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Stick out your finger and the magic of 69 . . .Is anyone else sick of these?

by Heidi White
15 replies
I've been travelling and have just been scanning my emails and not even spending a minute in the forum - but while I have access at this hotel for 5 seconds - I just want to say that I'm getting a little bit annoyed by email headlines like these:

Stick out your finger (not that one)....

The magic of 69 (get your mind out of the gutter)....

WTF

Sorry - but, I get emails like this that bait and then accuse me of having a dirty mind. Pisses me the heck off and makes me want to unsubscribe.

Am I the only one that finds this crud annoying?

Or - is it just good marketing because like the Ad men say, "Annoy, Annoy, Annoy!"

MostlyHarmless
#finger #magic #sick #stick
  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by MostlyHarmless View Post

    I just want to say that I'm getting a little bit annoyed by email headlines like these
    WTF, whose lists are you on? Maybe it's your niche, dude.
    Signature
    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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    • Profile picture of the author DaveManTheCaveMan
      Banned
      Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

      WTF, whose lists are you on? Maybe it's your niche, dude.
      I got 2 different 69 emails from Ryan Lee.

      I don't know if these are the same emails she's talking about but Ryan is an Internet Marketer.

      I didn't open either of them because it seemed like he was trying to shock me into opening them by using 69 in the title.

      *edit* I was just being a hater because I don't like getting "sold" or tricked..and I'm probably the exception to the rule... I'm sure that email got a ton of opens. I plan on testing the headline myself. I'll probably open it and see if there's anything headline related worth swiping.
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  • Profile picture of the author Heidi White
    LOL - just lists I opted in to when getting free stuff in the War Room mostly. Definatlely IM Money Making niche lists.

    (oh - and it's Dudette!)
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    • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
      Originally Posted by MostlyHarmless View Post

      (oh - and it's Dudette!)
      And that's why we have avatars. If it matters to you, use one. :p
      Signature
      "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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      • Profile picture of the author Heidi White
        yeah - my avatar is under construction....

        I went back to see who sent those offending emails. Couldn't find the 69 one, but the ...Stick out your finger, (not that one!) ...email was from ProBlogger Tips at ProBlogger.com

        - not exactly fly by night.
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        • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
          Originally Posted by MostlyHarmless View Post

          Couldn't find the 69 one, but the 'Stick out your finger, (not that one,) email was from ProBlogger Tips at ProBlogger.com
          I wouldn't be so concerned about getting two emails with suggestive subjects, but you make it sound like you get them all the time.

          It's also worth considering whether the sender was trying to AVOID offending people, knowing full well that the English speaking world is primarily populated by perverts, and that even the most upstanding citizens in that community tend to have some pretty filthy minds.
          Signature
          "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author CurtisN
    I got one of those emails...I wasn't bothered by it at all. A few things:

    1) Why should the subject line matter? If you get value from the list, then stay. If not, unsubscribe.

    2) Your individual opinion doesn't matter. By "your", I mean the average subscriber. It doesn't matter that "you" don't like it because everyone's opinions differ on varying degrees. It's just like TV ads...many of them are awful, but some of them keep running for months or years because they work.

    3) Lighten up...it was a joke. Maybe I appreciated the joke a little more because I'm young (20) and male, but still. I didn't find it hilarious (or funny, really), but I wasn't bothered by it one bit.

    I hope my response hasn't offended you too

    Curtis
    Signature
    Curtis Ng (blog) - Product Launch Manager
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Double entendres and subject lines like this are a staple of late night comedians. They use them to avoid running afoul of the censors.

    The fact that you understand them says that they accomplished what they set out to do - although it sounds like they got an unintended result in your case.

    If you didn't get the reference, you would simply be confused, not offended. By not reading the email under those subject lines, you just did the email equivalent of changing the channel. Since it does bother you, the best possible response is non-response.
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    • Profile picture of the author Liam Hamer
      I understand that they offend/annoy you, but they certainly sound more interesting than the countless ones with 'Your free download inside', and 'Come and get your f.ree software worth $67!' titles :p
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  • Profile picture of the author BIG Mike
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author Heidi White
      Originally Posted by BIG Mike View Post

      I got a 68 from some female marketer...she said if I did her she'd owe me one

      BigMike - I didn't want you to think that your post wasn't very funny - cause it was. Thank you for that!
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    I'm about as clean cut as they come, and those subject lines may have rubbed me th wrong way, though it would depend on my mood at the time.

    That being said, my absolute most successful signature line ever was...

    How would you like to grab my massive package for Valentine's Day?

    I was referring to how many items were included in the offer, but the double entendre (in this case) was pure gold. It could be taken as completely innocent...or not, BUT that would depend on the reader.

    So, perhaps the problem you are concerning yourself with isn't so much the double meaning, but the fact that sender is leeting on that there IS a double meaning, and assuming YOU are thinking of the wrong one.

    Maybe my sig got extra juice because it was somewhat out of character for me, who knows? But I left it as is and let the reader interpret any way they chose to. Either way, it not only got a lot of comments, it also led to a lot of clicks and sales.

    All the best,
    Michael
    Signature

    "Ich bin en fuego!"
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    • Profile picture of the author Heidi White
      Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

      I'm about as clean cut as they come, and those subject lines may have rubbed me th wrong way, though it would depend on my mood at the time.

      That being said, my absolute most successful signature line ever was...

      How would you like to grab my massive package for Valentine's Day?

      I was referring to how many items were included in the offer, but the double entendre (in this case) was pure gold. It could be taken as completely innocent...or not, BUT that would depend on the reader.

      So, perhaps the problem you are concerning yourself with isn't so much the double meaning, but the fact that sender is leeting on that there IS a double meaning, and assuming YOU are thinking of the wrong one.

      Maybe my sig got extra juice because it was somewhat out of character for me, who knows? But I left it as is and let the reader interpret any way they chose to. Either way, it not only got a lot of comments, it also led to a lot of clicks and sales.

      All the best,
      Michael
      You hit the right point Michael, now that I'm reflecting on it. It is the fact that these emails both led me on and then made the assumption inside the title that really bothered me.

      Your massive package on Valentines days email would not have bothered me at all.

      I guess I'm resistent to be told what I was thinking in a headline.
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    • Profile picture of the author JennSpencerIM
      Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

      How would you like to grab my massive package for Valentine's Day?
      That was probably the best line I've heard...definitely unique! I'm a pretty conservative female and even I thought so. I was wondering how well it had worked for you since I feel like the majority of people in the WF are men! Glad it worked. Or were all your sales from women?
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      • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
        Originally Posted by JennSpencerIM View Post

        That was probably the best line I've heard...definitely unique! I'm a pretty conservative female and even I thought so. I was wondering how well it had worked for you since I feel like the majority of people in the WF are men! Glad it worked. Or were all your sales from women?
        Perhaps there is a bigger marketing message there.

        I let people themselves decide how to take the message, and when asked if it was meant to be an innuendo, I played coy.

        Also, it was slightly out of character for me to use a phrase like that, but not to the point of alienating those who know my style.

        Another point that I think is important is that this was for Valentine's Day, and that kind of double entendre fits in. However, that type of innuendo would not be a good match for Christmas; for example.

        Sometimes it can seem that a good subject or signature line falls into your lap - when that happens, I say go for it!

        All the best,
        Michael
        Signature

        "Ich bin en fuego!"
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        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          Why should the subject line matter?
          Because if it's suggestive or just plain ignorant - I don't open your email. I don't even open it to find the "unsubscribe" - I just add it to the "route to junk" list...and never see one of your emails in my box again.

          kay
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          Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
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          2024 Patriot's Award for Service to Veterans
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