Just got a SUSPECT email from a VERY well known marketer...

by 57 replies
68
I won't name him here -- but the email is troubling because it says...

I am thrilled when I get the opportunity
to recommend something to you that you
will help you make money & get immediate
value from it!

...Without buying anything, or even opting in...

Enjoy this free, pure content video now: (then the link to the vid)

[[[note: the email promises the vid can be viewed WITHOUT opting in]]]

Then (you guessed it), when you arrive at the link, sure enough you ARE required to opt in.
An opt in box that says in large type "OPT IN HERE"

If you try to play the vid WITHOUT opting in, you are not permitted to -- a pop up appears that says this...

"Hold on a sec... Just enter your email address in the box to the right under the arrows and click the button that says Show me the video. Your information is kept highly guarded by us and under no circumstances would we ever rent or sell your information."

(translation: never trust me again)

-- TW
#main internet marketing discussion forum #email #marketer #suspect
  • Banned
    [DELETED]
  • It's possible that it's a cookie thing and the person who sent you the e-mail really CAN see the video with out opting in.

    They could have looked at the video yesterday - went back to get you the link and said "hey the opt in is gone.... let me tell others".

    Unless there is some kind of back end sale they aren't getting anything from it other than diluting their own list.
  • Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill... The way your subject line went I thought something illegal had just taken place.

    Come on it's an email address for crying out loud. If you want the video, get it and then if you don't want on the list just opt-out... it's that simple.

    I understand that you say this certain marketer said there would be no opt-in but like come on, for something that small you're willing to nail him to the cross for it?

    Mike Hill
    • [ 7 ] Thanks
  • i thought so too.
  • LOL.. Thats just a spam mail and i would never opt for such kind of things. I dont want my mailbox to be full with spam mails. I would always prefer to stay away from this spam stuffs.
  • Keep away yourself from it.
    • [1] reply
    • it could have been something to do with a cookie, or even worse it could have been an error on the marketers part. But an opt in is part and parcel of our business, like Mike said- its not the crime of the century.
  • What about the product advertised at the top of this forum. It tells me "You Can See It All For Free!"

    How much does "fre-e" cost? "Get Product Name for $17!"
    • [2] replies
    • [DELETED]
    • Try re-reading that:

      "How to Set Up A Membership Site In Under 6 Minutes -
      Using COMPLETELY FREE Software!"

      It doesn't say it's free; it says it will show you to set up a membership site USING free software.

      Suzanne
      • [1] reply
    • rosetrees, It's poorly written, but you are twisting it the wrong direction. The point they are making is that yiou can set up the membership site and populate it with content AND wartch it to see if it generates traffic.... All For Free.
      • [1] reply
  • The number 1 reason why I unsubscribe from lists is the constant bombardment. Sometimes up to twice a day the same email. I do however leave a message

    Shameless money grabbing ....
  • I wasn't nailing anyone to a cross. It's not the crime of the century. It's just a bald-faced lie, that's all. "Come over here Johnny, and I promise I won't hit you on the head"... [[[CLONK!!!]]]

    Specific promise betrayed. It's a crime of ethics. "But it's only an email address, c'mon!" If that's so (a legit excuse), then why is making the specific promise that opting in (giving one's email address) is NOT required, significant enough for the sender to PROMISE that condition as a LURE?

    There's no excuse for it, imo.

    What someone did this?... Sent an email that touts a product that is "ABSOLUTELY FREE FREE FREE!!! -- 100% NO CHARGE!" Then you go to the link, and it says, "ONLY ONE DOLLAR!"

    You gonna post on here, "C'mon! What's the big deal?!? -- it's only a dollar! -- 100 pennies, fer gosh sakes!"

    That's not the point.

    The point is, a specific promise was made -- and that specific promise was specifically broken.
    The SIZE of the promise matters not. It was made as a LURE, then summarily REMOVED when the fish shows up.

    Shana -- can't leave a message (of disgust) -- the return address is noreply. Also, no contact us on the main site.

    -- TW
    • [ 3 ] Thanks
  • They are likely selling people e-mail addresses, but there is some kind of back end sale, they aren't getting anything......

    never opt for such things........
  • Here's a perfectly ethical possibility for what you see.

    Beach guys go to email guy. They say "do a JV with us, and promote our video."

    Email guy goes and looks, and says "holy crap, they don't even require an opt-in, that's awesome value." He sends to his list.

    Swarms of traffic descend on the video. Beach guys go "WTF, nobody is opting in... OMG we forgot to install that script!"

    They hurriedly install it, hoping they didn't lose too many people. Email guy doesn't own or control the site, so he doesn't even know about this and can't stop them anyway.

    Meanwhile, thanks to email spinners, many subscribers weren't told there was no opt-in (I got "..Without having to buy anything!" and nothing about opt-in at all). So they don't even get the chance to be annoyed about it.

    Not everything is unethical or dishonest. Sometimes it's just a mistake.
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
  • I think everyone is bit or more pissed about it. One time you think you got something than you don't. Finally in the middle of all this you might lose something important. It's a shame that some real good will is getting pushed down.
    • [1] reply
    • Let's see...

      John Doe marketer starts a video campaign and decides to not have opt in,
      to start with anyway.

      Jane Doe sees that video requires no opt in and notifies her list about this
      amazing thing.

      John Doe, not getting the response he wants, decides the next day to
      change it to an opt in.

      Bob "I Love To Be Pissed Off About Anything" Jones goes to the video
      after the opt in is installed and immediately cries foul, unethical, scammer
      and a lot of names I can't print here.

      We are all so quick to bury everybody under the bus whenever something
      like this happens without considering the possibility that there is a very
      logical explanation like the one I just gave, or the one another person
      gave above, which is probably the more likely scenario.

      How about we stop thinking the worst of people and give them the
      benefit of the doubt until we know for certain.

      1. Did we notify the video creator to ask it opt in was always required?

      2. Did we notify the person who sent the email that opt in is now
      required and ask why they said it wasn't? Maybe we'll get a logical
      explanation.

      This is the one thing about this business that, quite honestly, makes me
      sometimes wish I wasn't a part of it. People are ready to hang you the
      minute something doesn't look right BEFORE they get all the facts.

      I'm just glad that I didn't know about this video and emailed my list about
      it BEFORE opt in was added.

      I can only imagine what people would be saying about me.
      • [ 2 ] Thanks
      • [3] replies
  • "You can see it all for free"

    This is a copywriting tactic used by the best copywriters, including John Carlton. It simply means that YES you can see it all for free, because if you don't like it, you don't have to pay for it.

    ...They call it Risk Reversal.
  • It's posts like these that lead people to say that the warrior forum sucks. I mean common, don't you have anything better to do with your time? It's quite likely that the guy hosting the squeeze page just changed it from a reverse to a standard one and that the guy that sent you the email didn't notice... big woop.
  • I've run across this same situation a number of times. At first I thought it might just be an error on the part of the person sending the email. But when it began to be a consistent 'error' immediately opted out of their list.
    • [1] reply
    • So, everyone is giving "John Doe" the benefit of the doubt?

      I didn't get the email, but I'd be a little pissed too if I got an email that said no opt-in, but there was indeed and opt-in on the page.

      It's not a matter of giving someone my email address because I could easily give a throw away. It's a matter of someone just telling me any ol' thing to get me to go where they want me to go.

      Did the marketer send out another email saying that there was an opt-in on the page? I sure as hell get enough emails within 2 minutes from people that used the wrong link in their email.

      There has to be some honesty and integrity in email marketing, right? Unfortunately more and more people with lists are just abusing the shit out of them...outright lying, deceiving, and in general being more of a pain in the ass than being helpful.

      I'm not saying that is the case with what happened here, but I think it sucks when anyone with a post count about 500 always jumps to the assumption that email guru X must have just made a mistake and the person posting a thread because of something like this is wrong.
      • [2] replies
  • So frickin what. Get a throw away email account at google and use that. I don't care how much they spam my throw away account. I use one acct just for signup purposes and if they quality is good and I want to see what the person has to say I will optin with a real account. It is an email address, not your bank account info.

    Jim
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • that's right. a throwaway email is the best solution to avoid spam mails. marketers will remain marketers. once you opted-in their offers - it's 100% sure you'll be bombarded with offer after offer.
  • I think OP got pissed at something so small because of the amount of times he'd been hit by some sort of sales pitch through email. The smart thing to do, like others have mentioned is to have an account just for the purposes of subscribing. It really let's you see how much cross promotion there is between established marketers and how fake or real they actually are.
  • It is something you get very much interested and when you are into it you are giving away your mail address thus helping the spammer to do more spam. An easiest way to make bad impression of yourself by you.
  • high chance it is spam.
    hell i get spam from my own email address.
    well from the "webmaster" side of it.
    and i have no idea how to stop it.
    unwitting spammer.
  • Steven -- I agree with you (too). Maybe I should give the guy the benefit of the doubt. How/where would I get all the facts? Perception is reality, so I'm not sure who has the burden of proof. The marketer, or the marketEE? Shoul I post all the info here + see what other people think? I wanted to keep it more general than specific.

    PS: I just looked again, and there's ANOTHER email from this person that says this...

    "After watching the video you will definitely
    want to opt in because they will be giving you a ton
    more resources, flow charts, and information that
    will change your business forever..."

    So -- does that add to the idea that it's a mistake, or that it's intentional? To me, it seems like he's 'doubled down' on the deception. Surely by now (24-48 hrs later) he must've/should've realized the 'mistake' in the 1st email, no? Please advise.
    • [2] replies
    • It's easy to get the facts. Any web site, even privately registered, you
      can get a contact email address for, even if it's just the proxy. Email them
      and ask them flat out, "Did you originally have no opt in and changed it or
      was it always like this?"

      Write to the guy who send the email. Be straight with him. Point out what
      he said in his email and then direct him to the reality and ask him to
      explain what happened.

      Sure, ultimately, you have to take their word for the explanation, as there
      is no way to know for sure unless somebody has the original site cached
      somewhere showing there was no opt in, but eventually, you get a feel
      for who is being straight with you and who is just flat out lying.
      • [1] reply
    • Ouch...now I would have to say we have a marketer who a) can not admit that he has been duped or b) actually was complicit in the deception!
      He could have ended up with credibility if he had emailed his list and said "oops, sorry, was told there was no opt in, page was changed, bla, bla, bla...." but no, instead he seems to have created a follow-up message as a means of damage control. Too bad he didn't just come clean. Shows some lack of integrity. My 2 cents.
  • Let me say I did not read all of the responses, but here goes.

    I think the e-mail isn't good. Assuming it was an honest mistake, it's not good for the marketer because it harms their reputation. It's not good for the reader because an explicit promise WAS made - no opt-in, no nothing, just watch the video.

    Sorry, but the responsibility to verify that falls on the sender of the message, not the recipient. Even if it's an honest mistake, it's still not cool.

    For all we know the sender is more distraught than the OP about the whole thing.

    So, the question to ask is how can you prevent it from happening to you? Get a friend to check your message for you. It may not be a perfect solution, but it can help.

    I think TW has every right to be a little miffed. It was misleading. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, it was still misleading.

    All the best,
    Michael
  • That's the problem. Here at the WF we understand, all too well, how easy it is to make these kinds of mistakes.

    BUT, the average reader doesn't get that part of it. So, in their view the guilt WAS proven as soon as they got to the site and saw they had to opt in.

    ~Michael
  • [DELETED]
  • You know what irks me? It's when people attack the mesenger instead of discussing the issue. There's nothing wrong with having a differing viewpoint, but it drives me nuts when the person is attacked.

    For the record, I don't think TW came across as hot headed; just relating something that happened.

    Oh well, I am happy that there are so many different types of people here - even the ones that do what I don't like. Heck, it ain't my forum!



    Just wanted to get that off my chest. (That's part of what I have to do after my recent health issues).

    All the best and no offense,
    Michael
  • Really?

    Does that mean the privacy disclaimers on their websites are just B.S ???

    I've mentioned this on some other posts before, but any Marketer that resorts to forms of mis-information in order to get an email address, only gets burned in the end. (By this I mean the subscribers will quickly unsubscribe one they realise what's going on ....)
  • I often get messages on twitter when im at my daily DM limit so i am forced to do a public reply with my email addy as a result my spam has hit new bounds.

    kind regards


    sam
    X
  • Some food for thought.... Others judge us based on Perception.... We judge ourselves based on our intentions.....

    We must make efforts in our marketing to understand how other people will perceive our actions. We have thousands of opportunities to make bad impressions and in a single moment we can destroy the credibility we have built with our businesses. With every page view on our website and every email we send there is another opportunity for us to make or break our business. Shady marketing tactics may help your business in the short term but WILL in the long run cause your business to suffer.

    It is very hard to gain back lost credibility. When promoting products of other marketers, it is very important that we first have a level of trust in the person and their products.

    I have talked to several affiliate marketers that risk their credibility by promoting products they have never purchased themselves. Very risky business if you ask me...

    It is easy - plug in a throw away address and get over it. That is what I would do myself. However, the marketer who used the shady tactic to gain my email address has lost my confidence and trust. I will get the free info they offer for the opt-in and will never open my wallet for them.
  • I love replying to very old posts :-) I would opt in with a fake email generator, lol
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