (very far), but this is simply unexcusable.

To be fair, I have no idea who this person is, and didn't recieve the e-mail, so all of my comments are based on how the message is quoted in the OP.

All the best,
Michael

[Stephen Clark]

I received this same email! Couldn't believe it. I immediately felt lied to. I would guess that email did more harm than good.

[dwshoup]

Originally Posted by stephenh

2 choices,

1 creating long term relationships and caring for your list

2 churn and burn

I would from a purely marketing point of view be interested in seeing the open stats on that email.

Stephen

He could have at least said something like, I made a spelling mistake I meant to say so and so was inhospitable and then put in a bit about classic spelling mistake headlines to get a laugh and draw the reader in... any suggestions?

avoid going anywhere near that kind of blatant lie in a desparate attempt to draw people to open.

that would be my suggestion. I got that email as well and it still sits unopened.

[IMChick]

But this guy is probably reading this thread right now and laughing. His open rate was probably pretty high. Nasty way to burn a list, though.

If the subject of an email lies or is similarly smarmy or the quality of stuff being delivered to my inbox is spammy or has changed to all affiliate stumping, I unsub and move on.

Doing any one of these things for 'attention' or the quick sale is an indication that the marketer's own product materials are going to be smarmy or they will be untruthful in business dealings with me. No thanks, I don't have to click on problems to find them.

At this point I need to outsource the unsubs or abandon that mailbox.

[Paul Myers]

Michael,

Yeah. It's a 'he.' Was one of the nicest guys in the business, too.

Even the best reputation can be ruined by one bad move - this is a classic example of a bad move.

He didn't suddenly become a bad person. As a human being, he's still the same as before. I have a strong hunch that, if you met him, you and he would get along famously. Seriously.

Yes, this was a nasty subject line. Yes, it will cost them in terms of reputation, as it should.

Don't confuse doing something dumb with being evil. If you start down that road, you'll end up places you don't want to be.


Paul

[Michael Oksa]

But this guy is probably reading this thread right now and laughing. His open rate was probably pretty high. Nasty way to burn a list, though.

And bet his unsub rate is at its highest, too.

On the other hand, if he realizes it may have been a mistake, how can he send an honest apology to the very people he lied to?

If he's normally a nice guy, my guess is he's not laughing and trying to figure out a plan for damage control. It won't be easy, but it's not impossible for some mitigation.

Anyway, it looks like most people think it was a shady move, and it also looks like it was rewarded properly.

All the best,
Michael

[Marcus Paul]

Unsubbed here as well.

It's a shame really, because that marketer built his list from an excellent, FREE product, which gave him great credibility within the blogging world.

Then he blows it all by doing this. Too bad.

[Rod Cortez]

Anna, I couldn't agree more. This goes in line with one school of thought amongst some marketers where all that matters is the bottom line: making money at virtually any cost.

I think that kind of e-mail, irregardless of the intentions and motive(s) behind it, is flat out ridiculous. What morons like these fail to see is the long-term value of their subscribers. They simply want to make money and don't care if people unsubscribe. In fact, I come across this attitude more often than not lately.

I did not receive the e-mail in question, I guesss I'm not that list, but if I had received it I would have replied and then unsubscribed. Some people are simply myopic and only think about the short-term. That works for some people, but certainly not for me.

RoD

[Michael Oksa]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Michael,He didn't suddenly become a bad person. As a human being, he's still the same as before. I have a strong hunch that, if you met him, you and he would get along famously. Seriously.

Yes, this was a nasty subject line. Yes, it will cost them in terms of reputation, as it should.

Don't confuse doing something dumb with being evil. If you start down that road, you'll end up places you don't want to be.


Paul

Fair enough.

However, even he is a nice guy (I believe he is), there's no question that his reputation has taken a sever blow.

It really does take just one bad move to ruin a reputation, and I still think this sounds like a classic example. The good news is that reputations can be rebuilt.

I can be very judgmental, but I'm also empathetic. My first responses were empathizing with those who were tricked, and lied to. As the day has gone on, I am empathizing with the sender of the e-mail (not saying he was right to do this) and can just imagine the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Who knows, maybe he had that feeling as soon as he hit the send button, and regretted it right away. I can only imagine how I would feel if I made a move that boneheaded.

The one thing that doesn't chnage is that he lied to get people to open an e-mail. That's not okay (and I know you're not saying it is).

Everyone deserves a second chance - I've had my fair share - so, chalk it up to experience, and I hope he comes through this a better person.

All the best,
Michael

[Martin Luxton]

Reminds me of the title of the Ken Kesey novel "Sometimes A Great Notion"

According to Wikipedia Kesey took the title from the song “Goodnight, Irene”, popularized by Lead Belly.
Sometimes I live in the country
Sometimes I live in the town
Sometimes I get a great notion
To jump into the river an’ drown

Martin